Dennis R. Bullock, candidate for the 43rd Assembly District, today urged California business, educational and political leaders, as well as the public, to read his innovative education funding policy prescription. The prescription, part of Bullock’s overall campaign theme entitled Water and the Four Big E’s, follows one of the central tenets of Bullock’s economic policy prescription: that California, as a high tax state, should enact policies that utilize tax incentives to encourage societally beneficial activities when feasible. In this case, Bullock is seeking to incentivize California's many wealthy and powerful corporate citizens to action.

If elected, Bullock will introduce legislation to infuse California schools with a “shot in the arm” through a groundbreaking public/private partnership model. The policy employs a voluntary, tax-incentivized structure designed to encourage California’s largest corporations to fulfill individual school districts’ organically created “lists of need.”

“‘Lists of need’ would be generated from the unique and specific needs of each school by those schools (already existing charters and private schools would contribute their lists as well). The lists would be compiled by local school boards, ranked in order based upon importance—from critical to ‘would be nice to have’ items and then finalized into a districtwide list. The state Board of Education and Department of Education would form a task force to review and approve the district lists, ranking and categorizing lists based upon two overarching criteria: the nature of requests, and the overall financial needs within each district.

“Though we perpetually have a dearth of proper funding in K-12 education, ‘lists of need’ are designed to alleviate extra-budgetary needs that just cannot be resolved or implemented within normal funding schemes. These extra-budgetary needs vary from school-to-school and district-to-district, and effectively act as a drag on the normal budget year-to-year,” Bullock explained. “Normal state and local budgeting, and the implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), would be unaffected in any negative way by this program. Indeed, this policy is designed to enhance their efficacy.

“‘Lists of need’ would be bottom-up, organic and unique to each district; corporations would not choose what they give—they simply provide the resources to fulfill approved, predetermined needs,” stated Bullock.

Each participating corporation would choose a school district to help fund, but would also be automatically paired with a second, low-income school district and be required to fulfill that district’s “list of need” as well.

Corporate tax incentives would be graduated according to the level of financial participation. The entire program would be sunsetted at completion. “It is intended to be a ‘shot in the arm,’” said Bullock, “garnering no corporate dependency. It is simply intended to eliminate problems and enhance school environments, ultimately enhancing educational outcomes.

“State and local governments would also be prohibited from ever decreasing school funding before, during or at the conclusion of the program. The state could never abandon or diminish its role in educating children and young adults.”

Bullock seeks to “make business, educational and political leaders aware of my plan—which I will pursue aggressively in the legislature if elected. Leaders need to evaluate their position on this idea and the potentially massive benefits it could provide to each of our 343 school districts. Leaders will need to evaluate where they would stand when such a bill is presented in the assembly.

“Through this innovative program, California can shift the paradigm in America regarding corporations, their massive profits, and public need. Some perceive corporations as greedy or aloof to societal issues, but this partnership could change such perceptions.

“The key will be buy-in by California’s tremendously wealthy large corporate citizens; with buy-in, California’s schools will reap tremendous benefits. After all, what school district will not have a ‘list of need’?”

Bullock originally revealed this plan in January, 2015, unveiling it via a June, 2015 press release. Bullock has also released innovative ideas on water policy.

More detail on Bullock’s education funding proposal can be found here. Bullock’s website is votebullock.com; he is also on Facebook and Twitter.