California’s budget crisis has taken a heavy toll on its K-12 public schools and students, a new study concludes.
Released last week by the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access at the University of California, Los Angeles, the report looks at the impact of deep budget cuts on student welfare and school learning environments through interviews with 87 principals across the state.
It shows that nearly two-thirds of principals said that teachers in their schools had been laid off, bumped, or threatened with layoffs.
The researchers found that most schools have increased class sizes, cut back on texbooks, and reduced or eliminated summer school and other academic programs. The principals also report a sharp increase in students living in poverty because their parents have lost jobs.