K-12 Uncertainty as California Gropes for Budget Fix

Sofia Askinosie, age 3, waves a sign as California Gov. Jerry Brown speaks to the annual convention of the California Parent Teacher Association last month in Long Beach, Calif. Brown urged the group to speak out against cuts in funding that he claimed threaten the future of education in California.

—Reed Saxon/AP

Governor pushing for tax vote

By Sean Cavanagh

Not long after he took office in January, California Gov. Jerry Brown presented residents of his state with a simple, stark plan for correcting the state’s massive budget imbalance.

The Democrat called for making deep and painful cuts to programs across government, while sparing schools. To raise revenue, he proposed allowing the public to vote on a series of tax increases and extensions, which he said would provide enough money to avert even larger cuts to the state budget, particularly to K-12 programs.

The state legislature agreed to make cuts. But Mr. Brown’s plan to raise money through taxes has so far failed to win the Republican support it needs to get on the ballot, leaving California’s school systems in a state of uncertainty. The state’s school districts, which serve more than 6 million students and have seen their per-pupil aid fall from three years ago, could be forced to make extensive layoffs, raise class sizes, and eliminate more programs and services if state...