Williams Settlement

“Today is a landmark day for California’s students…these reforms truly put our children first. California is the greatest state in the nation, and we will make sure that our children will have the greatest public schools to meet their full potential.”
–Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Williams Settlement

The Eliezer Williams, et al., vs. State of California, et al. (Williams) case was filed as a class action in 2000 in San Francisco County Superior Court. The plaintiffs include nearly 100 San Francisco County students, who filed suit against the State of California and state education agencies, including the California Department of Education (CDE). The basis of the lawsuit was that the agencies failed to provide public school students with equal access to instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities, and qualified teachers.

The case was settled in 2004, resulting in the state allocating $138 million in additional funding for standards-aligned instructional materials for schools in the first and second ranks (known as deciles) determined through the 2003 API Base. The settlement includes another $50 million for implementation costs and other oversight-related activities for schools in deciles one through three (2003 API Base). These two amounts were included in the state budget in July 2004 by Governor Schwarzenegger. Another $800 million will be provided for critical repair of facilities in future years for schools in deciles one through three (2003 API Base).

The Williams package of legislation consists of the following bills:

~SB 550 & AB 2727 - Establishes minimum thresholds regarding school facilities, teacher quality, and instructional materials and an accountability structure to enforce these thresholds.
~AB 1550 - Puts an end to the shortened school-year calendar for some of the most over crowded schools, by putting an end to the year-round (Concept 6) academic schedule by July 1, 2012.
~AB 3001 - Ensures placement of qualified teachers in low performing schools and enhances an existing oversight mechanism to ensure teachers are appropriately qualified to teach the subject matter to which they have been assigned. Additionally, streamlines the process for highly qualified teachers from out-of-state to obtain jobs in California’s schools.
~SB 6 - Provides up to $800 million beginning with the ‘05-’06 fiscal year for districts to address emergency facility repair projects. Additionally, provides approximately $25 million to assess the condition of school facilities in the bottom 3 deciles, commencing in ‘04-’05.

Additional Articles and Links RE: Williams Act Settlement

The Impact of the Williams Settlement: Positive Signs Already Seen

http://www.hewlett.org/Programs/Education/CA+Reform/News/Williams+Report+Release.htm

Williams Case History

http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/ce/wc/wmslawsuit.asp

http://www.aclu-sc.org/News/Releases/100740/

Improved Facilities Equals Improved Performance

http://www.cefpi.org/issue8.html