Counting on the California Lottery to drastically increase its sales so that the state can sell bonds against it future earnings risks costing public schools in the state much of the $1.2 billion per year they currently receive from the lottery’s proceeds, a report issued today by the Legislative Analyst’s Office said.
Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill said education funding would be protected if the state borrowed far less money from future lottery sales, which are likely to grow at a slower rate than the governor assumed, the report said. Hill also reiterates the point she made in earlier analyses about the Governor’s across-the-board proposals not setting priorities for the state.
“The across-the-board approach fails to determine which state programs provide essential services or are most critical to California’s future,” she writes.
The work by the LAO serves as a reminder to all supporters of public education that the 2008-09 budget battle is just getting started. Only by continuing to make our views known to elected officials can we ensure that schools get the funding they need to successfully educate their students.
For more on the cuts, look at the San Francisco Chronicle or Sacramento Bee.
