Schools take biggest hit in budget wars
in Sacramento's desperate attempts to balance the state's budget, California's K-12 public schools and community colleges have been especially hard hit compared to reductions in funding for all other state programs.
That's according to calculations by Strategic Education Services, an influential lobbying firm representing large urban school districts like Los Angeles, Santa Ana and San Bernardino. It points out that the amount of basic support provided by the state for K-14 education (through so-called Proposition 98 funds) declined by $6.9 billion from the 2007-08 fiscal year to the current 2010-11 school year.
That comes to a reduction of 12 percent in funding from the state's general fund – compared to a reduction of a mere $600 million, or 0.7 percent in the rest of state's general fund budget.
"The Legislature claims that its number one priority is educational funding for the schools, but the reality is
