Initiative 728, passed in 2000 by voters, provides funding to schools with extra money for things such as class-size reduction. These monies aren’t the schools’ normal funds. Sometimes when we find ourselves short, we all need to sacrifice for the greater good.
The schools are given a certain amount of money. Some comes from the local community through a voter-approved general levy. Another part comes from voter-approved debt, which goes to capital projects. And a very large chunk comes from the state, which is used to pay for staff, student transportation and all of the students enrolled.
I-728 funds give schools money mainly for class-size reduction. If there are 150 students and five teachers, then there would be 30 students per class. However, with the funding from I-728, schools could hire an additional teacher and have 25 students per class. Having lower class sizes makes life much easier for everyone. However, until the state’s budget crisis is fixed, everyone is going to have to work a little harder and sacrifice a bit more.
Melissa Watkins
LA CENTER
