2016 GO Endorsement: Prop. 55 – Extension of the Prop. 30 Income Tax
What is Proposition 55, the California Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare Initiative (Prop. 30)?
In 2012, California voters approved Proposition 30, a sales and income tax generating about $6 billion in yearly revenue used largely to fund K-12 and community college education. GO Public Schools Advocates endorsed Proposition 30 and we are now endorsing Proposition 55, the California Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare Initiative, a 12-year extension of the Proposition 30 income tax, which affects Californians making over $250,000 per year.
Why has GO endorsed this ballot initiative?
California does not invest enough in its schools: our state currently ranks 42nd among states in funding adjusted for cost of living. With higher than average populations of low income students and English Language Learners, we should be spending above the national average, not far below. Proposition 30 has helped California close some of the gap between our spending and the rest of the nation over the last four years, and we believe that California needs to continue this trend. Passing Proposition 55 will supply California schools with billions of critical dollars that they would not receive if Proposition 30 were to expire.