If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget is approved by lawmakers, public schools in California could lose as much as $200 per student.
From the San Jose Mercury News:
The new reductions of approximately $200 per student come after successive cuts, including a cut of $253 per student in July. The governor's proposed 2010-11 education budget would be about 10 percent less than 2007-08 levels.
The news comes just weeks after Schwarzenegger publicly vowed to "protect public education."
Readers to the School Notebook blog may recall Torrance Unified school board member Al Muratsuchi recently addressing the governor's promise:
"When we have to raise K-3 class sizes...that is the result of the governor 'protecting education,'" Muratsuchi said during a district board meeting last week. "We need to educate the community, so that when they see class size increases, their favorite teacher getting laid off, and the school year being shortened, that they understand this is all because Sacramento is failing the entire state."
Torrance Unified board members warned that significant cuts - up to $20 million - could be slashed from the district's $188 million budget.
In Manhattan Beach Unified, trustees are looking at cutting up to $6.1 million in spending from the district's budget. Cost-cutting measures could include furlough days and staff layoffs, resulting in larger class sizes and program cuts.
"I don't see $6 million we can cut and still have a functioning school district," said board president Ida VanderPoorte. "I don't know how any school districts can survive if the cuts continue."
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