Budget & Finance

California Gov. Jerry Brown Proposes to Increase School Spending

By Daarel Burnette II — January 11, 2017 1 min read
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California’s Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown proposed this week to boost the state’s education spending by more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2018 despite an expected state revenue shortfall.

The budget, which is balanced and adds to California’s rainy day funds was conservative in Brown’s estimation due to a predicted revenue shortfall and the election of President-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to reduce Obamacare spending. The state spends a large portion of its budget subsidizing the program.

California legislators, alternatively, have said the state’s budget is fiscally sound and are encouraging the governor to spend more.

“There are too many uncertaInties that could put a massive hole in our budget expectations,” Brown said, according to the Bay Area News Group.

Of the state’s proposed $122.5 billion spending plan next year, Brown proposes that the state increase K-12 spending from $71.9 billion to $73.5 billion. Per-pupil spending would increase from $14,822 to $15,216.

California voters last November decided to renew Proposition 98, its large school spending plan, which has pumped millions more dollars into its public school system over the last several years. Over on the “On California” blog, my colleague Charles Taylor Kerchner points out that more than a third of California’s budget comes from the federal government.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the State EdWatch blog.