Posted on 07/07/2005 4:34:48 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - A state report paints a bleak portrait of California's public school finances, finding that as many as 79 districts may not be able to pay their bills in two years.
One-third of the state's 982 public school districts have tapped reserves to make ends meet, with 14 expecting to run out of money in the next two years, according to a report released Thursday. Another 65 districts reported a possibility that their expenses would outpace revenues within that time.
Ten of the 79 most financially troubled schools are in Los Angeles County.
"For the first time in 12 years, schools are spending more money than they are taking in," said state Controller Steve Westly, whose office compiled the audits of 1,040 school districts and county offices of education.
The common threads are declining enrollment and deficit spending, said Scott Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards Association.
Plotkin, Westly and Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell blamed the state budget for much of the schools' financial troubles.
The state's $117.5 billion 2005-06 spending plan allots about $50 billion for kindergarten through 12th grade education. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said his budget plan, which was approved Thursday by the Legislature, spends $3 billion more on schools than last year, an increase he said would cover cost-of-living and enrollment growth.
But Plotkin said that won't help half of the state's school districts that are seeing declining enrollment.
Education advocates have lobbied against Schwarzenegger's budget, which Democrats approved with only slight changes. They say it doesn't give schools all the money they are owed under Proposition 98, the voter-approved funding formula that sets the minimum amount of state education spending.
"The governor and the Legislature have made a beautiful landing at the wrong airport," Plotkin said.
Without an increase in state spending for education, Plotkin said, "the number of school districts on this list is likely to go up next year."
Schwarzenegger said the extra $3 billion he gave schools in this year's budget exceeds what they would have been owed under the Proposition 98 formula.
Among other findings in the controller's report, which is released annually:
- Six school districts reported reserves of less than 1 percent. Districts are required to keep a reserve fund that equals 3 percent of their overall budget.
- The number of school district drawing from their reserves to pay their bills rose to 339 in 2003-04, up from 248 the previous year.
- Of the 79 most troubled districts, 23 were on the list for a second year in a row.
State officials will work with the schools reporting financial hardship, Westly said. If the trouble persists, the districts could be forced to close some schools, he said.
The districts also can request an emergency loan, a move that would lead to state control of the district.
Five school districts are repaying emergency loans and are under the control of a state-appointed trustee: West Contra Costa Unified, Emery Unified, West Fresno Elementary, Oakland Unified and Vallejo City Unified.
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On the Net:
Read the report at www.controller.ca.gov
I thought you could. :-)
Start digging in your bank accounts, Californians, that border is still open.
Maybe if it gets real bad, folks will take to homeschooling, and the others will move SOUTH.
its up to $10k a head....
and a lot of heads fled out of state.. Burbank has to lay off 9 teachers next year due to declining enrollment
Last year's California budget was $103 billion of which the schools got $51.5 billion plus untold lottery money. This year's budget is $117 billion of which schools get $58.5 billion - a raise of $7 billion - where the hell is all the money going??? And these clowns still turn out a product that is at the bottom of the heap of academic standards relative to the rest of the states. They can kiss my rosy red - balloon.
W/ all home sales this past year, revenue has gotta be way up...
just that the county tax collector(s) are probably lagging in their reassessments.
Tough. The CTA can thank it's incessant whining and crying for more money from the taxpayers for its extremely poor image among the voters. On the detestation scale of 1 to 10, these lazy assed bureaucrats rate a 10 right along with our jackasses in Sacramento.
The people who run our school budgets couldn't balance a simple checkbook much less carefully spend it's alloted money.
Simple solution. Just increase taxes.
Not sure if you mean citizens or illegal aliens. I've heard many Californians are leaving the state, but every time I'm in L.A. it's looking more and more like Tijuana Mexico. L.A. is illegal alien heaven.
Its actually over $10K per pupil this year.
In San Jose Unified, some secretary stole around $500,000 from the school over a period of several years, and the district never knew it until recently.
Fox watching the hens mentality. Liberals are suckers. As long as you nod your head when they spew their parroted diatribes of unreality they pretty much trust you and you can take their money faster than PT Barnum.
The politicians have sold us out.
administrators should be thrown in jail for some of the sh*t they pull.
After all, it's for the children
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