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2007 EdSource Forum

2007 forum logoMoney Talks: New Research and Candid Conversations About School Finance

Forum Video

The 30th annual EdSource Forum in April 2007 focused on school finance in California with a special emphasis on the findings of the Getting Down To Facts project. The day's discussions were enhanced by a slate of speakers who brought an extraordinary breadth and depth of experience as well as a wide diversity of opinion to the event.

EdSource's new DVD, California School Finance: Why Does It Matter? helped set the stage for the discussions, presenting a variety of perspectives on the most pressing issues and concerns surrounding school finance.

John Mockler, a school finance expert and EdSource boardmember, started his keynote address with a witty recounting of 10 lessons he has learned about school finance reform including, "Everything you say, good or bad, about the public schools of California is true somewhere in this vast and complex state." Mockler also presented state test data that showed notable gains by students in English language arts and math, including increases in proficiency in both subjects and higher-level course taking in math. He particularly focused on the gains made by Latinos, who will soon represent the majority of California's students.

The next presenter, Susanna Loeb, coordinator of the Getting Down to Facts school finance research project, summarized key findings from the research and described several approaches used to try to determine how much money California schools need to provide an adequate education. Loeb emphasized the challenge of funding schools fairly when students come to school with different needs, and require different amounts and kinds of resources.

In the afternoon, a panel discussed The Politics and Possibilities for School Finance Reform in California. Scott Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards Association (CSBA), began the afternoon by presenting the results of more than 70 interviews reflecting differing perspectives about how California's school funding system can be improved. Then he joined the panel which included:

  • Christopher Cabaldon, president of EdVoice;
  • Lynne Faulks (in northern California), legislative manager, CTA.
  • Lawrence O. Picus, professor, USC Rossier School of Education and national school finance consultant;
  • Richard Simpson, deputy chief of staff, Office of the Speaker of the Assembly;
  • Dom Summa (in southern California), assistant executive director, negotiations and organizational development, California Teachers Association (CTA);

In a lively debate that included responses to questions from the audience, panelists generally agreed on the need to reform a broken school finance system but expressed differing views on how that could be accomplished, and the political challenges involved in reaching that goal.

The Forum and panel were moderated by Christopher Cross, a specialist in K-12 federal policy and a member of the EdSource board.

Links to Video of the Forum Proceedings

To view a video webcast of the speakers' presentations, click the links to "Windows Media Player" (best for PCs) or "QuickTime" (best for Macs). For more information about a speaker, click the name to view a short biography. Where available, you can also click to download a speaker's presentation slides. Video clips and podcast are from the Thursday Forum in Pomona. (Video Help)

 

EdSource DVD Presentation
California School Finance: Why Does It Matter?

Windows Media Player QuickTime For a free, high-quality DVD of this presentation, please call our office at 650/917-9481.

 

Forum and Panel Moderator
Christopher Cross provides an introduction to the day's discussions.

Windows Media Player QuickTime

 

Keynote Presentation
How We Got Where We Are: California School Finance Since 1970
John Mockler offers a witty and provocative view of four decades of California education policy and finance.

Windows Media Player

 QuickTime

 Presentation slides - updated to reflect 2007 CST data 
You can also read this presentation as an article on our California School Finance website.

 

Second Presentation
New Research Key Findings: Getting Down to Facts School Finance Project
Susanna Loeb discusses the findings of the newly-released Getting Down to Facts project.

Windows Media Player QuickTime Presentation slides

Afternoon Presentation
Candid Conversation: The Politics and Possibilities for School Finance Reform in California (Panel Discussion)

Scott Plotkin begins the afternoon by talking about the California School Boards Association's recent public engagement campaign to gather perspectives from stakeholders on the needs of the public school system. He then joins the panel for a broader discussion on the policy implications for California school finance. The panel included:


Windows Media Player QuickTime

   

EdSource would like to thank the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Divisions of Communications/KETN and Technology Support Services for videotaping the Thursday Forum and providing these video clips so our web audience can view them; and Joel Montero at the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) for funding KETN's technical services to EdSource.