California Budget Deal Could Be 'Game Changer' For Education Funding
SACRAMENTO (KCBS)—Gov. Jerry Brown and California legislators worked out a budget deal Monday that includes a key agreement about how to fund K-12 education and provide benefits to underprivileged school districts.
Currently, school districts receive separate pots of money for various programs. Under the so-called Local Control Spending Formula, each district would get one lump sum of cash, plus extra funding for disadvantaged students.
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Dennis Cima, senior vice president of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, calls the plan a "game changer" for the way the state funds education.
"The way we currently fund schools is just a maze, and we need to take care of this archaic system and make it a lot more simple and lot more transparent," Cima said.
The over $96 bilion state budget also restores many social programs with extra funding for programs like metal health services and dental care for the poor.
The official announcement is expected later on Tuesday and the deadline for passing the state budget is Saturday.
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