But there's no excuse for spending all that money on salaries while there's a critical textbook shortage in many classrooms, including in Los Angeles Unified School District. The school districts have a responsibility to spend the money well and wisely. And when they don't follow the rules, the state must act to make them accountable. But that hasn't happened in California. Even when school districts have flagrantly violated the law and failed to detail each year how they spent the funds, as in the case at Antelope Valley Union High School District and Lancaster School District, nothing happens.
Accountability is a great buzzword in an election year.
But voters should make certain they read the fine print when it comes to ballot initiatives. What they'll find is that funding education in California often is a shell game and the taxpayers usually get burned. Before taxpayers reach deeper into their pockets for schools, the education establishment must stop acting like con artists who think the public is an easy mark. We no longer list the URL as it changes everyday this links are soon no good. The Los Angeles Unified School District, which suffers from a well- documented book shortage, typically uses nearly 100 percent of its lottery windfall for wages and benefits , as does Long Beach Unified, interviews and records show.