California has essentially canceled out hard-fought increases in federal funding for special education by cutting state funding by the same amount, said Lou Barela, director of the Special Education Local Plan Area for Solano County. That's a really big problem for school districts. Officials expect the difference to nearly double this year. Because the state has tied tighter strings to funding for local school districts over the past several years, Dixon Superintendent Bill Huyett said he hopes California follows the federal government's example and passes legislation restoring local control of education dollars. They're trying to run all school districts from afar and that can't work.
Every school district is different.
Nearly one-quarter of the budget is pegged for specific purposes, which means there are few, if any, leftover dollars for new programs, Huyett said. Its expansion was supported by governors from all 50 states. The San Francisco Giants are a working-class ballclub. You half expect them to walk into the clubhouse at Scottsdale Stadium and punch a time clock. They have the hard hats but no lunch pails.