California cuts not as painful as expected for K-12 schools

From The Sacramento Bee: California Gov. Jerry Brown has announced deeper budget cuts to colleges, libraries and child care, but he has spared K-12 schools from the worst-case scenario they had feared. K-12 school districts could have lost as much as $1.5 billion in general-purpose funding – the equivalent of seven instructional days. But the latest revenue snapshot was robust enough that schools will instead face a smaller $79.6 million reduction in general funding and a $248 million elimination of bus transportation money. That should avert massive reductions or other drastic measures for most districts. University of California and California State University systems plan to rely on reserves to absorb the $100 million cut each has been handed. CSU also delayed purchases and campus maintenance. California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott says his system will impose a $10 per unit hike, raising fees from $36 to $46 starting next summer.