State budget provisions complicate school reopening under COVID-19 conditions; Mega-deferrals established and major cuts avoided

While touted by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders as preserving K–12 funding and positioning schools to reopen this fall, the 2020–21 state budget trailer bill language strips local educational agencies of critical flexibility needed to safely and effectively resume instruction. Distance learning Assembly Bill […]

Budget negotiations to intensify as Legislature meets June 15 deadline

The Legislature on Monday, June 15, passed a 2020–21 budget bill that staves off immediate and drastic cuts to K–12 education, however, the spending plan is far from final as negotiations with the Governor’s Office continue. The Legislature’s action meets the requirement that lawmakers pass […]

Legislature agrees on budget that rejects K–12 education cuts, counts on federal aid

The Legislature on Wednesday unveiled a 2020–21 budget proposal that prioritizes education and rejects the $8.1 billion in cuts to Proposition 98 funding called for in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May Revision proposal, including the 10 percent reduction to the Local Control Funding Formula. The Senate […]

May Revision cuts LCFF, drops COLA, introduces proposals in effort to mitigate impact

Reflecting California’s pandemic-induced $54 billion budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom presented his May Revision on May 14 featuring a blend of proposals aimed at mitigating the dire financial straits of the state’s K–12 schools. “Coupled with a 10 percent cut to LCFF — the primary […]

Significant aid from state and federal government will be needed for schools in coming recession, panel finds

School closures and a tanking economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic laid the backdrop for a panel discussion on April 28 about the current and future state of education funding in California, hosted by Policy Analysis for California Education. Panelists shared concerns about how schools […]

Budget subcommittee takes on big questions around school finance, learning loss, the future

While legislators, state officials and education advocates may have left with more questions than they arrived with, an Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing on April 28 punctuated the COVID-19 pandemic’s massive impact on K–12 schools. The parties learned that many of the answers largely hinge upon […]

In wake of pandemic, local reserves can help stabilize districts in short term

The Legislative Analyst’s Office on April 5 released an update on state and school district reserves in light of the likelihood of vastly decreased revenues due to COVID-19 pandemic mitigation efforts. About 40 percent of California’s General Fund is dedicated to K-14 education. This money, […]

Assembly budget memo outlines rocky 2020-21 outlook, declares August revision likely

Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), in a memo released this week, provides an overview of that the 2020-21 budget situation and process might look like. Asm. Ting echoed the March advisory issued by the Department of Finance that the May budget revision will […]