California’s broken bargain: A budget that withholds the future
Guest Column by Dr. Oscar Macias
August 10, 2026
California’s public education system is a paradox, beautiful in purpose, broken in practice, and still absolutely worth fighting for. We celebrate innovation and equity, yet we chronically underfund the very system that makes those values real. I’ve lived that contradiction as a teacher, a principal, a district administrator, and now as an interim superintendent responsible for holding a community together through crisis.
This year, that contradiction has become impossible to ignore.
The governor and the Legislature have passed their final 2026 budget, a $351.7 billion spending plan that relies on AI driven revenue projections, new taxes, and delayed cuts to balance the books. They are celebrating it as “responsible,” “balanced,” and “protective of vulnerable communities.”
But beneath the press releases and talking points lies a truth that every educator in this state knows intimately: California is withholding money that the Constitution requires it to spend on public education.
And that is not responsible. It is not protective. It is not leadership. It is a betrayal.
Proposition 98 is being broken in plain sight
Proposition 98 was designed to guarantee school funding, not to be negotiated, delayed, or strategically withheld. Voters made that promise in 1988 to protect students from precisely this kind of political maneuvering.
Yet the state is currently withholding $3.9 billion in constitutionally guaranteed funding, equal to about $643 per student across California.
This is not a rounding error. It is not a technical adjustment. It is a decision.
Worse, this is now a pattern, the third consecutive year the state has manipulated the Proposition 98 guarantee.
The governor’s own May Revision acknowledges that the guarantee is rising:
- $124.9 billion in 2024‑25,
- $125.1 billion in 2025‑26, and
- $127.1 billion in 2026‑27.
This is driven largely by increased general fund revenue. But instead of honoring that increase, the administration is withholding billions as a “hedge” against revenue volatility.
Let’s be clear: A constitutional guarantee is not a hedge fund.
At some point, we must stop accepting explanations and start demanding accountability.
The real impact: Less for those who need more
A withheld dollar is not neutral. It has consequences:
- Fewer teachers, counselors, aides, and support staff.
- Delays in legally required special education services.
- Reduced access to nurses, libraries, and student supports.
And let’s be honest about equity: when funding is unstable, wealthier communities compensate and under resourced communities suffer. The under-represented and underserved students who need the most support are the first to feel the impact.
We cannot claim to lead the nation in equity while quietly destabilizing its foundation.
Sacramento’s failure: Managing the floor instead of meeting the need
State leaders point to other investments: free school meals, universal preschool, childcare slots, and special education funding. These are important, but they do not replace what has been withheld at the foundation.
You cannot erode the base and celebrate the paint.
Prop. 98 was meant to be a starting point, a guaranteed floor. Instead, it has become a political ceiling. Leaders meet the minimum and call it success. That is not leadership. That is avoidance.
A state of plenty acting like a state of scarcity
California is one of the largest economies in the world. The issue is not capacity. It is will.
We are choosing to tolerate staffing shortages, accept outdated facilities, and to normalize instability in school budgets. This is not austerity. It is a failure of courage.
The governor and Legislature are willing to rely on AI driven revenue projections to balance the budget, but not willing to honor the constitutional guarantee for public education.
That contradiction speaks for itself.
A challenge to every Californian: Stop watching and start acting!
If we are serious about fixing this, the responsibility cannot rest solely with policymakers. It must extend to every community in this state. Because the truth is uncomfortable: systems do not change when people stay passive.
Vote like public education depends on it, because it does.
- Research candidates’ positions on school funding.
- Reject vague promises; demand clear commitments.
- Show up in every election, not just presidential years.
Organize, don’t just observe.
- Join PTA, school site councils, and advisory committees.
- Attend school board meetings and speak.
- Partner with educators, not just advocate from a distance.
Demand accountability from elected leaders.
- Call legislators. Email them.
- Insist that Proposition 98 be fully funded, not deferred.
- Push for budgets that reflect need, not convenience.
Build community pressure that cannot be ignored.
- Talk to neighbors, families, and colleagues
- Make public education a community priority, not a background issue
Because here is the reality: silence is interpreted as acceptance.
This moment requires more from all of us
A unified education coalition, including parents, educators, administrators, and statewide organizations, is already calling on Sacramento to stop withholding these funds and honor the constitutional promise.
But advocacy cannot live only in Sacramento. It must live in every community, every school, and every ballot box.
We cannot celebrate equity while tolerating inequity. We cannot demand excellence while funding scarcity. And we cannot claim to support students while withholding what we owe them.
California’s public education system is still worth fighting for, but not passively, and not someday.
Now. Loudly. Collectively.
The question is no longer whether the system is broken. It is whether we, all of us, are willing to do what it takes to fix it
Oscar Macias, Ed.D., is the interim superintendent of Burbank Unified School District.
