California state colleges are struggling under budget cuts too, as this photo taken March 4 at state university's campus protest shows. Photo: anitakhart (Flickr)

Across the United States, schools are in danger, but the situation in financially pinched California has put public schools in a state of emergency. A recent article for The Los Angeles Times revealed the extent of the problem.

Fourteen of the state's 1131 school districts are facing bankruptcy, according to the LA Times. Another 160 districts are listed as at risk of a similar fate in the very near future, which means teacher layoffs and big cuts in educational programs.

About 15,000 public school teachers were laid off last year, says the L.A. Times. And it's possible that another 26,000 will be laid off in the near future. In a state with one of the highest student-to-teacher ratios, the situation is about to get much worse. Students face even larger classes, fewer programs and a shorter school year without any guarantee that the cuts will stop there.

These cuts are likely to be particularly disastrous for students who's first language is something other than English, which is about 5.8 percent according to the 2000 Census — that's nearly twice the national average.

Because of the types of programs getting cut, at-risk students will feel the cuts the most. The budget cuts are taking away many of the programs intended to help these students through school and into college, giving them even less incentive to continue with their education. According to a 2009 United Way study, three in ten California households cannot cover living expenses prompting these kids to rush through school or drop out early to find work. And very few of them make it through college.

Schools are one of many problems the state faces as the Governor's office tries to fix the budget shortfall by slashing budgets for parks, prisons and health care, among others. Because of these budget woes, it loos like there's no quick fix in sight for California's public schools.