A recent report by the state controller shows that political partisanship and Sacramento's culture of spending trump the interests of taxpayers, violate common sense, and cheat California students.

Ten school districts in Los Angeles County, including Los Angeles Unified, spent more than they took in during the last fiscal year, according to the Controller's Annual Financial Report of California K-12 Schools. Of the 982 school districts in California, a full 552 - more than half - engaged in deficit spending.

The common-sense response to these facts would be that school districts, like governments and individuals, should not spend more than they take in. Overspending is irresponsible behavior, particularly with public funds provided by hardworking California taxpayers.

But the response of prominent Democrats has proved different.

"California ranks eighth from the bottom in per-pupil spending and that's inexcusable,'' state Controller Steve Westly said. "Many districts are forced to engage in multiyear deficit spending while attendance rates shrink. This is proof that Gov. Schwarzenegger must follow through on his promise to fully fund education.''

In other words, deficit spending by school districts does not mean that districts should put their house in order. Rather, according to Westly, who wants to be governor, it means that California is not spending enough on education, and it should spend more.

It's as though a child wasted her allowance, then borrowed from friends to spend more, and the parents responded by calling for an increase in the allowance.

Consider also the response of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell: "These audit findings underscore what we in the education community have been saying throughout the budget process this year - our schools are not being funded adequately to provide the classroom programs and services our students deserve.''

Actually they are funded more than adequately. Education is California's biggest expenditure. However, much of the funds get absorbed by layers of bureaucratic sediment, part of the prodigious waste of California education. California has both an education secretary and state superintendent of education, to cite just one example.

Meanwhile, also chiming in was Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who recently succeeded in raising legislators' pay.

"This is unacceptable,'' he said of the deficit spending outlined in the controller's report. "We must find a way to catch up or our students will fall behind other states and even other countries.''

In other words, California must not allow anyone to outstrip us in spending.

None of the prominent Democrats bothers to mention the mediocre results Californians get for their money. Nor do the officials cite a single example of waste or questionable spending.

The financial problems of the Los Angeles Unified School District did not prevent it from spending $916,898 for lobbying in Sacramento during the 2003-04 legislative session. The nearly $1 million is much more than the $283,037 spent on lobbying by Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, during the same time. The Personnel Commission of the LAUSD even spent $55,000 for lobbying fees.

Another voice calling for more spending, regardless of results or waste, is the massive California Teachers Association, the state's most powerful union and a strident opponent of education reform. In the first quarter of the current legislative session, the CTA spent a whopping $6.8 million to lobby state legislators - more than 11 times the $598,402 the California Chamber of Commerce paid its lobbyists during the same quarter.

The state education establishment is awash in money, and California does not need to spend more on education. As the controller's report confirms, districts need to spend public funds more responsibly. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is not responsible for their lapses.

Districts can save money by privatizing services and eliminating redundant positions. They can also take the money they give to lobbyists and instead spend it on students in the classroom. Students' interests should trump partisanship and the culture of spending.