Public schools can count on the California Lottery

Commentary alva v. Johnson diRectoR of the califoRnia state lotteRy

MORE than 140 millionaires were minted through California Lottery game play in the past year, but they aren’t the only ones celebrating their good fortune in the Golden State.

While big jackpot payouts always capture attention for their life-changing impacts, just as significant is the more than $41 billion the California Lottery has delivered to the state’s K-12 public schools, colleges and universities since the first lottery ticket was sold here in 1985.

True to its mission, the Lottery, a self-supporting state agency, has delivered at least $1 billion to public schools annually over the last 22 consecutive years through drawings and Scratchers® ticket sales. This supplemental funding has risen to record levels – an estimated $2 billion in the most recent year.

Local school officials have discretion to use the extra cash they receive quarterly to uplift education, from propping up teacher salaries and buying instructional materials, to sustaining arts and sciences programs. In communities across California, the money is making an important difference in enriching learning environments.

In Monterey County, Lottery money has helped finance new computer purchases for students.

In Ventura County, it has revived a middle school music program. New textbooks paid for with Lottery money have elevated foreign language programs for students in Contra Costa County.

At Long Beach City College, Lottery money funds an entire program to train medical assistants, opening the door not just to jobs, but careers.

This is why we do what we do.

A Lottery that reliably raises supplemental funding for public schools is what voters intended when they approved the California State Lottery Act in 1984. This mission is the foundation of every decision we make and every piece of our operation.

In that time, the California Lottery has grown into one of the top three lotteries in the United States with more than $8.8 billion in sales in the most recent completed fiscal year. In all, more than 95% of revenue flows back into the community through prize payouts, public-school and college funding, and compensation for our 23,000 participating retailers which sell our lottery tickets.

As an audited state agency, maintaining the integrity of our operations is fundamental.

So, too, is our duty under state law to maximize supplemental funding contributions to public education. We do it by optimizing the entertainment appeal and prize payouts that increase participation, which in turn leads to improved sales that spin off this money.

For multi-state drawings like Powerball or Mega Millions, each ticket sold in the Golden State means about 80 cents to California public schools. The recent $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot generated $156 million alone for public schools in California.

The State Controller’s Office divides up Lottery money that goes to public education. This funding is then distributed based on average daily attendance formulas for K-12 and community colleges and by full-time enrollment for higher education and other specialized institutions. Local and higher education administrators, along with elected school boards, decide how the Lottery funds are distributed and spent within their school systems. People can see how many dollars have been distributed at the local level – by district or county – using the interactive map on the California Lottery website (https://www.calottery.com/whobenefits).

As we have for nearly 40 years, the Lottery will continue to mint new millionaires – sometimes instantly – changing lives for the better.

Yet the larger hope driving our mission is that the supplemental funding we generate, while just over 1% of the overall state u PAGE 7

Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)

Governor Felipe Medalla, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan were to be the main presenters for the Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) on April 12 which we organized to include our major partners like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S.ASEAN Business Council and the U.S.-Philippines Society.

Prior to the PEB, our economic managers will be attending the in-person Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund from April 10 to 16.

Expected to join the economic briefing is Speaker Martin Romualdez. So in basketball parlance, it will be a full court press for us in the economic, diplomatic and security dialogues and initiatives to strengthen our relationship with the U.S., which can rightly be described as in high gear.

All these meetings have been planned way ahead, especially the economic briefings that we have been regularly organizing to showcase the Philippines as a viable investment destination.

Horizons

RichaRd heydaRian

PUTRAJAYA —Malaysian

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has found himself in hot water following seemingly overplacatory statements during a recent visit to Beijing. During his meeting with Xi Jinping, he described China’s paramount leader as a “visionary,” who had “not only changed the course of China but also given a ray of hope to the world and mankind…”

What got his critics particularly worked up, however, were his remarks on the South China Sea disputes. Although Anwar took a generally tough stance on the maritime disputes, he suggested an openness to negotiation over energy exploration activities in disputed areas.

Immediately, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin lashed out at his successor, accusing Anwar of making “careless” remarks that “threaten the nation’s sovereignty,” since they concern areas that fall “within Malaysia’s territory and cannot be negotiated over or demanded by China.” He beseeched Anwar to be “more stern” in defending the country’s sovereign rights. In fairness, Anwar tried to clarify his statements by maintaining that Malaysia’s territorial rights are nonnegotiable.

Dear reader: Let me provide some context so that we can

The PEB, which will be attended by American business executives, officials from the U.S. government, think-tanks and other institutions, will tackle the latest developments of the Philippine economy and the socioeconomic agenda of the administration of President Marcos Jr. Our economic managers will also share the government’s spending priorities, fiscal and infrastructure programs and the recent reforms that will further open up the economy of the Philippines for more foreign participation in public services and renewable energy.

Following the presentations from the Philippine economic managers, Ndiame Diop, the country director for the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei of the World Bank, and Sanjaya Panth, the deputy director for Asia and Pacific of the IMF, will give their reactions. This will be followed by a Q&A session that will be moderated by BSP Managing Director Tony Lambino and Budget Undersecretary Margaux Salcedo.

The timing is really opportune because the overall business outlook for the first quarter is upbeat based on the Business Expectations Survey recently released by the BSP that showed an increase in confidence from entrepreneurs regarding the business situation in the Philippines. Inflation also eased to 7.6 percent in March – a welcome development as noted by Secretary Diokno, who said that they are determined to sustain this downtrend. Hopefully, we can duplicate all these economic and diplomatic initiatives with some other countries who would like to have a good relationship with us. We have not confined these initiatives just to the U.S. alone as the Philippines is open to the idea of having the same kind of relationship with many of our friends and allies – even with those that we have issues with. After all, we really do not have enemies, only issues – we want to be a friend to all. (Philstar.com)

* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

* * * babeseyeview@gmail.com