April 2005 Volume 18 No. 7 By the Way . . . Use of Union Dues Qualifies as an Initiative By the Way . . . CPEC Reports on Community College Enrollment Demands Senate Rules Committee Rejects Governor’s Nominees for the State Teachers’ Retirement Board Parcel Tax Legislation Passes First Hurdle Budget Subcommittees Reject Governor’s Proposal to Shift State’s STRS Obligation to Local K-14 Districts Legislative Analyst Reviews “The California Live Within Our Means Act” Initiative State Revenues Miss the Mark for February Ask SSC . . . Where Can I Find Information on Gifts of Public Funds? Ask SSC . . . What Will the Unemployment Insurance Rate Be for 2005-06? Ask SSC . . . Are Full STRS Contributions Required When an Employee Is on Leave Under FMLA? Ask SSC . . . Is the Five-Year Restriction on a STRS Retiree’s Ability to Return to Work Still in Effect?
March 2005 Volume 18 No. 6 By the Way . . . Community College Student Transfers to Private Colleges Made Easier By the Way . . . Senate Rules Committee Confirms Board of Governors Appointees Community College Audits Board of Governors Approves New Approach to Community College Finance By the Way . . . Senate Approves Bruce McPherson as Secretary of State Ask SSC . . . Is There a Contingency Language Model for District Negotiations? Voters Consider Bonds and Parcel Taxes Recreation Assessment Districts: Are They Right for Education Entities? Funding Protection for California’s K-12 Schools and Community Colleges Senate Budget Committee Considers Mandate Funding UCLA Forecasters See Economic Slowdown Ahead The Belt Tightening: “California Live Within Our Means Act” and “Excellence in Teaching Act” Get the Nod Governor’s “New” Spending Cap Initiative Contains Huge Hits to Schools
March 2005 Volume 18 No. 5 By the Way . . . Strong Sentiment to Re-elect Schwarzenegger Next Year By the Way . . . State Spending Priorities Ask SSC . . . Will the Governor’s PERS Pension Reform Proposal Affect My Retirement Benefits? Timetable Tight for Governor Schwarzenegger’s Reforms Community College Legislation - 3/4/05 Legislative Analyst’s Office Proposes Major Changes In Community College Funding State Reform Coming to a Ballot Box Near You Governor’s “Year of Reform” Spawns Educational Reform Coalition Legislative Analyst Recommends $315 Million for Mandates in 2005-06 Legislative Analyst Weighs in on Governor’s Proposed STRS Shift to Schools Legislative Analyst’s Proposition 98 Comments Create an Even More Complicated Political Scene Legislative Analyst Sees Higher State Revenues