September 14, 2019

Revisions to California’s charter school law. A ban on suspensions for disruptive behavior through middle school. A crackdown on medical exemptions from vaccinations. 

These were among the more contentious – and momentous – bills that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law this month. 

And in the hours before they adjourned Friday, lawmakers passed one more big education bill with a big price tag – a $15 billion bond measure with funding for pre-K-12 and higher education facilities that will go to voters next March. 

In this week’s podcast, we interview Jeff Vincent, of the Center for Cities + Schools at UC Berkeley, who co-authored a Getting Down to Facts research project on school facilities funding data and policy options last year. Vincent summarizes his findings and gives his view on whether the proposed bond measure will solve the funding inequities that he discovered.

We also interview Laura Schifter, the policy director of a new coalition, ED2020, whose goal is to persuade presidential candidates to pay more attention to education in the lead-up to the 2020 election and to focus on their priorities. 

For more, see the following articles and video: