SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In 2012 California Gov. Jerry Brown pushed a ballot proposal to increase income taxes on the wealthy and the sales tax across the board, to raise $6 billion per year for California schools and universities.

Opponents warned voters that the money would simply be wasted on union labor costs, and students would not benefit nearly as much as proponents claimed.

Voters approved Proposition 30 anyway, and now they are learning that the naysayers were right.

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Brown recently proposed a plan to eliminate a $74 billion shortfall in the state’s teacher pension program. If it’s approved by the legislature, school districts will be forced to increase annual payments to the pension system, from 8.25 percent of payroll to 19.9 percent, according to SFGate.com.

For the San Francisco district, that would mean increasing the annual pension payment from about $25 million to about $59 million.

“It undermines what the governor said just six months ago he intended to do, which was to increase funding for underserved students,” San Francisco school Superintendent Richard Carranza said.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco teachers union recently opened contract negotiations by asking for an astonishing 21 percent pay increase.

With all of those millions of dollars going out the door for outrageous labor costs, do you suppose there will be a few crumbs left to benefit students?

Probably not, but Brown probably knew that from the beginning. His Democratic Party has a sickening alliance with the teachers unions. The unions provide lots of campaign cash and votes, and the Dems, once in office, bring home the bacon for the unions and their members.

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Someday maybe the American people will wake up and realize an obvious truth: When public schools say they need more money, it almost always means the teachers want a raise or more expensive benefits, or schools need extra revenue to meet their foolish promises to teachers and retirees.

Anyone expecting major program improvements for students are advised not to hold their breaths.