California Governor Jerry Brown announced a revised budget as the state is projected to raise $1 billion less tax revenue this year than was expected.
Softening the blow of less revenue was an announcement that public school funding will jump by $19 billion in between 2011-12 and 2016-17, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
School funding was able to increase in part due to the passing of Proposition 30, which increased the state sales tax, last year and Proposition 98, approved in 1988 which forces the state to spend a certain amount of the budget on schools, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In all, funding will go from $47.3 to $66.5 billion.
This year, California schools will be spending $8,667 per K-12 student. By 2016-17 the state will be spending $17,975 per student, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
"For the first time in more than a decade we've got a balanced budget and it's solid," Brown said. "We have money to invest in education because of Proposition 30."
Brown's plan to direct more money to low-income schools unveiled in January remains in place with the revamped budget, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
"I think the idea, in a Democratic Legislature, of helping the less advantaged is very persuasive," Brown said while discussing the school funding differences between rich communities and poor communities. "This formula recognizes the differences in a way that is not only just, but is crucial to our future well-being."
The new budget will also add $48 million dollars for job training through a program call CalWORKS, as well as, add $72 million to county probation departments in order to help with a prison realignment program, according to the Chronicle.
Brown was enthusiastic about being able to provide more money for programs that desperately needed it, but pointed out that it was "not the time to break out the champagne" for the debt burdened state.
"We just got a nice tax...and I think we ought to take a deep breath and let people see how we're spending it in a wise way before we ask for anything else," Brown said.
