SAN JOSE, Calif. — At Mount Pleasant Elementary School in East San Jose, California State Senator Dave Cortese stood alongside educators and community leaders Monday to unveil a bill aimed at correcting decades-old inequities in California’s school funding system.
Senate Bill 743, dubbed the Education Equalization Endowment Act, proposes to reverse a 45-year-old formula born from Proposition 13, which ties school funding to local property taxes—a system that critics say has long favored wealthier communities and left others behind.
“This bill is about equalization and reversing the consequences of past mistakes,” Senator Cortese said. “The bill would establish an education endowment using general fund money to equalize per pupil spending in districts throughout California.”
The disparities are stark. Students in property-rich districts receive significantly more resources than their peers in lower-income areas. Though all schools are expected to meet the same state standards and UC admissions criteria, not all are equipped with the same support.
Superintendent Glenn Vander Zee of East Side Union High School District highlighted how students in East San Jose are funded at levels well below those in neighboring communities just minutes away.
“Our students are asked to meet the same expectations as everyone else in the state,” said Vander Zee. “But they are not currently supported the same.”
Dr. Lisa Andrew, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, said the legislation reflects a core value: that every child deserves access to a quality education regardless of their zip code.
“Better funding formulas mean better outcomes for all students,” Andrew said. “The Education Equalization Endowment Act is a step toward this goal.”
Mount Pleasant Elementary School District Superintendent Dr. Elida MacArthur called the bill an investment not just in education, but in the future of California itself.
“By investing in all students, regardless of zip code, we invest in the future of our communities, workforce, and state,” said MacArthur. “The time to act is now.”
The Senate Education Committee is scheduled to hear the bill on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in Sacramento.
