State School Chief Says Unequal Funding Could Lead To Lawsuit
June 8, 2011
SAN DIEGO — If California doesn’t act soon to fix inequities in public education funding, it could face a civil rights lawsuit. That’s the message from State Superintendent Tom Torlakson.
In an interview, Torlakson responded to an ongoing investigation into K-12 education funding in California by KPBS and the Watchdog Institute, an investigative reporting nonprofit based at San Diego State University. The investigation has found a system of inequity: some districts in wealthy neighborhoods benefit from high property values and property taxes; districts in middle-class and poor neighborhoods rely on the state to make up for their falling property values and taxes, a losing proposition in today’s economy.
Above: Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Statewide Basic Aid Funding Maps
To search the maps, click on a district to view revenue and per student funding information about that district. The darker the color, the more per-pupil funding the district raised through local revenues.
The Institute’s analysis of education funding data found that some districts have doubled per pupil spending because of increased local tax revenue.
Statewide, 125 basic aid districts have generated a combined $644 million in excess tax revenue. But