NEW REPORT: Investing in California’s Public Education

The Path to Equitable Reform

California’s once-enviable K-12 public education system allowed it to become the largest economy in the United States, and remain the top state for some time. However, decades of tax cuts for the wealthy led to shrinking investment in schools. State reforms in the 2010s increased taxes on the highest income earners to rescue school funding from its waning trajectory, but the work isn’t done. California is still underspending on K-12 schools when compared to its GDP level. This report by the CTA Institute for Teaching, done in collaboration with the Economic Policy Institute, examines the past reforms undertaken by California and what is needed to continue improving school funding.