California Governor Scales Back Schools Agenda

Although this was supposed to be the “year of education” in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger presented a much less ambitious agenda for public schools during his 2008 State of the State address last week than he had been vowing to pursue last year.

With the state facing a $14 billion budget deficit in fiscal 2009, the second-term Republican instead introduced a new slogan, calling 2008 “not the year to talk about money.”

Recounting the state’s response to residents affected by last year’s Southern California wildfires and the rapid rebuilding of a section of a San Francisco Bay Area freeway after a truck crash, the governor emphasized accomplishments...