As funding is cut, can CA schools compete?

By Bruno Girin, Flickr

Funding for K through 12 public education has been cut by 25 percent over the past five years here in California. The cutbacks have had big implications for the LA Unified School District–the biggest district in the state. But California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson says LA Unified isn’t alone. He’s hearing from schools up and down the state that are struggling due to California’s financial crunch. “Thirty five thousand teachers have been laid off and classes have become so much more crowded,” says Torlakson. He tells KCRW’s Chery Glaser about the effects of cuts across the state, and explains why cutting music, arts and sports also hurts students’ morale and increases the dropout risk.

Want to hear more on schools? Listen to Chery’s interview with LAUSD superintendent John Deasy here.