Afterschool Alliance

On November 5, California voters passed Proposition 49, the After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002, by 56.6 percent.

The act will provide grants to elementary and middle schools in California for afterschool programs. When fully funded, it will provide more than $400 million in additional state funds for afterschool programs. Schools will be required to provide a 50 percent match to all state funding. Grants will not be made until the economy improves sufficiently to provide the state with enough additional revenue to fund the program.

An independent study of the costs and benefits of Proposition 49 by the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College found that every dollar invested in afterschool programs will save taxpayers approximately $3, and could save more than $6.50 for crime victims.

Actor and children's activist Arnold Schwarzenegger was the architect and chief sponsor of the measure. He provided financial support and campaigned tirelessly for its passage. Schwarzenegger is Honorary Chair of the Afterschool Alliance. He has long been associated with youth issues, helping to found the Inner-City Games in Los Angeles in 1991, creating the Inner-City Games Foundation (ICGF) in 1995, and serving as its Chairman, Schwarzenegger expanded the program to other U.S. cities. To learn more about the Inner-City Games, click here.

ABOUT PROP 49

Proposition 49, the After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002, aims to increase funding for and access to afterschool programs by building upon the state's existing Before and After School Learning and Safe Neighborhoods Partnerships Program (BASLSNPP). The measure will increase state afterschool funding to as much as $550 million per year.

The act establishes three priorities for the funds. The first priority for the Proposition 49 funds will be continuing existing afterschool grants. One provision requires level funding each year after Fiscal Year 2004 for existing grants.

The second priority is to make every public and charter school in the state eligible for afterschool funds. Each elementary school will be eligible for a grant of $50,000 per year, and each middle and junior high school $75,000 per year.

The third priority, when funds are available, is to target schools in which 50 percent or more of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch by increasing funds for before school and intersession programs and for schools with waiting lists for afterschool. The proposition will continue to allow larger schools to apply for extra funds.

Another main feature of Prop 49 is that afterschool funding levels will not affect education funds reserved under Proposition 98, and afterschool funding levels cannot be reduced without voter approval. To pay for the grants, the act proposes funding them out of growth in state revenues instead of new taxes or bonds. Fiscal Year 2004 is the target date for funding increases, but if the state cannot afford it, funding will not increase until non-education General Fund appropriations exceed a particular base. To set the base, the proposition takes the highest level of non-education funding between FY 2000 and FY 2003 and adds $1.5 billion to adjust for inflation, cost-of-living adjustments, etc. In other words, in FY 2004 or later, once education funds are allocated as stipulated under Proposition 98, funding levels for other programs must equal those of the biggest budget year plus $1.5 billion in order for Prop 49 to be funded. This caveat is called the "trigger clause."

Proposition 49 is not entirely about financing afterschool; it also deals with content and operation of programs. The measure suggests the inclusion of computer training, fine arts and physical fitness to the curricula of afterschool programs. With regard to program operation, the measure says programs could be off school sites as long as the site meets certain standards and safe transportation is provided. This provision encourages further integration of community organizations in the operation of afterschool programs while keeping schools as the fiscal agents. Prop 49 encourages the involvement of local law enforcement agencies in program development, as well.

The Benefits of Afterschool

Afterschool programs are an academically enriching way to keep kids safe between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m. Known as the "prime time for juvenile crime," the time between the end of the school day and the end of the work day also is the peak time for youth to get involved in risky behaviors such as drug abuse and sexual activity. Afterschool programs have a proven effect on reducing such dangerous activity. According to Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California¹, incidents of vandalism, stealing, violent acts and arrests were 50% lower among students in afterschool programs in 12 high-risk California communities. Also, students involved in afterschool are significantly less likely to take drugs, drink alcohol and engage in sexual activity. Studies indicate reducing crime and drug use among youth can save California taxpayers money in the long run because less money will need to be spent for prosecution, prison and drug treatment for youthful and possibly future adult offenders. Such savings, supporters say, is one way the proposition helps pay for itself.

On the academic front, studies have shown that afterschool programs have a tremendous, positive impact on students' test scores, grades, school attendance and general interest in school. According to a study by the University of California, Irvine², students in a statewide program improved their SAT-9 in both reading and math by percentages almost twice that of other students. The afterschool participants also had better school attendance. Another Irvine study concluded that savings to the state related to reduced grade repetition for students in afterschool programs are projected to exceed $20 million annually.

Afterschool programs are beneficial for working families, too. Parents with children in afterschool programs have an easier time balancing work and family, miss less work and are less worried about what trouble their children might be getting into once let out of school. Increasing state-sponsored afterschool programs would reduce family child care costs and help people make the transition from welfare to work, also saving the state money, supporters say.

California already has afterschool programs in place. Current funding supports approximately 130,000 students in afterschool programs. However, estimates say there are 1.2 million children ages 5 to 14 in California who need afterschool. Proposition 49 will establish an afterschool program at every public elementary, middle and junior high school in the state, thereby ensuring all of California's K-9 children can share in the aforementioned benefits of afterschool. The measure will help save money in the long run, and the trigger clause ensures the new funding levels will not burden or threaten other programs.

For more information about Proposition 49 and the campaign, visit www.joinarnold.com

Comments by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Judy Samelson

"With their vote today, the people of California have spoken with a clear and overwhelming voice," Schwarzenegger said. "Every California child deserves access to a proven, quality, life-changing afterschool program, and now they will have it. My hope is that, as goes California, so goes the rest of our nation."

"Children and families in California were the winners here," Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Judy Y. Samelson said. "Once it takes effect, this measure will keep California children safer, reduce juvenile crime, increase educational opportunities for students, and give the state's working families support they urgently need."

"While this is a tremendous victory," Samelson added, "it is only one step in solving the afterschool crisis in this nation. From Newark, New Jersey, to Washington, D.C. to Little Rock, Arkansas, to Portland, Oregon, and in many places in between, draconian budget cuts are forcing afterschool programs to cut services or hours or even close their doors. Americans are determined to reverse that trend. In a poll conducted in August for the Afterschool Alliance, nine in ten voters said there should be some type of organized activity or place for children to go after school every day that provides opportunities for them to learn. Nearly two-thirds of voters said they are concerned that existing afterschool programs may have to reduce services or close their doors because no new funds are available. We thank Arnold Schwarzenegger and everyone who worked to pass Proposition 49, and we urge elected officials across the country to take note of this vote and support the afterschool programs Americans want and need." Return to top