CBS47's Ken Malloy is On Your Side with a series of reports, months in the making.
From kindergarten to college -- we ask the questions and push through the bureaucracy.
What is the state of education? Our children's future and the future of California is on the ballot.
Before you vote, watch this groundbreaking 5-part series, all week long on CBS47 News at 11:00 p.m.
Part 1: Education Spending 101
CBS47 is On Your Side, as we begin a 5-part special report on the state of education here in California.
On November 6th, voters will be asked to raise taxes to boost funding for education. Everything from a shorter school year to billions of dollars in cuts are on the line if Proposition 30 fails.
Fresno State President John Welty said, "Bottom line, if Prop 30 fails, Fresno State will be a smaller campus; we'll have fewer employees."
Fresno Unified School Superintendent Michael Hanson said, "As the superintendent of Fresno Unified, I think a shorter school year is catastrophic."
Statements like that made us take a look at the "big picture" of the California education system.
Over five nights, CBS47 will show you how much California spends on education, where the money goes, how our student test scores stack up with other states, and how U.S. students stack up with other countries. We will also examine two tax hike initiatives on the November ballot, designed to help California schools. We will highlight the education reforms that are working and we'll show you how some students are succeeding without a traditional college education.
Over the past two months, we've interviewed key local education administrators, politicians, business leaders, college presidents, teachers, former educators, the head of the California Teachers Association, local residents, and even an award winning California teacher who has visited schools in China and India.
We begin with a simple question: "How much are we spending on education, and who's paying for it?"
California residents will spend about $58 billion dollars on K-12 education this year alone. When you tack on federal funds, the figure is closer to $67 billion per year.
So what percentage of the state's general fund go to education in California? In fact, for decades, the majority of California's general fund budget has gone toward education. On average, California spends between 52 and 55% of its general fund budget on all education, K-12 and college.
So how much will California spend this year with a tough economy and budget cuts happening across the state? California will spend over 51% of its general fund budget on all education, which is actually up slightly from last year.
Back in 1984, California voters approved Proposition 37, which created the California state lottery. It was designed to help fund our schools. Part of the pitch was that when you buy a ticket, our kids win too. So what percentage of our education budget is funded by the state lottery? Although school districts are grateful for any cash, figures show the state lottery system only provides about 1.5% of all education funding.
So if the lottery isn't funding the lions share of our education budget... who is? You -- the taxpayer.
The taxes you pay to the state, pay about 55% of K-12 funding. Your local taxes, including property taxes, contribute about 30%. Federal tax revenue provides about 13.5%, and the state lottery provides about 1.5%.
So, how much are we spending on K-12 education here at the local level and what kind of cuts have we faced?
Fresno Unified School Superintendent Michael Hanson said, "We have cut, in the last four years, $130 million out of our budget."
The current budget for the Fresno Unified School District is nearly $1 billion. Over the last four years, the district has lost $130 million.
Clovis Unified School District Superintendent Janet Young says its a similar story in her district. "Just in the past five years alone, since 2007, we've had to make $52 million worth of reductions," said Young. The current budget for the Clovis Unified School District is about $298 million. The district has lost $52 million dollars over the last five years.
From Central Valley spending, to state spending, to national spending -- How much does the United States spend on K-12 education per student? When adjusted for inflation, we're spending roughly twice as much per student as we did 30 years ago. Some think its not enough, while others think its too much.
Coming up in Part 2 on Tuesday: Where does all the money go? How much is California spending per child, per year? What's the average pay for a teacher in California? And does spending more money mean better test scores? Tuesday on CBS47 News at 11:00 p.m.
CBS47 is On Your Side, as we begin a 5-part special report on the state of education here in California.
On November 6th, voters will be asked to raise taxes to boost funding for education. Everything from a shorter school year to billions of dollars in cuts are on the line if Proposition 30 fails.
Fresno State President John Welty said, "Bottom line, if Prop 30 fails, Fresno State will be a smaller campus; we'll have fewer employees."
Fresno Unified School Superintendent Michael Hanson said, "As the superintendent of Fresno Unified, I think a shorter school year is catastrophic."
Statements like that made us take a look at the "big picture" of the California education system.
Over five nights, CBS47 will show you how much California spends on education, where the money goes, how our student test scores stack up with other states, and how U.S. students stack up with other countries. We will also examine two tax hike initiatives on the November ballot, designed to help California schools. We will highlight the education reforms that are working and we'll show you how some students are succeeding without a traditional college education.
Over the past two months, we've interviewed key local education administrators, politicians, business leaders, college presidents, teachers, former educators, the head of the California Teachers Association, local residents, and even an award winning California teacher who has visited schools in China and India.
We begin with a simple question: "How much are we spending on education, and who's paying for it?"
California residents will spend about $58 billion dollars on K-12 education this year alone. When you tack on federal funds, the figure is closer to $67 billion per year.
So what percentage of the state's general fund go to education in California? In fact, for decades, the majority of California's general fund budget has gone toward education. On average, California spends between 52 and 55% of its general fund budget on all education, K-12 and college.
So how much will California spend this year with a tough economy and budget cuts happening across the state? California will spend over 51% of its general fund budget on all education, which is actually up slightly from last year.
Back in 1984, California voters approved Proposition 37, which created the California state lottery. It was designed to help fund our schools. Part of the pitch was that when you buy a ticket, our kids win too. So what percentage of our education budget is funded by the state lottery? Although school districts are grateful for any cash, figures show the state lottery system only provides about 1.5% of all education funding.
So if the lottery isn't funding the lions share of our education budget... who is? You -- the taxpayer.
The taxes you pay to the state, pay about 55% of K-12 funding. Your local taxes, including property taxes, contribute about 30%. Federal tax revenue provides about 13.5%, and the state lottery provides about 1.5%.
So, how much are we spending on K-12 education here at the local level and what kind of cuts have we faced?
Fresno Unified School Superintendent Michael Hanson said, "We have cut, in the last four years, $130 million out of our budget."
The current budget for the Fresno Unified School District is nearly $1 billion. Over the last four years, the district has lost $130 million.
Clovis Unified School District Superintendent Janet Young says its a similar story in her district. "Just in the past five years alone, since 2007, we've had to make $52 million worth of reductions," said Young. The current budget for the Clovis Unified School District is about $298 million. The district has lost $52 million dollars over the last five years.
From Central Valley spending, to state spending, to national spending -- How much does the United States spend on K-12 education per student? When adjusted for inflation, we're spending roughly twice as much per student as we did 30 years ago. Some think its not enough, while others think its too much.
Coming up in Part 2 on Tuesday: Where does all the money go? How much is California spending per child, per year? What's the average pay for a teacher in California? And does spending more money mean better test scores? Tuesday on CBS47 News at 11:00 p.m.