Powerball winner got a record $2 billion — how much goes to California, Sacramento schools?
The winner of an eye-popping Powerball jackpot may have come forward Tuesday but the real winner, he said, is California’s schoolchildren.
Edwin Castro of Altadena bought a ticket just before the Nov. 8 drawing and won $2.04 billion, making him the sole winner of the record-breaking jackpot. His identity was revealed by officials in a ceremony at lottery headquarters in Sacramento.
Castro, who chose to take a lump sum of $997.6 million, said he’s excited about what this means for California students.
“As much as I am shocked and ecstatic to have won the Powerball drawing, the real winner is the California public school system,” Castro said. “The mission of the California Lottery, which is to provide supplemental funding for California public education – both public schools and colleges – makes this a huge win for the state. As someone who received the rewards of being educated in the California public education system, it’s gratifying to hear that, as a result of my win, the California school system greatly benefits as well.”
A portion of the $2 billion Powerball jackpot will make its way to California schools, offering supplemental funding to districts, community colleges and universities. Lottery funds account for about 1.5% of all education funding including K-12 schools, community schools, public California universities, and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to California Lottery spokeswoman Carolyn Becker.
Nearly 80% of that funding goes to K-12 schools.
Becker said that money goes a long way, paying for textbooks and core curriculum and often supports teachers’ salaries.
“If our dollars can help retain quality teachers, that’s a win for California and a win for students,” Becker said. “We do hear regularly that teachers are thankful for our money. They have a lot of flexibility how it’s spent, there are very few restrictions on lottery dollars.”
The California Lottery was created in the mid-1980s to provide modest, supplemental funding for public education in California. Schools and colleges received just over $2 billion in funding from the lotteries, including Scratchers and the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions drawings last year. And California Lottery officials said they are confident that schools will soon get more than $2 billion annually.
How much did California schools receive last year?
Sacramento County schools and colleges received $78.7 million from July 2021 to June 2022 fiscal year, according to lottery officials. The distribution breakdown among school districts depends on the number of students enrolled in each district.
▪ Sacramento City Unified: $10.6 million
▪ Elk Grove Unified: $17 million
▪ Folsom Cordova Unified: $5.4 million
▪ San Juan Unified: $10.4 million
▪ Natomas Unified: $2.7 million
▪ Twin Rivers Unified: $6 million
In neighboring Placer County, Roseville Joint Union High School District received $2.8 million in funds and Rocklin Unified received $3.3 million. Davis Joint Unified $2.1 million.
This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 4:35 PM.