The California Lottery was created to generate supplemental funding for our public schools in 1984. For every dollar spent on Lottery products, 94 cents is returned to the community in the form of player prizes, retailer compensation and contributions to education. But where does the more than $1 billion contributed to schools annually go?

A 2008/2009 Report of Lottery Expenditures for K-12 education prepared by the California Department of Education reports that on average 63% of Lottery funds are spent on salaries and benefits for instructors, 20% on classroom materials such as textbooks while the remainder is spent in other areas.

In FY 2009/2010, revenues from the Lottery generated $129 per pupil, or $1.1 billion total and supported over 8.567 million students in California’s public schools. These funds were in addition to the funds provided by California’s general fund. Lottery funds account for approximately 1.5% of all education funding — providing school districts the flexibility to keep valuable programs and services for students.

Lottery funds don’t just go to K-12 schools; they support students in all areas of public education. Community Colleges, the University of California, the California State University system, Adult Education, Charter Schools and even the schools at the Department of Juvenile Justice receive Lottery funds.