Education

States News Roundup

August 18, 1982 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As of last week, more than 85 California school districts had joined a lawsuit against the state, charging that the legislature has violated the state constitution by not fully funding programs in which it requires school districts to participate.

The plaintiffs in the suit, filed in Sacramento County Superior Court on Aug. 2, claim that a 1979 amendment to the California constitution requires the state to pay for all programs that it mandates for local school districts, as well as required changes in existing programs.

The suit lists five programs the legislature has ordered since 1980 without providing adequate funds.

During that time, for example, the legislature has enacted several laws that relate to the education of handicapped children but has provided only 80 percent of the necessary funds, said William L. Cunningham, superintendent of the Sacramento County schools and an initiator of the suit.

A bill that would have allowed schools in California to close early if funds are exhausted before the legal school year ends has been killed for the current legislative session, which ends on Aug. 31.

The bill, sponsored by the California Teachers Association, would have allowed school districts to close after 150 operating days--instead of the currently required 175--subject to the approval of the local school board and teachers’ groups.

Such a shutdown would “allow districts to give quality education over a short period of time instead of drawing it out,” said cta lobbyist Bill Logan, and would also signal to the public that schools cannot sustain further budget cuts.

A version of this article appeared in the August 18, 1982 edition of Education Week as States News Roundup

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read