As if people needed more reasons to be disappointed with the lottery, the truth about the lottery revenue is finally out in the open. Put simply, around half of the revenue will supplant funding for existing projects.
I have devised an alternative plan for the lottery revenue, provided it survives the legal challenge. My plan increases funding for school construction (for the fastest growing districts only) and charter schools (for capital expenditures). It decreases funding for unproven and expensive pre-K programs and class size reductions.
As I say in the Spotlight, dislike for the lottery should not breed indifference to it. Opponents of the lottery should try to make the best of a bad situation by making sure that the lottery revenue yields a maximum return on its investment in education. Likewise, if the lottery is to have the kind of positive effect on public education that supporters of the lottery expect, then there is no choice but to change the distribution scheme that is currently in place.
