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Property taxes are levied against the value of a house... if a houses value goes up 20% but taxes are capped at 2%, doesn't take too long until inflation outpases tax increases and you wind up underfunded...

Lived in Cali for a year, yes, its taxed like crazy, but your schools are a JOKE. And its not just non english speakers its a flat out busted system.. I was in one of the top ranked school districts in the state and it couldn't hold a candle to the average school in most places.

You're only looking at one source of "revenue" for the state (prop tax). The total "revenue" stream for the State of California has MORE than kept up with inflation + population increase. I offer these numbers over the past 5 years:

Increase in inflation + increase in population = 20%
Increase in State "Revenue" = 25%
Increase in State Spending = 43%.

If the bozo's in Sacramento had only increased their spending by the amount of increase in inflation + population, California would be sitting on a huge Surplus right now. Californian's are NOT undertaxed.

True, but only if you look at property taxes in isolation. California as a whole is greatly overtaxes - it's just that we're taxed on things other than property (I'm in California, by the way.) Our sales tax, to take one example, is one of the highest in the nation, and there are dreadfully few things that are exempt from it. State income tax, gas tax, etc. - all well above national average. Yes, we are way below average on our property tax, but don't change that unless it's part of reforming everything else also. As it stands, we are very heavily taxes in total.

Now, our school systems are miserable. I have some nieces in the schools here, and I think it's terrible how little they learn. My wife teaches at a private school - I think her lessons are far from challenging, but it's so far above what you can get in public schools that parents compete to get their kids in her class. However, I'm not convinced money is the root of the problem...

A friend of my wife was teaching at the same school she was. This friend took the teacher certification, and moved into the public schools. Her salary increased dramatically (just short of doubled.) She is working on qualifying in Spanish, at which point she'll get another astronomical jump in salary. Her school is, further, overwhelmed with administrators - she claims there's 1 administrator per teacher, which I hope is exaggeration. Still, there's a lot.

But, she has often had to pay to photocopy school books because they don't actually have enough to give to all the students.

I think funding is not as great a problem as how that funding is being spent.

Drew Garrett

Prop 13 was passed because the politicians were taxing senior citizens right out of their homes. The rates just kept climbing and forced people with free and clear property titles and fixed incomes to sell because of enormous property tax assessments. The tax is based on the assessed value at the time of purchase. If you buy a property for $500K now, you will be assessed 1% annually...not $1,200. You are probably looking at the historical tax applied to the property you cited. That is not the tax that will be assessed to a new buyer.

"Lived in Cali for a year, yes, its taxed like crazy, but your schools are a JOKE. And its not just non english speakers its a flat out busted system.. I was in one of the top ranked school districts in the state and it couldn't hold a candle to the average school in most places."

Do you speak from experience as a homeowner/property-taxpayer and parent of school children, in California (for one year) and elsewhere?

Or are you just making general statements, based on heresay, etc.

... if a houses value goes up 20% but taxes are capped at 2%, doesn't take too long until inflation outpases tax increases and you wind up underfunded...

I disagree with your premise that a school's legitimate need for funds is somehow connected to property values.

Schools are 'underfunded' because the schools DO NOT SPEND THEIR MONEY ON WHAT THEY SHOULD. It goes to new multi-purpose rooms, more administrators, more aides to administrators, travel junkets for union members, etc. etc. This will not change no matter how much you give them. They are corrupt to the core and they waste waste waste. Go read John Taylor Gatto's on the parasitic industries that feed on education dollars.

Washington DC students are getting over $10K per student and the quality of their schools is crap. And the money spent on 'educating' Mexican citizens is helping to bankrupt the system.