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 Working Families, Educators, Taxpayer Groups and Law Enforcement Officials Support After School Programs for California Kids
On any given school day, more than one million K-9 students go home to an empty house with little or no supervision until their parents return from work. The federal government recently reported that more than half of California’s school children between the ages of 5 and 14 come from a working single parent home or a family where both parents work outside the home. Law enforcement data indicate that the hours between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. are the “prime time for juvenile crime.”
Proposition 49, passed by voters in 2002, provides additional funding for state grants to bring after school programs to all 6,600 public elementary, middle and junior high schools in California that choose to offer one. The initiative provides more than $400 million dollars a year in new funding to provide these grants. This money comes from incremental growth in state revenues — not new taxes — beginning in 2004 or later. Waiting until 2004 will allow California’s economy and state revenues to recover.
“My goal is to create a safe, educationally enriching and fun after school environment at all of California’s public elementary and middle schools. Providing a supervised and structured after school haven for our most vulnerable youth not only protects our school children, it keeps our neighborhoods safe.” |
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Proposition 49 Architect and Sponsor
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Increase Student Academic Performance
After school programs provide caring and adult supervision, which assists students in reaching their full academic potential. Statistics show that students in after school programs have increased self-esteem and a positive attitude toward school. The results are higher grades and test scores, better attendance and lower drop-out rates, and fewer students repeating grades. That is why the California Teachers Association, the California Parent Teachers Association, and hundreds of school principals, district superintendents, and school-age parents have endorsed Proposition 49.
Decrease Juvenile Crime Rates
A University of Southern California study reports that elementary, middle and junior high students who participate in after school programs are less likely to commit violent crimes, be a victim of a violent crime, skip school, and use alcohol, drugs or tobacco. Local law enforcement officials throughout California refer to the hours between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. as the “prime time for juvenile crime.” They know that quality after school programs provide a safe and structured alternative to roaming the streets and getting into trouble. That is why the California State Sheriffs’ Association, the California Correctional Peace Officers’ Association, the California District Attorneys’ Associations, and virtually every major law enforcement and crime victim advocacy group in California has endorsed Proposition 49.
Save Taxpayer Money
Proposition 49 saves taxpayers, crime victims and society approximately $9 for every $1 invested. The Rose Institute on State and Local Government reports that at-risk youngsters who are diverted from a future path of crime can save society anywhere from $1.4 million to $1.7 million during his or her lifetime. That is why the California Taxpayers’ Association, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the California Business Roundtable, the California Chamber of Commerce and the National Taxpayers Limitation Committee endorsed Proposition 49.
Assist California’s Working Families with Quality Child Care
Fewer than one in four low-income schools receive state funding for after school programs. As a result, many working families are left without a choice and are forced to leave their children unsupervised after school. Proposition 49 provides funding for after school programs in all 6,600 public elementary, middle and junior high schools in California. Each school is eligible for a “universal grant” of $5 per day, per student, up to $50,000 for an elementary school and $75,000 for middle and junior high schools. |
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