Controller Chiang Unveils Website Tracking Proposition 30 Education Funds

SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang today unveiled a new website that allows Californians to easily track every tax dollar raised by Proposition 30, a temporary tax increase approved by voters in November 2012 to stabilize the fiscal health of K-12 schools and community colleges.

"This transparency tool was built to help taxpayers monitor every dollar raised, where it was allocated, how it will be spent, and whether it was used in accordance with the law. In approving temporary tax increases, voters entrusted their elected officials to use those extra funds to stave off more than $5 billion in cuts to schools and help restore their fiscal stability," Chiang said. "Promises of appropriate and prudent spending were made to the public and this tool intends to hold the State and its local education officials accountable for keeping them."

The website was developed in partnership and based on information provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, California Department of Education, California Department of Finance and the State Treasurer's Office.

Proposition 30, officially known as The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012, raises personal income taxes for seven years on taxpayers with incomes of $250,000 or more. It also increases sales taxes by a quarter-cent for four years. The Legislative Analyst's Office estimated the measure will increase state revenues by about $6 billion annually from Fiscal Year (FY) 2012-13 through FY 2016-17, with smaller revenue amounts expected in FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19. Since January 1, 2012, more than $13 billion have been allocated to local education agencies, such as K-12 school districts, county offices of education, charter schools and community colleges.

Those visiting TrackProp30.ca.gov can:

·        See how much each school district, charter school, and community college receives annually from Proposition 30

·        View all revenues received by each local education agency, including not only Prop. 30 funds, but all federal and state funds and local property taxes

·        See a detailed breakdown of all expenditures made by local education agencies, including the amount spent on books and supplies, salary and benefits, and services and operations

·        View objective metrics that measure an agency’s financial health and monitor multi-year trends

·        Beginning in the summer of 2015, when they first become available, read audit reports to determine if an entity has spent Prop. 30 funds as the law requires

·        See audit findings from each local education agency's independent auditor

·        Download raw data to do comparisons

"I want to thank the Department of Education and the California Community Colleges for sharing this important information and helping us make it available to the public," Chiang said. "We all care about our children’s future and want to provide them with a world-class education. Being open and honest with information about our school’s finances equips the public to play a bigger role in the governance of our state."

For more news, please follow the Controller on Twitter at @CAController, and on Facebook at California State Controller's Office.