California Schools, Colleges Faces $19 Billion Budget Deficit: Report

California’s schools and colleges will likely face a $19 billion budget deficit over the next three years, according to the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. In a fiscal outlook report published Dec. 7, analysts found that California’s overall budget deficit could more than double in the next year—from $30 billion for fiscal 2022–23 to about $68 billion for 2024–25. The state’s budget for the current 2023–24 fiscal year is $310 billion. The education budget for the current fiscal year is $108 billion, and is likely to take a hit of $19 billion in 2024–25. The projected deficit could jeopardize 5 percent annual increases for the state’s two public university systems—the University of California and California State University—which Mr. Newsom agreed to two years ago....