Friday, May 21, 2010

California Files School Funding Adequacy Lawsuit

Yesterday a suit was filed challenging California’s education funding. The basis of the lawsuit is a request to declare our current finance system unconstitutional: the goal is money and a new and logical school funding model.

These notions are at the heart of the widely-cited "Getting Down to Facts" studies of the state's educational system released in 2007 and the suit also articulates the idea that the state has failed to provide the resources necessary to meet required accountability outcomes. Quoting from that study:
After adjusting for salary differences across states, Texas spends approximately 12 percent more than California; Florida, approximately 18 percent more; New York, approximately 75 percent more, and the rest of the country, approximately 30 percent more, on average.
Note: Governor Schwarzeneggar’s proposed May budget proposes an education budget that spends 11 percent less on K-12 schools that when the Getting Down to Facts studies were released.

My thoughts and I welcome yours as well – my previous blog on the Multiple Pathways Project reported some innovative and creative solutions that included the realm of school finance. Wouldn’t it be great to put together the thoughts generated from the Multiple Pathways Project with the proposed outcomes for the California School Funding Adequacy Lawsuit?
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousMay 24, 2010 at 8:49 AM

    While I am sympathetic to the bismal per pupil funding level in California, I am not sympathetic to the plight of California teachers regarding salaries. The simple fact is that retiree benefits and STRS and PERS employer contribution rates are not sustainable in any funding model.

    In Sacramento County the average teacher salary is $60,000 per year. That does not include medical benefits that can run conservatively over $13,000 per year and employer STRS contributions of 8.25% of base salary which would equate to another $4,950. Making a teachers earnings nearly $78,000 per year. When you consider a teacher works roughtly 180 days per year, that is over $54.00 per hour. With the per pupil funding levels, this may be sustainable except that if a teacher retires at the age of 55, union contracts require them to pay full medical benefits until they reach the age of 65 and some contracts allow lifetime benefits.

    Unfortunately, "the gap" between California per pupil funding, teachers salaries and retiree benefits aren't financially sustainable.

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