Hundreds of low-performing schools in California would see smaller class sizes, more qualified teachers, and an increase in the number of counselors, under a $2.9 billion plan unveiled last week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Teachers Association.
The bill is a result of a settlement reached between Mr. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and representatives of the education community after the CTA and state schools Superintendent Jack O’Connell sued the state over education money that the governor used to help balance the state budget in 2004.
Under the plan, which is expected to be approved by the legislature and signed by the governor, 600 schools would be chosen to participate in the pilot program from among 1,600 schools whose scores are in the bottom 20 percent on state tests.
“This legislation is about giving students and teachers in our lowest-performing schools the resources they desperately need to succeed,” Barbara E. Kerr, the president of the 340,000-member CTA, said in a press release.
