In recent years, California has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on K–12 education, and the governor’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year maintains such numbers—but despite the state’s high education spending, reports show that its children are still struggling academically.
The state’s funding reached a record-high $110.6 billion for the 2021–22 fiscal year and $110.4 billion for the current fiscal year. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recently revised May budget (pdf) proposal promises $106.8 billion to the state’s schools.
The numbers translate to the state spending, on average, $20,000 per pupil in 2021–22, and likely $17,000, on average, in the upcoming fiscal year, according to an April analysis (pdf) by the state’s Legislative Analyst Office….