From Bad To Worse: California Faces Yet Another Round of Cuts

Before the current cuts were enacted, California already ranked 47th in the nation in per-pupil spending. These current cuts are sure to push us further down the scale. Our future depends on our ability to prepare the next generation for success in the hyper-competitive global economy. The budget crisis and the teacher layoffs we are now witnessing makes that challenge much, much harder. In order to deliver the quality education our students need we must get off this budget roller coaster and find a stable, long-term solution to education funding. Our future depends on it.”

And yet we now know that these 26,000 cuts are probably a best case scenario as the fiscal situation continues to deteriorate. Here we are just two months away from the May elections that were needed to balance the budget agreement from February and now that budget agreement is already out of date. What more can be cut from the state budget? How much more of a hit can education afford to take? Where else can we find money without trying to raise revenue?

Senate Leader Darrel Steinberg:

“We will solve the challenge outlined this morning by the Legislative Analyst with the same intensity that we solved the $42 billion problem in February. It should come as no surprise that the Nation’s economic downturn continues to severely impact California’s budget – retail sales continue to decline and unemployment continues to rise and American families lost $5.1 TRILLION in the last 3 months of 2008.

Like thousands of businesses and millions of families, state government has less money to spend. But moms and dads will continue to get their kids off to school. Sick people will need an emergency room. There will be fires to put out. Criminals to prosecute. And elderly people to care for. Fortunately, the action we took in February makes what we face more manageable.”

But how much more manageable? What is left to cut.

Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said yesterday that schools were already counting on the federal funds for a more immediate purpose, easing billions in cuts necessitated by last month's budget deal. Even before the new round of numbers, public schools were expected to take a $5 billion hit in program cuts in the next budget. Now that is going to get much worse.

"To say that's suddenly going to be used to backfill further cuts would be a major blow to schools that already are on their knees with the cuts that have been made."