See How Much your School District’s Funding May Be Cut

March 30, 2010

Earlier this month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed cutting $1.2 billion in "school district central administration" to help balance the 2010-201 1 budget. But his definition of central administration is broad. According to Department of Finance officials, the governor wants total spending on the following areas reduced, on average, by 10 percent statewide: General administration: Central office expenses, including spending on the school board, payroll, data processing and superintendents. Plant maintenance: What it takes to keep schools running, clean and safe — everything from heating to maintenance workers. Instructional supervision and administration: Money spent assisting instructional staff in planning, developing, and evaluation, including curriculum development, techniques of instruction, understanding of child development and staff training. The governor’s office has not yet determined exactly how much each district will need to cut — only that they want the cuts to average 10 percent statewide. This database shows the amount each district in the state spent on the above areas during the 2007-2008 year and calculates what a 10 percent cut for each district would look like.