Reply #6: But it really didn't. [View All]

[Xithras]

When Californian's passed proposition 98 many years ago, we did so to ensure that our school funding was maintained at certain minimum levels. We decided that education was one area we didn't want to compromise in. The problem with it is that 98 set K-14 funding levels based on K-12 enrollment. CC's get 10% of Prop 98 funds, and K-12 gets the other 90%. This may have made sense when it was drafted, but nowadays its a huge issue. K-12 enrollment is flat while CC enrollment is skyrocketing. Since K-12 enrollment is flat, the CC's don't get ANY additional funds to educate that influx of new students. Enrollment climbs, but funding stays flat.

92 would have simply unlocked CC funding from the current K-12 enrollment numbers and simply based it on need.

When you say that you don't want to take freedom away from the state budget in this instance, you're actually saying that you want the state to have the ability to further slash an educational system that's already operating $250 million a year beneath the levels it actually needs to fund the students it has today.