Mother Talkers

School Funding Disaster in CA

by pat of butter in a sea of grits

Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:42:27 PM PDT

California is extremely short on funding this year, thanks to a nosediving stock market and the housing meltdown.  The governor's budget proposal, to be reviewed and revised in May by the legislature, calls for a $4.8 billion cut to education.  This cut in combination with other loss in funding has resulted in approximately 170,000 layoff notices to teachers throughout many districts in California.

(In California, school finance is extremely complex, but unlike some other areas which rely on local property taxes, school funding is done primarily through state funds, so cuts will end up hitting everyone even if a particular local district has not experienced declines in property tax revenue.)

Our district, which has a $4 million hole, issued 91 layoff notices, although they are hoping to rescind many if not most of them.  There is a good chance the final budget cuts from the state will not be as bad as the January proposal.  In addition, a certain number (typically 30-40) teachers resign or retire in a year, so that will absorb some of those cuts.  A local foundation is attempting to raise money to cover some of the remaining jobs.

Layoff notices go purely by length of service, so teachers who are newer to the district (including my son's) were the ones who are being laid off under the last-hired, first-fired principle.  These, of course, represent some of the most enthusiastic and energetic employees - not to mention the less expensive ones!  It's terrible that we are going to lose so many fantastic teachers.  In addition, newer programs tend to have newer teachers, and there are two programs in particular in our district which are facing more serious cuts as a result.

I'm curious whether other states are also experiencing the same level of meltdown that we are in California, as well as what your local district may be doing to deal with the situation.

Tags: California, schools, funding (all tags)

Permalink | 12 comments

  • asdf (0 / 0)

    No wonder the Governator just endorsed homeschooling.

    by jennifree2bme on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 02:11:25 PM PDT

  • in CA (0 / 0)

    From what I gather, our local charter school (a homeschool support school, classes are just enrichment classes and parents are the teachers working with credentialed education coordinators) seems optimistic about the whole homeschooling controversy.

    Overall, it seems they're viewing it as healthy growing pains for the homeschooling movement, to be emphasized when 160,000 homeschooled kids flood the public system if this credentialed-teacher-only, homeschool law is upheld.

    by tarantula on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 02:57:02 PM PDT

  • Similar experience here (0 / 0)

    Our school district is facing a $16M shortfall, closing schools, firing teachers (166 of them!), eliminating programs and redrawing boundaries. It's a mess. People are upset to put it mildly.

    This in a relatively affluent district with exponential housing growith and the resultant increase in property taxes (the major source of school funding).

    A recent tax increase failed on two of three accounts, leaving the district with the same funding as before and no increases. Also, even though property taxes are up, enrollment is flat because we have a fair measure of school choice and people are sending their kids elsewhere. So we have the same percentage of a larger tax base going to educate the same amount of kids. But we're $16M short? I guess I missed that day in math....

    I know a lot of people feel that the district is taking their kids' education hostage in order to force a tax increase. Others feel money was mismanaged in the first place. Still others suspect that the district is using the money shortage to make changes that never could have passed without the impetus of a 'financial crisis.'  

    But, as always, it's the kids who will suffer by being bussed to schools that are far from home and put into overly large classes with strained teachers. All the way around, it is really too bad.

    by sangfroid on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 03:08:06 PM PDT

  • In our district (0 / 0)

    we're looking at laying off every single instructional aide.

    We've been doing great with these kids, even kids who come in as english learners and with few home resources.

    How exactly is our kindergarten teacher supposed to teach 20 4- and 5- year olds all by herself, particularly when around 7 will have limited if any english?

    The superintendent is a good guy, and he's not making these cuts lightly. It's just that there's not much left to cut. These cuts will damage our school for years, even if next year all the funding is restored. I'm ready to go to Sacramento and start marching on a street corner.

    by shenanigans on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 03:11:30 PM PDT

  • Our district is losing about $18m (0 / 0)

    And the program budget cuts that will affect my children are the elimination of 3rd grade class size reduction (instead of 3 teachers per 66 students, there will be 2 teachers), the elimination of 3rd grade art, and reducing 4th & 5th grade Science instruction to 90 minutes per week from 120.  My kids are in 1st and 4th grade, so my DD will get one last year of Class Size Reduction and then whammo!  33 kids in a class for 3rd grade.

    I don't even know what the other cuts will be, but $18m is a big loss for one district.  There goes the stellar education my kids were managing to get.

    by MsMarvel on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 03:36:26 PM PDT

  • It all started with Prop 13 (0 / 0)

    and has been spiraling downward ever since. No one wants to pay more taxes, but everyone's infrastructure and public works keep going further into decline. If you don't invest incrementally in society, it collapses eventually.

    Are we there yet?

    by aigeanta on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 10:10:15 PM PDT

  • The numbers (0 / 0)

    Where can I find numbers for my local district? I went to the webpage yesterday, and the superintendant had posted a letter, but didn't name numbers. He just said it was "drastic." We're a few years away yet, but I'm just curious. We are a tiny district - two schools.

    by RachelD on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:23:42 AM PDT

Permalink | 12 comments