Today's announcement that Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing an increase in K-12 education spending for 2006-07 came with a laundry list of new education programs... but ones the governor suggests paying for out of the same money the schools would already receive under the minimum funding guarantee.

Schwarzenegger's education secretary, Alan Bersin, outlined some of the new proposals at the same time he announced plans to repay almost $1.7 billion of the money owed under Proposition 98.

The "how much money is owed" argument aside, the governor is proposing to earmark about $321.5 million in education funding for everything from fine arts programs to physical education grants and high school exit exam support services.

[More details can be found in the governor's official press release here]

The proposals were part of the 45 minute meeting between education community leaders and the governor's staff (Schwarzenegger reportedly was present for parts of the meeting). But those same education leaders came out less than thrilled with the specific proposals.

"How are these new programs, however desirable, going to help me keep my schools open?", said Brian Lewis, executive director of the California Association of School Business Officials. Lewis says with many schools already shortchanged on the basics, it's a bad idea to start earmarking money for new programs.

But H.D. Palmer, deputy director of the governor's Department of Finance, says those criticisms miss the fact that a full $2.7 billion of the money the governor is putting into education is "discretionary", far outweighing the money being committed to the new programs.