Chronicles the decline of California's public schools since the court decision known as Serrano v. Priest. In the 1960s, Californians were proud of their education system. Then in 1971, the Serrano decision led to a reduction in spending. Later, Proposition 13 not only limited a community's ability to pay for its schools but also centralized power over the state's 1,000 school districts in Sacramento. By 1994, California tied with Guam at the very bottom of the achievement ladder.