6110 Department of Education
Budget-Balancing Reductions
  • The Budget includes General Fund reductions of $4,347.1 million in 2008-09. The following programs totaling $9.1 million General Fund, have been exempted from the budget balancing reductions: Fiscal Insolvency Loan Payments, Proposition 98 Mandate Deferrals, and Lease Payments Securing Lease Revenue Bonds. The major budget balancing reductions in 2008-09 include:

  • A $2.6 billion reduction for school district and county office of education revenue limit apportionments. This will eliminate the 4.94-percent COLA and reduce existing revenue limit levels, thereby creating a 6.99-percent deficit factor.

  • A $357.9 million reduction for Special Education. No COLA will be provided and existing state funding for local schools' special education costs will be reduced. Because the program is federally mandated, and to the extent that federal and state funds are insufficient, schools will have to backfill most of this reduction.

  • A $198.9 million reduction for Child Development programs. No COLA or growth will be provided for this program. After accounting for normal program savings, approximately 8,000 existing slots will be reduced.

  • A $59.6 million reduction for Before and After School programs. The Administration will propose a ballot initiative to amend Proposition 49 to achieve these savings. This reduction is expected to have minimal impact because a number of recent grant awardees have not implemented the program or have not had the enrollment levels initially anticipated.

  • A $14.2 million reduction for Child Nutrition programs. This reduction will cut the free and reduced price meal reimbursement rate by approximately $0.02. However, the program received a $0.06 per meal augmentation in 2007-08, leaving the rate at approximately $0.19 to supplement the federal reimbursement rate.

  • A $1,091.4 million reduction for other K-12 categorical programs. COLA adjustments will not be provided and proportional funding rate reductions will be applied to programs such as Class Size Reduction, the Charter School Categorical Block Grant, Instructional Materials, Supplemental Instruction, Home-to-School Transportation, Supplemental School Counseling, and various Career Technical Education.

  • A $5.6 million reduction for the Department of Education administration and program support. The Superintendent of Public Instruction will have discretion to allocate this reduction.

  • A $9.2 million reduction for the Department of Education State Special Schools. This unallocated reduction will provide maximum flexibility to the Superintendent and the State Special Schools.