California educational officials decided Wednesday to make their state the first to demand an eighth-grade algebra test, in spite of concerns over funding, teacher staffing and how it could affect the dropout rate.

Calling algebra "the key that unlocks the world of science, innovation, engineering and technology," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger instantly praised the state Board of Education's action Wednesday to require knowledge of the discipline at such an early level.

Dave Long, Schwarzenegger's education secretary, said the governor would support raise the billions of dollars it would need to develop what he referred to as California's education "infrastructure," but would not mention the source of the money. Schwarzenegger started a political firestorm by releasing a letter in which he asked for the algebra requirement the night before Wednesday's board meeting.

The board, appointed by the Republican governor, had been programmed to take under consideration adopting a new eighth-grade math test suggested by Democrat Jack O'Connell, superintendent of public instruction. The supposed test would have measured some algebra standards but not all. Board members voted 8-1 after a four-hour meeting to approve the governor's plan.

Superintendent of Public Schools Jack O'Connell opposed vigorously to the move to change the math curriculum and said he had never seen such interfering by a governor in the last moment on a policy change that was entitled to a laborious public debate.

"The governor never took the time to weigh in until last night" on a policy that "will have significant impact on literally tens of thousands of students in our state," O'Connell said.

Only half of the eighth-graders in California presently take full algebra, up from about 34 percent four years ago.