California Proposition 8, Class Size Reduction Funding and Teacher Qualifications Initiative (1998)

California Proposition 8
Election date November 3, 1998
Topic Education
Status d Defeated
Type State statute	Origin Citizens

California Proposition 8 was on the ballot as an initiated state statute in California on November 3, 1998. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported enacting the following changes to the public education system in California: Establishing a permanent fund for class size reduction for kindergarten through third grade; Requiring parent-teacher councils for funding eligibility; Requiring subject-matter tests for teachers; Authorizing suspension for drug possession; and Creating the Office of Chief Inspector of Public Schools.

A "no" vote opposed enacting the changes to the public education system in California proposed by the initiative.

Election results

California Proposition 8
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		2,914,873	36.87%
No		4,990,993	63.13%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Measure design

Proposition 8 would have made a variety of changes to California's K-12 education system, such as:

• Creating a state Office of the Chief Inspector of Public Schools;
• Increasing the responsibilities of school site councils and principals;
• Altering the state qualifications that must be met by teachers in California;
• Requiring teachers to keep lesson plans on the subjects they teach;
• Preventing the state from reducing funding for the existing kindergarten through grade three (K-3) class size reduction program; and
• Mandating the suspension of students possessing unlawful drugs at school.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition 8 was as follows:

“

Public Schools. Permanent Class Size Reduction. Parent-Teacher Councils. Teacher Credentialing. Pupil Suspension for Drug Possession. Chief Inspector's Office. Initiative Statute.

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary for this measure was:

“

Creates permanent fund for reduction of kindergarten through third-grade class size. Funding eligibility requires each school establish governing council of parents/teachers. Council consults with principal, makes all curriculum/expenditure decisions for school; principal responsible for personnel decisions. Pupil performance to be utilized for teacher evaluations. Teachers must pass subject matter examinations for credential and assignment to teach particular subjects. Immediate pupil suspension for drug possession. Creates Office of Chief Inspector of Public Schools to evaluate school quality.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Fiscal impact

The California Legislative Analyst's Office provided the following estimate of net state and local government fiscal impact for Proposition 8.

“

Creates up to $60 million in new state programs. A significant portion of the annual cost probably would be paid from within the state's existing education budget or be offset by increased fee collections. Potential costs to local school districts in the high tens of millions of dollars annually for new teacher testing requirements and various other provisions. The actual costs to districts could be significantly less, depending on how the state implemented the measure.

”

Support

Supporters

• Governor Pete Wilson (R)
• Yvonne Larsen, president of California State Board of Education
• Kim Jacobsma, 1996 Teacher of the Year

Official arguments

The official arguments in support of Proposition 8 can be found here.

Opposition

Opponents

• Lois Tinson, president of California Teachers Association
• Lenny Goldberg, executive director of California Tax Reform Association
• Bob Wells, secretary/treasurer of Parents, Teachers, and Educators for Local Control

Official arguments

The official arguments in opposition to Proposition 8 can be found here.

Path to the ballot

In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 5 percent of the votes cast at the preceding gubernatorial election. For initiated statutes filed in 1998, at least 433,269 valid signatures were required.

See also

1998 Measures

• 1998 Measures
• Public school teachers and staff on the ballot
• School class size policy on the ballot
• 1998 legislative sessions

California

• California ballot measures
• California ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Official California Voter Guide
• Full text of Proposition 8
• November 3 California proposition election results (Scroll to page 9.)
• Top Ten Contributors to the Proposition 8 campaign