California Budget Crisis Update February 09

ACSA executive director Bob Wells sheds light on school funding crisis and need for broad fiscal flexibility for school districts.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• CA
• budget
• crisis

[Bassmarko]

The California school system in concert with the teachers union has brought California to its knees. I have witnessed firsthand tenure teachers that are completely ineffective. We need to get to work firing ineffective teachers and administrators. The dead wood once cut will allow younger teachers to come in and pick up the slack. Ive also seen boarded up schools empty because there arent enough kids. We should take a look at the assets and provide more transparency to the education budget.

[primesteak]

I pay 8.25% sales tax here in the city of the angels. State Income tax is around 10-15% of my income when you include things like state disabilty insurance and state unemployment insurance. My gas is taxed, my car registration is taxed, the smog from my car is taxed, and I am forced to buy liability insurance. I don't want to pay more taxes to the state of CA.

FIX IT WITH CUTS!

[metalschooldrill]

Taxes and rent need to come down, this place is worthless. Just recently is when lots of small sandwich shops and burritos etc. have been dropping out and the building is up for lease but the rent did not come down dramatically like real estate residental areas. Seems to be a lot of hype since year 2000. Schiff says America stagnated then, not 2007. Seems those who took the money and ran just made it cost more for a paint job lacking primer ending up costing more than ever to remove the paint.

[joe80dman]

Low? The average family currently pays between 50-70% of their gross income into taxes when you consider property, sales, license, registration, excise taxes, etc. Are we to allow ourselves to become enslaved unto the Almighty State? What's left of a worker's wages for himself to use as he sees fit?

[joe80dman]

There is on average one paid administrator per every six teachers. This goes beyond stupid, it's featherbedding at best. Why can't the parents raise their own kids instead of some Marxist-socialistic State program that sucks up precious tax dollars? You public employees are living outside of reality. You can't continue to tax the broken working class into prosperity.

[joe80dman]

Why fund the public schools when the graduates are leaving without knowing how to even read or write? Math aptitude tests are dismal. It's a complete waste of dwindling tax dollars.

[GoHomexxxx]

Hey, here's an idea... get churchs and religious organisations to start paying their taxes, like everybody else. Cutting money to schools in CA is a huge mistake.

[llothar68]

Thats fucking low.

When you the acceptable 20% sales tax and income tax of 50% (depending on how much you make) then come back.

[TellingItLikeItIz]

Cuts in education? Please, attend your local Board of Education meeting to see the true impact of these cuts. Granted, unions have a great deal of power, and I don't disagree that there are so many ineffective tenured teachers, but, this is not the time to address these issues when we are facing the possibility of taking away basic programs and services for our State's children.