The funding
School districts rely on payments from the state, known as the base revenue limit. That state funding makes up the core of a school district's budget - about 60 to 80 percent of it.

The state pays districts some $4,900 to $6,000 a year for every student in attendance.

"It funds programs. It goes toward everything we do," said Suzan Solomon, president of the SCV Trustees Association and Newhall School District board member.

And for many school districts, the state funding is not enough.

"It doesn't cover everything," Solomon said.

The money comes in addition to other limited state and federal funding designated for special programs.

The formula
The base revenue limit formula centers around the property tax base established in 1973-74, at a time when the Santa Clarita Valley was home to considerably fewer homes and lots of agricultural fields.

The population in 1974 was about 80,000. Now it stands at some 250,000 people.

"We generate a lot of tax dollars in our valley, but the formula has not been readjusted," said Judy Umeck, board president for Saugus Union School District.

The state has given school districts equalization aid over the years, but that only occurs during years of economic strength.

In bad years, like the recent ones districts have been faced with, the already-low funding coupled with more cuts makes it harder for school districts.

"If the money isn't keeping up, it puts a strain on all the services, whether in the classroom or playground," said state Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita. "All of those services suffer."

The rankings
In terms of funding, all of the Santa Clarita Valley's school districts fall below the average in Los Angeles County.

Saugus Union School District ranks as the lowest of the county's 28 districts, according to 2008-2009 statistics from the county Office of Education.

Newhall School District is the next-lowest on the list, receiving only slightly more per student.

Sulphur Springs School District sits at No. 23, according to the chart, while Castaic Union School District is ranked the highest at No. 11.
The William S. Hart Union High School District is the lowest-funded high school district in the county, the report shows.

Compared to the 900 other school districts throughout the state, Saugus Union and Newhall school districts are in the bottom 100, according to the California Department of Education.

The frustrations
Despite the funding woes, local schools maintain strong state test scores. Elementary, junior high and high schools have received top honors, which some say is a reason not to fund school districts more.

Local educators counter that point by showing the potential of what they could do with more money.

"Whenever you take resources away, you take an opportunity away to enhance the instructional program," said Sulphur Springs School District Superintendent Robert Nolet.

That includes offering physical education and music programs and hiring counselors.

"If you have additional dollars, you could provide some of those services (to students) at an earlier age," said Castaic Union School District Superintendent James Gibson.

With more than 80 percent of a school district's budget devoted to teachers and support staff, additional money could mean better wages, Gibson said.

The politics
Santa Clarita Valley leaders have little hope that the formula will ever be updated.

"Equalization funding is something that we have fought for well before I was in the Legislature," Smyth said.

It ultimately takes legislative action for anything to change, Smyth said.

Adjusting the formula to reflect modern populations would allow school districts in California, like the ones in the Santa Clarita Valley, to stop being "grossly underfunded," he said.

"There's been legislation pretty regularly from members to re-do that formula," he said.

However, the chances of the legislation passing are slim.

"The difficulty is that the money that would come to Santa Clarita would come from other districts," Smyth said.

Those other districts would oppose any changes to the formula.

"It becomes a regional battle across party lines," he said.

Nolet has little to no hope that the formula will ever be changed.

"It's a tough one to fight," Winger said.

According to Solomon, the community needs to take action now so that when the economy turns around, school districts are not in the same funding dilemma.

"The state needs to come up with a way to divide the funding for schools that is fair and equal," Solomon said.

"Everyone knows that it needs to be changed," she said. "But no one is willing to tackle it."