State budget workshop: Progress on key funding issues, but much work remains

School board members and district officials should be excited about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s focus on pressing K-12 education issues in his proposed 2019-20 budget, but larger inroads need to be made — particularly in boosting Proposition 98 base funding. That was the takeaway from the […]

State Allocation Board hears good news on Governor’s proposed budget

With a lengthy backlog of school facilities projects statewide due to the previous administration’s reluctance to release Proposition 51 bonds, State Allocation Board Executive Director Lisa Silverman told members at their Jan. 23 meeting that Gov. Gavin’s Newsom’s budget proposal is “great news for our […]

CSBA and its partners continue push for school facilities funds

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a notable shift from his predecessors’ policies pertaining to school facilities. When the voters of California approved Proposition 51 in 2016, which provided $7 billion for K-12 school facilities construction and modernization projects, then-Gov. Jerry Brown was less than […]

‘Silent Recession’: Rising costs and rising challenges confront California school districts

California’s public schools are still struggling to meet basic needs even as the state’s economy has rebounded from the Great Recession, analysis finds. Against the backdrop of a strike in the Los Angeles Unified School District and a looming financial crisis in districts statewide, the […]

What the $3 billion CalSTRS proposal in the 2019-20 budget means for local schools

About 20 minutes into last week’s marathon budget press conference, Gov. Gavin Newsom began discussing the issue of pension cost increases – and was kind enough to name-drop California school board members and CSBA in the process. Watch a clip of Gov. Newsom discussing pension […]

Statement on the Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Budget Proposal

“We are encouraged by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first budget, particularly his commitment to the Local Control Funding Formula, school construction, services for young children and families, and recognition of the challenges facing school districts in the form of rising costs for pensions and special education. […]