Judge tentatively rules for California in school funding suit

SacBee: Capitol Alert ^ | 3/27/12 | Kevin Yamamura

[SmithL]

In a court battle that could shape how schools are funded, a judge tentatively ruled Tuesday that California lawmakers can reduce education funding by diverting state revenues into new pots of money.

School boards and administrators sued the state last fall alleging that Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers had shortchanged schools by shifting about $5 billion in sales tax revenues to counties in a new realignment fund.

Under voter-approved Proposition 98, the state is required to devote a specified share of overall general fund revenues to K-12 schools and community colleges. School officials said that by diverting $5 billion in sales taxes, the state avoided sending $2 billion it owed to education last year under the constitution.

In recent years, recalculating Proposition 98 has become a popular solution to balancing the budget in the final days -- as long as the powerful school lobby signs off. Last year, the California Teachers Association agreed to the shift after winning concessions that protected jobs. But school administrators were upset because they said the budget had tied their hands in terms of midyear layoffs or furloughs while cutting $2 billion in the process.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harold Kahn issued a preliminary ruling today indicating that he believes the state has the power to create new special funds, and that none of those dollars have to be devoted to schools under Proposition 98.

[Brilliant]

Those cold-hearted hateful Democrats have cut school funding AGAIN.

[Steely Tom]

Is it just my imagination, or is this reporter bending over backwards to make it sound like this ruling affects every state in the union?

[Enterprise]

The article refers to a Superior Court judge in California, not a Federal Court Judge. I’m pretty sure the author knows the difference, and would know that this only applies to California.

[Lurking Libertarian]

The article was in the Sacramento Bee’s blog about state government. So I don’t think anyone reading the blog would think it applied to the whole country.