Newsom’s Proposed Education Budget Grows as Students Test Scores Continue to Drop

Last week California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his 2024-2025 state budget, feigning indignation over the Legislative Analyst’s Office’s recent update on the state’s actual budget deficit, which the LAO put at $68 billion. Newsom’s $330 billion budget has supposedly been whittled down to a svelte $291.5 billion.

“This is a story of correction and normalcy,” Gov. Newsom said, downplaying the swing from the $100 billion surplus to a $68 billion deficit, which Newsom claims is only $38 billion, in defiance of the LAO.

One of the largest budget expenditures is education, traditionally broken down by Kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as the California Community College, California State University and University of California systems.

Newsom’s education budget this budget year is up from $108.3 billion in the 2023-2024 budget year to $109.1 billion as the slide below from his presentation shows.

As we reported and asked, Governor @GavinNewsom 2024-25 budget: $109.1 Billion “TK-16” spending. “TK-16?” Pushing the cradle to grave government with “transitional kindergarten” through 4 years of college?

What happened to K-12 education spending?

As Lance Izumi, senior director of the Center for Education with the Pacific Research Institute said, “With all the blaring headlines about California’s huge state budget deficit, one would think that education spending, which accounts for around 45 percent of the budget, would take a significant hit. Well, think again.”

Izumi gets right down to business pointing out that Gov. Newsom has increased education spending by $30 billion since 2019:

“In the 2019-20 fiscal year, which was the last pre-pandemic budget, state General Fund spending for K-12 education and the community colleges was $79 billion.  In Governor Gavin Newsom’s just proposed 2024-25 budget, funding for K-12 and the community colleges is slated for $109 billion, which is a staggering $30 billion more than in 2019-20.”

Izumi drills down into that spending:

To put that number in perspective, a $30 billion increase in education spending is almost as large as the entire budget deficit that Newsom claims the state is facing this year.

But one also has to remember that state General Fund spending is not the whole story.  There are other funds that are earmarked for education, such as funding from the federal government. If one adds up all the funding for education in California from all sources, then total education spending in California comes up to $127 billion, which is $18 billion more than just state General Fund education spending.

Additionally, Newsom has increased per-pupil spending by 35% in just 5 years:

California spent about $17,400 per pupil in 2019-20. In comparison, Newsom’s 2024-25 budget proposes to spend $23,500 per pupil, which is a 35 percent increase since the budget enacted just five years ago.

Exactly what are California students and their parents getting for that $23,500 per student spending – particularly if only 23 percent of the state’s eighth graders tested proficient in math, down from 2019.

In November, Izumi addressed California’s shocking student test scores – which should be off the charts in excellence, based on the state spending:

“The proportion of students who met or exceeded grade-level standards on the state math test rose slightly from 33.4%in 2021-22 to 34.6% in 2022-23 — a marginal increase.

The real story is that two-thirds of California students taking the test failed to achieve at grade level.

The proportion of students achieving at grade level in English language arts fell from 47.1% in 2021-22 to 46.7% in 2022-23.” (emphasis the Globe)

As Izumi correctly notes, “the answer from Sacramento and Washington has been to throw more tax dollars at the problem” of habitual low level of student achievement.

Izumi also addresses the wide funding disparity between regular public schools and charter schools.

“In Oakland, regular pubic schools receive more than $21,000 per student, while charter schools receive less than $14,000 per student, a more than $7,000 difference.

Yet, despite receiving less funding, charter schools in the Oakland area do more for under-represented minority students such as African Americans.”

Izumi addresses the Globe’s question about Newsom’s new TK – transitional Kindergarten:

Take Newsom’s universal pre-kindergarten program. Around $2 billion has been poured into this program. Yet, a major study by Vanderbilt University found that Tennessee’s state pre-K program resulted in children having lower test scores, more learning disabilities, and more discipline problems.

According to one of the study’s authors: “There are people pushing to make pre-K a grade below kindergarten. Our data show that’s not likely to have good results for children.”

As for the funding, “In a 2023 report, the state Legislative Analyst’s Office pointed out that in order to address ‘the learning loss and higher costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,’ California schools received $18 billion in one-time state funding.”

“In addition, California received $23 billion in one-time federal funding to address COVID-19 education effects, such as student learning loss.”

“Yet, as the low levels of student achievement indicate, all this funding has done little to move the learning needle.”

Izumi concludes “Newsom’s education budget is bloated with programs that will not work, that protect the failed public education status quo, and that promote ideological and special-interest agendas. That is a budget recipe for disaster.”

And it’s just another gift-wrapped present to the teachers unions, who always place union interests above the needs of the students.