SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Lottery plays a role in supplemental funding for instruction in California public schools.
While there is intense fervor surrounding the $1.2 billion Mega Millions jackpot set for Friday night, the current game has already raked in more than $100 million for California schools, said Carolyn Becker, a spokesperson for the California Lottery.
Schools across Sacramento County have received more than $1.4 billion in funding from the California Lottery since 1985, according to the California Lottery. Sacramento City Schools received $2.89 million from the program just last year.
Last year, the California Lottery overall brought in $1.8 billion for California’s K-12 public schools, or roughly one percent of the state’s public education budget.
“So, students in our public schools are winners no matter what.”
Since California voters passed Proposition 37 know now as Non-Prop 20, the California Lottery has played a role in funding education. The law sets minimum standards for how much revenue schools receive, according to the California Department of Education. The law has been modified in recent years to require more funding from the lottery to go toward education.
Schools must use lottery funds exclusively for the education of pupils and students, according to the law.
