SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the state to pay for all 4-year-olds to attend transitional kindergarten (TK), before- and after-school care, schools to become community centers and introduce college savings accounts with $500 for 3.7 million students dedicating $20 billion overall for education.
“We’re doing more than just fully reopening for the upcoming school year, we’re proposing historic investments in public schools to create new opportunities for every student, especially for our neediest students, so that every child can thrive, regardless of their race or zip code,” Newsom said.
All 4-year-olds in California could go to TK for free under a new proposal, and the plan would cost about $2.7 billion per year when it is fully implemented by the 2024-25 school year.
Newsom said he would also like to see $1 billion in this year's budget to go towards before- and after-school care, including sports and arts, personalized tutoring, nurses and counselors, and nutrition – paired with new preventative behavioral health services for every kid in California.
The plan also includes $3 billion to create thousands of full-service community schools, which would provide wraparound mental health, social and family services. These schools would act as community centers.
Newsom's plan also includes $2 billion to start college savings accounts for students from lower-income families and are currently enrolled in K-12 public schools. This would also include a $500 base deposit for students from low-income families, English learners and foster youth from the state's budget. Newsom added that a $500 supplemental deposit would be available for foster and homeless youth.
State officials had thought California would have a budget shortfall this year because of the pandemic. Instead, Newsom announced Monday that the state would have a $76 billion surplus. That includes an extra $17.7 billion for public education.
On Monday, Newsom held two press conferences that impacted many Californians. First, he announced parts of his $100 billion "California Comeback Plan," which included a proposal for more Golden State Stimulus checks. The expanded Golden State Stimulus would provide an additional $11.9 billion in direct cash payments to Californians.
Later that day, the governor expanded the drought emergency, putting 41 counties in the state of emergency. Newsom significantly expanded the state of emergency drought proclamation from his original proclamation on April 21. The new proclamation includes counties on the Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake watersheds.
On Tuesday, Newsom proposed $12 billion in new funding to get more people experiencing homelessness into housing, $8.75 billion, which would convert buildings into 46,000 housing units.
Along with the housing units, the plan would provide 65,000 people with housing and give more than 300,000 people housing stability, according to a press release. Newsom also plans on expanding Project Homekey, which provided shelter to about 36,000 people during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also has plans for other similar projects to get more housing, especially for those with health issues and seniors at risk of homelessness.
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