Last year, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger pronounced 2008 would be “The Year of Education” in the Golden State. Now, it’s hasta la vista, baby.
Sharon Noguchi of the San Jose Mercury News looks at what lies ahead for California schools and doesn’t try particularly hard to mask her contempt: “Likely coming soon to a public school near you: ballooning class sizes, a wave of teacher layoffs and more outdated textbooks — courtesy of the spiraling state deficit. What a difference a few months — and a projected $14.5 billion budget deficit — make.”
The $4.8 billion dollars in projected cuts to education over the next 18 months are the deepest in nearly three decades, she notes, adding the cuts are based on optimistic economic predictions. “Art, music, elementary-level science, physical education? Forget about them,” says Noguchi. “The proposed cuts are daunting because schools have little discretionary spending. About 85 percent of their expenses pay salaries and benefits, locked in by union contracts. And much of other spending — for instance, updating textbooks — is required by law.”
