MORE ON: school finance

Spotlight: K–12

Controversial school bonds create ‘debt for the next generation’

January 31, 2013, 7:30 AM
Hundreds of California school districts have turned to a controversial form of borrowing called capital appreciation bonds, with payments not due for decades and interest costs as high as 23 times the amount borrowed. + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

School bond measures receive donations from contractors

June 4, 2012, 12:05 AM
As voters around the state decide on more than two dozen local school bond measures tomorrow, the campaigns promoting many of them are funded largely by businesses that stand to benefit financially. On local ballots from San Diego to Sonoma County, 28 school bond measures would ... + read more
Daily Report: Money and Politics

Critics struggle to end 'pay to play' in school bonds

May 14, 2012, 12:05 AM
Critics of the practice in which financial firms help pass school bonds that they profit from are continuing to push for reforms, but so far have faced resistance and failure. In California, underwriting companies hired by school districts to sell bonds often make campaign contributions to... + read more
Spotlight: Money and Politics

With campaign donations, bond underwriters also secure contracts

May 3, 2012, 12:05 AM
Leading financial firms over the past five years have donated $1.8 million to successful school bond measures in California. In almost every instance, school district officials hired those same underwriters to sell the bonds for a profit. + read more
Daily Report: K–12

Ballot initiative seeks to expand access to online education

November 23, 2011, 12:05 AM
For public school students in California, where you live usually determines where you can learn. To David Haglund, that's not right. This month, Haglund, principal of the Riverside Virtual School, an online independent study program run by the Riverside Unified School District, introduced... + read more
Spotlight: K–12

Analysis compares districts’ spending, academic performance

June 2, 2011, 6:59 PM
How we did it: California Watch closely examined California Department of Education figures for the current expense of education. The data accounts for each student in attendance in the state’s nearly 1,000 school districts in the 2009-10 school year. + read more
Spotlight: K–12

Spending far from equal among state’s school districts, analysis finds

June 2, 2011, 6:58 PM
State lawmakers have struggled for decades to bring equality to how school districts are funded, yet some districts receive thousands more per student than others, a California Watch analysis has found. And the data shows spending more provides no assurance of academic success. + read more
Spotlight: K–12

Wealthy donors may widen school spending gap

June 2, 2011, 6:57 PM
Two Los Angeles County communities illustrate the gap in funding at the state’s public schools. + read more
Spotlight: K–12

Gasto lejos de ser igual entre distritos escolares del estado, concluye análisis

June 2, 2011, 6:55 PM
Los legisladores estatales se han esforzado durante décadas para lograr igualdad en el financiamiento de las escuelas, sin embargo algunos distritos reciben miles de dólares más por estudiante que otros, concluyó un análisis de California Watch. Y los datos muestran que gastar más no garantiza el... + read more
Spotlight: K–12

Q&A: Why disparities exist in some California school districts

June 2, 2011, 6:50 PM
Have questions on how schools are financed in California? Check out these frequently asked questions. + read more
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