The State : Lottery Spending Studied

As many as 18% of the state’s more than 1,000 school districts are using their shares of California Lottery funds imprudently to help pay salary increases, according to a Little Hoover Commission report scheduled for public release on Monday. The report, according to the Associated Press, which obtained a copy, says some districts are also spending the lottery money on liability insurance, maintenance, transportation, security and similar items. Lottery funds may be spent only to improve the quality of instruction, but the initiative did not specifically define instructional uses. It cannot be used to construct classrooms.