The Current State of Funding of Public Schools

By Jeffrey L. "Jeff" Adams

I was recently asked my views concerning the current state of funding of public schools. Here are my views.

I also believe these mandates require provision for adequate funding for competitive compensation for our teachers and other MDUSD employees including health benefits and professional development, consistent with available funding. If we are not competitive in our compensation, we will continue to lose great teachers and other valued employees to the detriment of our students. Unfortunately, our state legislature and governor have not met, and are not meeting, these constitutional responsibilities to adequately fund a public school education even at minimum levels before attending to important, but secondary, priorities at a state level. The significant cuts to education (one figure that has been presented is an $11.6 billion cut to the annual education budget in the past two years statewide resulting in a corresponding 23% cut to the MDUSD general fund) we have seen in the past few years provide more than ample evidence of Sacramento's failures.