Newsom Slashes $2 Billion From Education Budget Amid $33 Billion in Cuts

While California is working on closing its $56 billion budget deficit over the next two years, Gov. Gavin Newsom said May 10 that K-12 schools and community colleges will be safeguarded from the budgetary impact. However, cuts to education spending will amount to more than $2 billion, according to an update of the budget the governor put forward in January. Mr. Newsom intends to tap into a significant portion of California’s $9 billion rainy day fund to address the $4.2 billion education deficit. This deficit arises from reduced funding mandated by Proposition 98, a voter-approved measure from the 1980s designed to allocate a portion of the state’s budget to its education system....