Funding California's Education: How it got so bad

11-23-2011

KION Central Coast News

The California education finance system is in dire straights. Monterey County schools have lost $150 million since 2008, and Santa Cruz County schools have lost an estimated $45 million. If that isn't bad enough, it's only expected to get worse come December. That's when the state could trigger $1.4 billion in cuts to K-12 schools, because of a $3.7 billion shortage in state revenue. That would likely mean cuts to resources, and programs for millions of children statewide. So how did we get to this point? It seems crazy to think California failed when it comes to funding schools when our state is home to one of the largest economies in the world—yes the world. What's even more crazy, is that the problem didn't just pop up out of nowhere. This is a problem that started decades ago. "You need to essentially throw out the past; you cannot fix what we have." Michael Kirst says there's no fixing when it comes to the education finance system. Kirst is the President of the State Board of Education, and says the system, "has no underlying rationale," and,"it's not coherent." (more...)

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