Contra Costa Times' Mike Dorsey wrote an article about efforts to update California's school curriculum. One of the bills mentioned in the article is Tom's SB 1097, a bill to create a system to update subject content standards. Click here to read the article.

Update: This July 31 MediaNews editorial endorses Tom's curriculum standards measure, saying the governor should "either support Torlakson's measure or set up a curriculum review panel himself."

Join Tom at his Tenth Annual BBQ and All-Star Chili Cookoff from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14 at Waterfront Park in Martinez! For more information, please click here.

On Thursday, May 8, I hosted an Education Town Hall meeting at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek. Other speakers included Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Joe Ovick and Assemblymember Mark DeSaulnier.

Public comment followed the prepared remarks, and included comments from teachers, parents, superintendents, and other people concerned about the education debate.

You can watch the video of the town hall by clicking here.

Tom wrote a commentary for the California Progress Report to explain why he has authored SCA 22, a proposed Constitutional Amendment to reform the state budget process to allow a majority vote to pass a budget.

Tom went to Emma Smith Elementary School in Livermore to join students, teachers, school employees, and his Senate Democratic Caucus colleagues to highlight the devastating nature of the Governor's proposed education budget cuts.

As Tom explains, these proposed budget cuts will harm California students not just for this year. They will last a lifetime. We should be talking about increasing funding for our schools—not cutting!