Take the Education Coalition Pop Quiz!

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

As students statewide sharpen their no. 2s and begin the annual bubble filling and essay writing on academic assessments to measure their progress, we thought Sacramento legislators and political reporters alike could share in the experience with a special "pop quiz" on education funding issues.

Since much misinformation has been spread recently about the real facts and figures on school funding, be careful -- while there are no "trick questions," there are plenty of wrong answers.

We hope you "ace" the pop quiz, but if you’d like to discuss your grade or your answers, please contact: Robin Swanson at (916) 204-6890.

1) The Education Coalition reports that per pupil spending in California is $7,081, while the governor says it is $11,541. Which number accurately reflects direct spending in our schools?

A) $7,081
B) $11,541

2) True or False: The education funding cuts are a "mere 1.9 percent," as some legislators and the governor have reported.

A) True
B) False

3) A $4.8 billion cut to our schools is equivalent to:

A) Cutting every classroom by $24,000
B) Laying off 107,000 teachers or 137,000 custodians, bus drivers, food service workers, maintenance personnel and other essential school support professionals
C) Increasing class sizes by more than one-third
D) Eliminating all music, art and career technical education programs statewide with room to cut even more
E) Each of the above.

4) What is California’s ranking on per-pupil spending?

A) First in the nation
B) 46th out of 50 states
C) 25th out of 50 states

Answers over the flip...