Good points davelj. When you do your research, check out the average compensation for teachers, by state. You’ll find CA teachers are the highest paid in the nation, excepting D.C. This speaks to the power of the teachers union here. And when there are layoffs, the youngest, most enthusiastic, latest hired are laid off first, not the weak teachers in it for a pension.
You’ll also discover that Prop 13 in 1978 resulted in Sacramento taking over much of the financing of schools, and with that funding went the power to dictate much of what happens in local schools. Centralizing power like that almost always creates waste and inefficiency since the local school board know better their own needs. They must accept state dictates and are often forced into programs and hiring needs that don’t directly benefit classroom.
