Brown’s revised budget decreases hit to K-12

by Brian Leubitz

Another round of cuts is hardly worth celebrating, but Brown seems to have at least saved the 175 day school year.

K-12 school districts were at risk of losing as much $1.5 billion – the equivalent of seven instructional days – under the budget Brown and lawmakers enacted earlier this year. But they will face a smaller $79.6 million reduction in general funding. That should avert massive reductions in the school calendar or other drastic measures for most districts.

“It turns out the cuts are far less than they would have been,” Brown said.

Districts will still face a $248 million elimination of school bus funding, however. Jill Wynns, president of the California School Boards Association, said districts will cut somewhere other than buses because they are mandated by federal law to provide transportation for students with disabilities.(SacBee)

Also getting big cuts? Higher education. UC, CSU, and the community college system all lose $100 million.  Community College Chancellor Jack Scott has indicated that will mean a $10/unit fee increase for community colleges, and UC and CSU will likely see another round of fee hikes.

You can check out a more exhaustive list of the cuts here.