State Budget

The state government could increase funding for K-12 education by properly managing the California Lottery, which owes schools $36 million, the state auditor reported February 25. The auditor originally calculated that the Lottery shortchanged schools by $69 million, but reduced the figure after Lottery officials belatedly provided more documentation. “We shared our calculation with the Lottery of how we arrived at the $69 million that it owed to education several times before it received our draft report,” the auditor wrote.…

Governor Gavin Newsom on January 10 unveiled a $222.2 billion state budget proposal, reflecting a $7.4 billion increase in total spending (general fund and special funds) over the budget enacted in June. The governor said the budget has an operating surplus of $5.6 billion. At a press conference, Newsom touted the “highest level of investment ever” in public education – $84 billion, which represents a 3 percent increase over the current fiscal year, which also represented a record high. The governor’s…