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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

K-12 schools spared, for now | Thoughts on Public Education

K-12 schools spared, for now | Thoughts on Public Education:


K-12 schools spared, for now

But automatic $5.5 b cuts if tax initiative fails

By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess
The state budget for next year has deteriorated by $6 billion since January, but Gov. Jerry Brown is not proposing to cut money for K-12 schools – immediately. But if voters in November reject Brown’s proposed $8.5 billion tax increase, schools will be a $5.5 billion piece of what the governor has called “a day of reckoning.”
In his revised budget, Brown is proposing massive reductions in the budgets for courts, as well as state worker furloughs and punishing Medi-Cal cuts to hospitals and nursing homes. Because state revenues have fallen, Brown also could have cut Proposition 98 

Big changes to weighted formula - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

Responding to criticisms of his plan for school finance reform, Gov. Jerry Brown has significantly revised his weighted student formula, raising the base amount that all districts will receive, reducing the differences between district “winners” and “losers” by reducing extra money for disadvantaged students, assuring districts they will be repaid for past budget cuts, and [...]