Ahnold lies to children

What can you say about a guy who would lie to our kids?

A year ago, Schwarzenegger worked out a deal with educators through which schools and community colleges would forgo $2 billion in tax revenues that they were entitled to under the state constitution in return for the funds being restored this year. Schwarzenegger also agreed not to tamper with Proposition 98, the initiative which voters approved in 1988 and which guarantees schools and community colleges more than 40 percent of any new state revenues.

"Education is the key to every future success for our state," Schwarzenegger announced at the time. "Prop. 98 funding will be restored as required by law and our agreement. Today, I am making that promise to our teachers and students."

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But teachers have now discovered that schools will get $2 billion less this year than they had expected under the agreement. Local school districts might also be required to pick up an additional $1.1 billion in pension costs. Schwarzenegger also wants to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to weaken Prop. 98, so that schools will lose some of the funds currently guaranteed by the proposition.

Monday, in announcing his 2005-06 budget, he dodged a question on whether he had reneged on his agreement with the public schools. "I will continue to keep my promises to the people of California," he said -- without saying he would keep his promises to an array of groups he has derisively dismissed as "special interests."

He noted that schools this year will get a $2.9 billion increase over last year's allocation to cover cost-of-living adjustments and enrollment growth. But that is considerably less than they should get under Prop. 98.