Superintendent Jack-O'Connell
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell issued the following statement regarding a ruling issued today by Judge Wynne Carvill of the Alameda County Superior Court that stayed the termination date of CalWORKs Stage 3 child care services for families. A petition to stay the notice of termination was filed by a coalition of public interest law groups seeking to delay the termination. In October, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed all funding for child care services for working families who have been off welfare for 24 months, giving families only a few weeks before CalWORKs Stage 3 child care services would abruptly end for thousands of working poor families.

“While today’s ruling gives working poor families a small reprieve from termination of services, I remain extremely concerned of about the loss of child care that these families depend upon,” O’Connell said. “Thousands of families and children are at the precipice of losing child care services because of the Governor’s veto of funding for CalWORKs Stage 3. These families have struggled over years to obtain employment that would allow them to leave the welfare system, and they have successfully continued to work and be self-sufficient and responsible for their families. The Governor’s veto will result in these families making very difficult decisions about either continuing their employment or providing a safe environment for their children. I remain committed to working with the new Governor-elect Brown Administration and the Legislature to identify funding so that these families will be able continue their employment knowing that their children are in a safe and healthy environment. In the meantime, the California Department of Education will comply with the Judge’s order by directing our contractors to immediately issue notices to families receiving Stage 3 services that child care will continue pending further directive and notice from the California Department of Education.”

Judge Carvill also set a hearing for later this month to consider the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction that would prevent termination of Stage 3 child care services beyond the immediate stay.

The California Department of Education (CDE) is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. The core purpose of CDE is to lead and support the continuous improvement of student achievement, with a specific focus on closing achievement gaps. For more information, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov or by mobile device at http://m.cde.ca.gov/. You may also follow Superintendent O'Connell (@SSPIJack) on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sspijack.