This year, two proposals on the California ballot have the power to affect funding for public schools. Depending on how residents of Ventura and the state of California vote for Proposition 38 and Proposition 30, local schools could see a difference in furlough days and class sizes.

Proposition 38 will periodically increase personal income tax rates on almost all taxpayers and allocate the money to K-12 education if passed. Proposition 38 would raise $10 billion dollars in 2013-2014, its first full year of implementation.

If passed, Proposition 38 will increase income tax rates for 12 years. If rejected, state personal income tax will stay the same and no additional funding will be available for schools.

Proposition 30, on the other hand, will increase sales tax for four years by a quarter cent for every dollar and increase personal income tax rates on upper-income taxpayers for seven years. This will raise the state annual revenue by $6 billion between 2012 to 2017 if passed. If approved by voters, there will be additional revenues available to balance state budget through 2018. If rejected, the 2012-2013 budget will be reduced by $6 billion and state revenues will be lower through 2018.

For Ventura Unified School District, as well as many other schools across the nation, it is ideal that Proposition 30 is passed.

“Ventura Unified School District has lost $25 million in the past five years and will lose $450 more per student if Proposition 30 is rejected, accumulating to $8 to 9 million,” Superintendent Trudy Arriaga said. She also mentioned that students could lose a full year of school if adding up all the furlough days between kindergarten and graduation.

“Twenty more days of school will be lost each year if Proposition 30 is rejected,” said Arriaga. “One hundred positions in Ventura Unified School District will be laid-off if Proposition 30 is rejected.”{sidebar id=62}

Biology and chemistry teacher Ryan Duston also believes that it is critical for Propostition 30 to pass.

“If Proposition 30 is rejected, colleges in the future would have to consider that a student from California will have a year-and-a-half less schooling than a student from a different state,” he said.

Because of recent budget cuts, California currently ranks 47 in per student spending among the nation. If Proposition 30 is rejected, the state will move to last place.

Proposition 30 and Proposition 38 cannot both be passed. If each Proposition is passed, the proposition with the most votes will be implemented.