Saving California’s Schools: An Interview with Tom Torlakson

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The state of California is facing severe budget cuts, including for education.

Los Angeles High School. Photo by waltarrrrr via Flickr/Creative Commons.

The number of school districts reporting perilous financial situations is at an all-time high – 188 statewide, 27 in Los Angeles County alone.

That means that across the state, 2.6 million children go to schools facing financial difficulty.

The Inglewood Unified School District issued a negative certification in the second interim report to the state, while 26 other Los Angeles County schools gave qualified certifications, including Los Angeles Unified, South Pasadena Unified, Antelope Valley Union High, Lancaster Elementary, Lynwood Unified and Paramount Unified.

KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis spoke with Tom Torlakson, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of California.