Across the country, states are frantically searching for education funding.  California, the most populous state in the Nation, is no exception.  Capitol Weekly gives us a January 22, 2009 update that includes the following points:

• California faces a $40 billion shortage. It is an unprecedented shortfall. Through the middle of 2010, Schwarzenegger is proposing a $7.71 billion cut to K-14 education.
• Cash problems have worsened to the point that the state may not be able to pay all of its bills beginning next month (February).  However, the state by law is still obligated to make sure the schools get money.
• The governor, proposing billions of dollars in cuts, recommends cutting five days of the K-12 school year – the first time that the California school has been targeted for shrinkage rather than expansion.  The number of school days in a year is already lower than the national average.
• Proposition 98, the ballot initiative approved in 1988 that guarantees education funding, would be suspended by the Legislature and Governor.

Despite the budget crisis, the Los Angeles Times reports that while these difficults cuts are being made, the Governor's office is filling lucrative political posts.  According to the Times, "Two GOP lawmakers who recently left office and have limited expertise in thorny employment issues have received jobs at the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. The panel met 12 times last year, and members are paid $128,109." The LA Times then goes on to cite additional examples of recently appointed positions.

Relating to citizen services, a link to another story on the same Los Angeles Times page reads, "Governor orders state offices to close 2 days a month."  Here, the is similar to the approach taken with schools, where the proposed way to fix problems is to cut the number of school days.  There is a difference however.  State legislation pays schools by pupil attendance, but teachers and staff aren't paid by pupil attendance, so the fix just changes the amount of money being sent from Sacramento to local schools and leaves the districts to decide how to deal with the shortfall. 

At this point, nothing is final in California regarding the budget.  In yet another twist, State Controller John Chiang filed documents in Superior Court challenging the legitimacy of Schwarzenegger's furlough plan.  It is unclear what the implications may be for programs like K-12 education which are not directly administered by the State.

Mediashift, a sub-publication of the Public Broadcasting System, has an article highlighting the Los Angeles Times mashup of California public school rankings.  Mediashift writes:

California Schools Guide from the Los Angeles Times is a comprehensive data-based guide to private, public and charter schools in California. The guide includes test scores, enrollment, student-teacher ratios, demographics, teacher experience and reader comments. Schools can be searched by county, city or name, and ranked by each indicator.

I've found this tool to be quite useful, although I still occasionally resort the raw database on the State site just for Bay Area information.  One of the interesting quotes from the article states,

Factoid: Of the 10 schools statewide with the highest API scores, eight are in the Bay Area and four of those are in Fremont.

I'll admit that came as a bit of a surprise to me too.

In three separate state Supreme Court cases spanning 1971-1977,  Serrano v. Priest played an important role in public school funding in California.  Here, the court ruled that money from property tax was to be distributed from localities, back through the state for redistribution to schools.  The premise was that poorer neighborhoods were not be by unduly undercut on education.

Today, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that a proposal circulating through our legislators hands suggests cutting $10 billion from the state budget for education.  As a strong advocate for a broadly educated populace, I am heart-broken.  Our elected officials know that when push comes to shove, those with the financial means to, will find a way to raise money to make up the shortfall.  Somehow, those with the means to, will find the funds. 

The issue of the education budget is doubly confounded by a lack of voter education on the matter.  I am constantly amazed by the number of voters who tell me that their district has lots of money, because they pay lots of property taxes. 

Welcome to Proposition 13, where your long-term neighbors are free riders, and YOU pay lots of property taxes.  Add in the effect of Serrano v. Priest, where the money gets redistributed, and Proposition 98, which further limits the use of general funds toward the use of education, and your district really doesn't have much money at all.  In fact, the San Francisco Chronicle article notes that of the proposed $10 billion cut over 18 months, this year the state is spending only $58 billion on education. 

Somehow, I know we'll work through this tough time.  As a school fundraiser, I'd be happy to work with your program to find a risk-free way to add dollars to your shrinking budget.  We're all in the same boat together: looking for a way to get our kids through school with the tools they'll need to move their intellectual curiosity while satisfying our own need to survive these difficult times.