Where does all the school money go?

Spending goes up. Test scores go down. California's attempts to track what happens in the bottomless pit of education management gets a harsh review from the San Jose Mercury News editorial board.

It has been six years since California lawmakers revamped the state funding formula for local schools.

It was heralded by then-Gov. Jerry Brown as a way to simplify K-12 education spending and close the state's achievement gap by giving more money to districts that disproportionately serve needy kids.

Since then, state spending on schools has increased about 50%. But, as state auditor Elaine Howle explained in a troubling report last month, there is no way to track whether the money is being spent as it should.

School officials across California have commingled billions of dollars of state money that was supposed to be used for children who fall into one of three categories: English learners, low-income, or in foster care.

Howle's finding confirm what critics have been saying for years: Rather than specifically helping needy kids, the money has simply been used to boost general spending.

Read the whole thing here.

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Photo taken by Around Oz.