Podcast appearances and mentions of Robert T Matsui

Time is running out for Congress and the President to reach a deal that provides additional coronavirus relief funding for states and schools before the end of the year. In this episode, Kevin Gordon, President of Capitol Advisors Group, offer a timely take on the political dynamics in Washington D.C., and the potential implications for California’s classrooms and state budget. Will additional relief be approved? What key differences between the U.S. Senate, the House and the White House must still be worked out? Congress passed the CARES stimulus package in late March, but since then it has failed to reach an agreement on a much-needed new round of relief. This week the Republican-led U.S. Senate headed back into session to resume deliberations on a new bill. Previously in May, the Democrat-led House of Representatives passed a new $3 trillion relief proposal, the HEROES Act, which has not been taken up in the Senate. Both the House and Senate have been considering committing about $70-$100 billion of a total new package to help stabilize school budgets, with varying requirements.Kevin assesses the budget and policy differences between Senate and House proposals to date – and the political calculations that both Democrats and Republicans are making during this election year. Plus, what is the impact on California’s budget, which is counting on additional federal relief, if no new package is approved?KEY RESOURCEAugust 20 CASBO webinar: “On the Road to the Next Federal Relief Package” with federal advocate Bob Canavan, principal of Federal Management Strategies, in which we discuss proposed funding to support schools; potential policy changes to reopening schools; and the need to stabilize state and local K-12 budgets.MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTWidely viewed among the top education advocates in California, Kevin is the President and a founding partner of Capitol Advisors Group. He formerly served as Executive Director of CASBO, and as the Chief Lobbyist and Assistant Executive Director of the California School Boards Association (CSBA). He also served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Robert T. Matsui and as a legislative advocate for the California Building Industry Association (CBIA). He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco. Kevin also provided a “Brief Hike Through Proposition 98 and School Funding History in California” on Episode 3 of our podcast series.ABOUT CASBOThe California Association of School Business Officials is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. CASBO is dedicated to promoting excellence and professionalism in all aspects of school business.Follow at @CASBOABOUT YOUR SERIES GUIDE Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. Contact him at edfundingca@gmail.com. Follow at @pjr100

Would California schools actually be better off if Proposition 98 had never come into being? Why is it still so important to understand? And where do we go from here to fulfill the initiative’s promise of bringing state spending per student to the top ten among states? On this show, we’re big believers in the axiom that to get where you want to go, you need to understand where you’ve been. That’s why we’re making a special journey this episode into the recent history of school funding in California. Think of these as Ed Funding’s formative years. Our special guest Kevin Gordon, President of Capitol Advisors, helps us explore this history, including the mother of all state ballot measures, California's Proposition 98. The measure sought to lift California school spending to among the top ten states in the nation, but for many reasons, we’re still not there. When it appeared on the statewide ballot in 1988, Prop. 98 barely passed – by less than one percent of the electorate. What led up to the measure, and what impact has it had on education in the 30-plus years since, both good and bad? Kevin takes us through the politics as well as the intricacies of this notoriously complicated measure. To help break it down, Kevin also takes our “60 Second Challenge” to explain the basic mechanics of how Proposition 98 works.More about Proposition 98Approved by California voters in 1988, Prop. 98 established a minimum guarantee for school funding in the state constitution. It was intended both to be a floor that funding would never fall below, and a formula for ultimately growing funding over time to the top ten among states.“The problem,” Kevin says, “is as soon as it got implemented, the legislature was always trying to figure out, what does it take just to do the minimum – and once they do the minimum, check the box, we’re done. And that’s what happened: it became a funding cap instead of a funding floor.”Proposition 98 began 30 years of what the State’s Legislative Analyst Office later referred to as, “A plethora of tests and rules that govern the minimum guarantee.” Read the Legislative Analyst Office report, “A Historical Review of Proposition 98” from January 2017.More ResourcesFor a terrific (albeit sobering) history of California’s school funding slide, we recommend the 2004 documentary, “From First to Worst” a production of the Merrow Report by award-winning journalist John Merrow. You can find it online.Ed100.org is a free resource with concise, engaging online courses that help people understand complex education issues. Ed100 has an entire chapter on school funding, including a great lesson about Propositions 13 and 98.Edsource provides timely, useful and accurate information about a range of major education issues, including school funding. More about Kevin GordonWidely viewed among the top education advocates in California, Kevin is the President and a founding partner of Capitol Advisors Group. He formerly served as Executive Director of CASBO, and as the Chief Lobbyist and Assistant Executive Director of the California School Boards Association (CSBA). He also served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Robert T. Matsui and as a legislative advocate for the California Building Industry Association (CBIA). He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco. About CASBOThe California Association of School Business Officials is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. CASBO is dedicated to promoting excellence and professionalism in all aspects of school business.

The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service at the Institute of Governmental Studies, in conjunction with the UC Berkeley Extension, is proud to present the 28th in a series of annual assessments of the American presidency. Obama Takes Charge: The President's First Three Months Barack Obama is a historic president who took office at a historic moment, amid an economic crisis at home and a lingering war abroad. After exactly three months in office, our panel of experts assesses the new administration. What has the president accomplished? Where has he failed? And has he laid the groundwork for a successful first term, or is the administration already adrift?

The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service at the Institute of Governmental Studies, in conjunction with the UC Berkeley Extension, is proud to present the 28th in a series of annual assessments of the American presidency. Obama Takes Charge: The President's First Three Months Barack Obama is a historic president who took office at a historic moment, amid an economic crisis at home and a lingering war abroad. After exactly three months in office, our panel of experts assesses the new administration. What has the president accomplished? Where has he failed? And has he laid the groundwork for a successful first term, or is the administration already adrift?

After 30 years as a Republican Congressman from Iowa, Representative Leach broke party ranks and endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for the presidency. Now this moderate Republican gives his reading of the state of American politics, the new president, and the future of the Republican Party. Each year the Center will name a Matsui Lecturer, a distinguished former public official who will spend one week in residence at the campus. The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is pleased to have Congressman James A. Leach as our inaugural Matsui Lecturer. Congressman Leach served 15 terms representing Iowa's 1st and 2nd districts from 1976-2007. As the Matsui Lecturer Congressman Leach will also be lecturing to political science classes, meeting with the Matsui interns, and participating in the intellectual life of the campus.

After 30 years as a Republican Congressman from Iowa, Representative Leach broke party ranks and endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for the presidency. Now this moderate Republican gives his reading of the state of American politics, the new president, and the future of the Republican Party. Each year the Center will name a Matsui Lecturer, a distinguished former public official who will spend one week in residence at the campus. The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is pleased to have Congressman James A. Leach as our inaugural Matsui Lecturer. Congressman Leach served 15 terms representing Iowa's 1st and 2nd districts from 1976-2007. As the Matsui Lecturer Congressman Leach will also be lecturing to political science classes, meeting with the Matsui interns, and participating in the intellectual life of the campus.