In this series, Stateline takes a long-term view of the budget choices the nation's five biggest states are making and avoiding.
Five Fiscal Futures
May 16, 2011
- Stateline Story
- Budget, School Funding
In Texas, School Growth Clashes With a Shrinking Budget
AUSTIN, Texas - As Texas schools enroll 500 new students a day, state leaders are lopping billions of dollars from the education budget. The courts may get the final say on an issue that could force Texas to reexamine its entire fiscal system. More
May 17, 2011
- Stateline Story
- Budget
California's Worst Enemy: Its Own Political System
SACRAMENTO, California - The recession has hit America's biggest state hard, but partisan stalemate and conflicting voter mandates have hit it even harder. More
May 18, 2011
- Stateline Story
- Budget, Medicaid, School Funding, Income Tax
In New York, a 'Big First Step' Toward Fiscal Sustainability
Governor Andrew Cuomo not only got New York's legislature to pass its budget on time but also changed spending assumptions in ways that nudge the budget closer to long-term structural balance. More
May 19, 2011
- Stateline Story
- Budget
Illinois Faces Daunting Fiscal Challenge
The nation’s fifth-largest state has to face up to the budgetary mess it created. Its leaders finally seem willing to get started. They can’t take forever. More
May 20, 2011
By Christine Vestal
, Staff Writer
Florida Hopes Its Future Looks Like the Past
Florida is banking on an expected influx of retiring baby boomers to buy up the state's glut of empty housing and get an old formula for the state's fiscal health working again. More
May 23, 2011
- Stateline Story
- Budget, Retiree Health Care Costs, Pensions, State Debt
Do States Control Their Fiscal Destiny? Not as Much as They May Think.
State leaders love to make promises about healing a sick economy. Often, though, economic success depends on factors far beyond their influence. More