by Hector Camacho, (courtesy of San Mateo Daily Journal) A recent report from the California School Boards Association indicates that California schools are underfunded by approximately $42 billion every year. Filling that gap would bring our state to a position of adequate funding for public […]
Category: Funding & Finance
Funding & Finance
New Adult Education Program Benefits District Students
by Alan Helfman School districts looking to leverage student success would be well-advised to look to $525 million on the table. The funds are from the California’s Adult Education Block Grant. This grant provides significant discretion for local planning and implementation as part of the […]
Leadership Matters in the Reserve Cap Policy Debate
by School Services of California, Inc. staff We have written quite a number of negative articles outlining the potentially disastrous financial effects of the reserve cap policy contained in Senate Bill 858 enacted in June 2014. We think that the education community is well informed […]
Minding the DROPS: Water conservation projects teach awareness at schools
by Renee Cashmere As a first and second grader in the Bay Area in 1976-77, an epic drought made impressions upon me that have lasted a lifetime. Even before the more recent drought began, I remembered the conservation rules all Californian’s were required to follow back then. […]
Freedom Schools and Summer Learning Loss
by Nathaniel Browning, CSBA Policy & Programs Officer Imagine an excited group of elementary students gathering in a school cafeteria. It’s the middle of summer and these students are enrolled in a local summer enrichment program. Now picture them singing, chanting and dancing to Swahili […]
A Good Day for Civics Education
For keen observers of education policy and political junkies, last week’s State Board of Education Meeting was everything we hoped for. While there were only about half the number of speakers signed up to testify as there were for last January’s dynamic meeting, board members, superintendents, community advocates, parents, and busses full of students all came together in Sacramento to have their say on the Local Control Funding Formula.
Bill to improve funding for school facilities passes key committee
Legislative action to authorize a new state school facilities bond for the November 2014 ballot passed the Assembly Education Committee April 9. Assembly Bill 2235, Buchanan, D-Alamo, would set before voters the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2014 which would provide funding—in an amount currently unspecified—for new school construction.
Counting low-income students for LCFF: CSBA and school meal advocates seek to reconcile state, federal methods
CSBA is striving to find a resolution that will ensure hungry students are fed and that participation in school meal programs continues, while also ensuring LCFF funding and accountability provisions are met.
State Board adopts LCFF and LCAP regs, initiates permanent process
One hundred and sixty governance teams from across the state converged in Sacramento Jan. 16 to tell their stories and comment on the Local Control and Accountability Plan template and Local Control Funding Formula regulations.
Governor’s budget proposal boosts base spending, allocations for LCFF
Gov. Jerry Brown presented his 2014-15 budget proposal on Thursday, Jan. 9. The governor’s word of the day was prudence. His budget proposal continues a focus on paying down the state wall of debt. That being said, the budget does provide a Proposition 98 level of spending that is more than $6 billion above the enacted 2013-14 level. Total Prop 98 spending comes to $61 billion—this is about $5 billion more than the level of Prop 98 in 2008-09. Under the governor’s proposal, per-pupil funding from all sources comes to $9,194 in Prop 98 funds and $12,833 when all funds are considered, including federal money.