Gov-elect Jerry Brown (CA) says money for schools could be chopped 20-25%.

[Hannah Bell]

Gov.-elect Jerry Brown warned educational leaders on Tuesday to "fasten your seat belts" when he unveils his proposed budget for next year, saying the plan will include painful cuts in school funding.

"Please sit down when you read the stories on the budget Jan. 10," Brown said during a briefing with education leaders at UCLA. "Don't stand up. Do sit down. If you're in the car, fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a rough ride ...

"This is a really huge challenge, unprecedented in my lifetime. I can't promise you there won't be more cuts because there will be."

While Brown gave no specifics about cuts, both he and state Treasurer Bill Lockyer bandied across-the-board budget cuts of 20 to 25 percent - drawing gasps from some 200 educators, administrators and teachers...

http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2010/12/gov-elect-jerry-brown-says-money-for.html

[parkia00]

1. I don't understand....

it seems that in the US when there are budget cuts, education seems to be one of the first to get it. In many parts of the world especially in Asia, any politician that proposes cuts to education would have a VERY short political life!

[DrDan]

2. that used to be the case here - but greed has taken over

[rpannier]

4. They want the results we get here in Asia for pennies on the 100K

NT

[Creative]

5. Yes, but they get their money's worth in Asia.

And unlike the US, bad teachers can be fired. Moreover, the parents of Asian students take their children's educations very, very seriously.

[Hannah Bell]

21. what bullshit. there are 21 right to work states & 10 states where teachers can be fired *at will*.

they include places like mississippi, AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE 50 STATES.

[TheFarseer]

6. I don't get how we spend the most per pupil

and get some of the worst results. Money is not the only factor in education. We need to look at what other countries are doing and revamp our education system. I don't have the answer, but we just need to look at what the most successful countries are doing and do that!

[Nevernose]

12. Meanwhile, Europe and Asia are desperately trying to copy OUR educational model

What we do, works, and works well. The difference between us and them is that they're not trying to educate everybody equally. What we'd consider a normal high school, they'd consider a place for only the top 25% of their achievers to go to. In China, there aren't even any public high schools; while a very few do receive some gov't financial support, all are run on a private school model, meaning locally controlled standards and the parents have to pay quite a bit.

[rucky]

15. Our model is too top-heavy.

And it's just getting worse. Every level of bureaucracy we add multiplies the costs, and the bean counters tend to be paid higher than the foot soldiers.

[Hannah Bell]

22. The PISA test the media is talking about is from a sample of students in Shanghai.

It's not a test of "China," or the Chinese education system.

It's a sample (sampling done by the Chinese) of students in one rich city, where a lot of the blue collar labor is men from the rural provinces who leave their families behind.

The Chinese don't pay for education over the mandated age of 15. At that age all students take national exams which determine their future. This is the same age the PISA is given. About 10% of Chinese don't even finish the mandatory jr. high graduation.

Chinese rural education (what most chinese get) is notoriously spotty.

In short, apples & oranges.

Oh, & the US PISA test? Taken by a sample of about 5000 students.

[Creative]

7. Yes, but they get their money's worth

And unlike the US, bad teachers can be fired. Moreover, the parents of Asian students take their children's educations very, very seriously.

[JCMach1]

23. I pulled my kids out of a couple of not so great private schools (supposedly the best) in an Asian

country...

My girls now do K12 Online...

No one was fired although there were some rather lackluster teachers...

[blindpig]

3. The great liberal, Jerry Brown....

speaks volumes....

[bluestate10]

10. That is the reality Brown has to deal with.

California sends $0.48 of every federal tax dollar collected in that state out, to red states. You can help Jerry Brown not cut education spending in California by beating the hell out of your Congressional representatives and forcing them to fight for sending 20% of federal taxes back to the states that generate them, with the caveat that states will face a 20% reduction in federal aid. California, Michigan, Illinois, New York, to mention the most prominent blue states that are facing budget woes, can easily deal with a 20% cut in federal aid, as long as their get they 20% of federal tax revenue back in their state budgets. The exchange is overwhelmingly favorable for blue states, which in all cases except Maine or Vermont, are enormous federal tax donor states. Red states will suffer big-time from the exchange, but maybe that suffering will cause their ignorant voters to educate themselves and start voting for politicians that have their best interests at heart.

The governor of my state faced similar choices for most of his term. He made some wise, but difficult choices. The state now stands #1 in educational results for the nation and has increased it's percentage of highly educated populace. The state has over taken Texas as the state that is weathering the economic circumstances best. I am proud to say that the majority of voters wisely chose to re-elect the Governor by a good margin.

Jerry Brown has a difficult path ahead of him, but he can master that path and limit damage to schools while making Cali schools better. Don't throw him over board just yet. California residents can help Brown in his battle by getting on Pelosi's, Boxer's and Feinstein's asses and forcing them to fight to get California federal tax dollars back into the budget that Brown has to work with.

BTW. Some of Arnold's people were bums. But many were good public servants. If Brown is smart, he will find and keep the good, effective ones and replace the rest.

[Johonny]

11. it would help if California wasn't massively under represented in congress

It would also help if the in state mega rich paid taxes. Rich enough to own the Dodgers, not rich enough to pay a dime in tax. There's the problem.

[bluestate10]

18. You're fixated on taxing the rich, not federal tax equity for California.

So the battle is lost because the whole loaf can't be had. The first move should be to get back some of the federal tax money that IS collected and shipped off to red states. After the first objective is in hand, the rich that are skipping out on taxes can be dealt with.

[Johonny]

19. do you think that will happen with California under represented

at the federal level. We got only 2 senators and because there's a cap on representatives and every state must have 1 we are also under represented in the house. Given that situation is it any wonder California congress members are unlikely to have the ability to fix the problem.

[former9thward]

26. Every state has two Senators not one as you state.

California has the most representatives of any state in Congress. Every representative in the House has roughly the same size district no matter what state they're from.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

20. Why not lower the federal taxes and let the states collect it directly?

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Couldn't POSSIBLY eliminate the deduction

for that second house. Or for the yacht. Or for that Hummer. Nope. Take it out on education. And he's keeping many of Ahnie's appointments. And he came out against Prop. 19. I hate to say I told you so, people, but . . .

[Bluenorthwest]

9. So tell me, what is the deduction for a second house in CA?

I do not recall any such deductions on the forms from CA FTB at all. I know all sales would be taxed in CA. So buy a boat, pay that tax. No write off. Not sure what facts you are using here. Or where you get them.

[Le Taz Hot]

13. I've heard the claim made for many years.

A small amount of research brought up this:

You can deduct the interest on up to one million dollars of home mortgage debt, whether it is used to purchase a first or a second home. You can also deduct the interest . . .

http://www.alllaw.com/articles/tax/article3.asp

I was always under the impression it was common knowledge in California.

[Bluenorthwest]

16. That link is not about CA, it is about Federal Taxes

A person could deduct that interest in any state, not just in CA. Your claim was that CA has a State deduction for second homes and yachts and Hummers. What you showed was the Federal deduction, which was not the point you made, is not what we are talking about, and is not under the control of any governor of any state.
Where is the yacht deduction in CA law? Hummer? Where is the mortgage interest deduction that is in excess of the Federally demanded deduction?
Just saying. CA is going to have to do some stuff. They refuse to raise property taxes. When Prop 13 was passed, Jerry tried to make changes to deal with it then. CA rejected those changes. Took the tax freeze, refused to pay for it.
To my knowledge, there is no 'yacht deduction' and no property tax deductions other than those mandated by Federal law and tax code. I could be wrong, as I have never owned a yacht. But I'd have to see the law to believe it. CA law. Not Federal law.

[Change Happens]

14. Good luck to everyone in CA...

It is really ugly out there...

[Karmadillo]

17. Hey! There's a low cost, win/win solution to this problem.

The kids get paid, American business will be better able to compete with low cost operators abroad, and the taxpayer makes out like a bandit!

[Tatiana]

24. Jerry Brown is a savvy politician.

There will clearly have to be cuts but 20 - 25% worth? That would destroy public education in California.

Perhaps Brown threw that number out there just to make the actual cuts that are made seem reasonable in comparison.

Also, he could be trying to build support for a tax increase to help sustain the state's public services.

I will eat my words if he actually cuts the education budget by that much. I feel like he's trying to open up a dialogue regarding revenue increases to stabilize the budget.

[Starry Messenger]

25. Yup. We're in for a world of hurt. n/t