In the Eye of the Storm: Proposition 13 and Public Education in California. Policy Paper 8.

This report analyzes the effects of Proposition 13 on public education in California and offers an appraisal of what it means for other states. It reviews the political and economic factors that set the stage for a Proposition 13 initiative and describes the use of state surpluses to cushion the immediate financial effects of it. In addition, the paper assesses the first year impact on each level of public education in California and describes the construction of the second "bail out" legislation. In an assessment of the damage done by this initiative, the paper includes a prophetic warning of the lessons the California experience holds for other states and for the future of public education in a tight budget era. (Author)