[quote=esmith]
Again I’d like details on what you propose to cram down. Let’s remember that our public school spending (50% of the budget) is already one of the lowest in the nation, our prison system is at twice the design capacity, etc. [/quote]
Id like to know where you got the idea that CA school spending is amongs the lowest in the nation. From what i can find,
Ca is #23 in state spending per pupil at $7511/year in 2001 numbers, but hardly dead last.
That last article I found most illuminating. I mostly ignore alot of the math they did about spending per $1000 and such. I dont find that useful due to quirks of stats.
Here is what I really was interested in:
‘California’s average teacher salary—$59,825 in 2005–06—is higher than that of any other state. However, the relatively high cost of living in California is a contributing factor. In comparisons of teacher salaries among states, both the cost of living in each state and the seniority of the workforce play a role. The American Federation of Teachers looked at average teacher salaries in 2000–01 and determined that when cost-of-living factors were taken into account, California ranked 16th in the nation.’
And:
‘Although the state’s spending on education is above the national average (by 7% for K–12 and 4% for higher education), California spends more than 20% above the average in corrections, police and fire, and health and hospitals’.
My point is basically that while CA education is by no means the best funded in the country, it isnt amongst the worst either.
