History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Report: Ending gym tests, other school requirements could save state $350 million
- 02-03-2010
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By Corey G. Johnson/California Watch
Every year, educators groan about the unfairness of being required by lawmakers to carry out some task, without getting the proper amount of money to get the job done correctly. Usually the outcries are outright ignored, or dismissed as whining. But maybe not anymore. California's Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) on Monday called for an overhaul of the state's education mandates after finding a plethora of inefficient state-ordered programs costing school districts $400 million annually. The LAO is a non-partisan organization that analyzes budgetary and policy decisions for the state Legislature. According to the LAO's report, called "Education Mandates: A Broken System," the state faces a staggering debt burden because of a failure to reimburse school districts for carrying out the programs. This year alone, the unpaid reimbursements have ballooned to more than $3.6 billion, the LAO determined. (more...)
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