SAN FRANCISCO — The California schools superintendent said Wednesday he expects school for the state’s 6 million students to resume as usual in late August or September but with classes that look radically different to maintain social distancing standards. Superintendent Tony Thurmond said he expects a mix of in-person and...
Schools Face Prospect of Layoffs, Furloughs as State Budget Gets Slashed
California’s public schools, physically closed since mid-March and strapped for cash, are coming out of a frying pan and into a financial fire. The fire comes in the form of a $6.5 billion cut to schools’ main source of funding as well as other reductions in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget...
Newsom: Shrink Prisons to Help Cut Budget
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to significantly shrink the footprint of California's prison system, partly because of massive budget cuts prompted by the pandemic but also because of philosophy. The revised budget he sent to state lawmakers this week envisions closing two state prisons in the coming years;...
Valley Schools, Fresno State Face Big Cuts Under Budget Revision
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced massive cuts to California's education budget due to revenue losses in the economic recession sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The May Revision of the 2020-21 proposed $203 billion budget includes $99.7 billion for K-12 schools and $18.6 billion for community colleges and public universities....
California's Rainy Day Fund Is Ready For Its Coronavirus Close-Up
By THE RAINY DAY FUND, as told to JOE MATHEWS I’m ready for my close-up, Ms. Gerwig! OK, as a budget fund without acting credits, I shouldn’t expect Greta Gerwig to put me in her next film—even if both she and I are Sacramento natives. But the time is coming—quite...
Coronavirus Could Take Big Bite out of California Budget
SACRAMENTO — From cruise ships to quarantines to school closures, California leaders have had plenty to worry about with the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Add one more thing to the list: The state's $222 billion annual budget. California is home to some of the largest and most successful companies...
Walters: Newsom’s Spending More, Saving Less
When Jerry Brown returned to the governorship in 2011, he faced what he called a “wall of debt” from years of severe economic recession and deficit-riddled state budgets. Accordingly, he made paying off that debt, more than $30 billion, and armoring the budget against future recessions his top priority. Brown...