California has never spent more state money on TK-12 students — more than double per student over the past dozen years.
But that could change in 2030 when a temporary tax in place since 2012 on the wealthiest Californians is set to expire. School districts and community colleges could see a $2 billion to more than $5 billion drop in annual state funding.
That expiration is four years away — a lifetime in politics — but the California Teachers Union, the largest union representing more than 300,000 teachers in the state, isn’t sitting back to let that happen. It is driving an effort to make the temporary tax permanent by gathering signatures to place The California Children’s Education and Health Care Protection Act of 2026 on the November 2026 ballot…