Funding & Finance
By Erika Hoffman, CSBA Deputy Legislative Director for State and Federal Programs On May 30, the Trump Administration submitted full details for the President’s proposed fiscal year 2026 education budget, which fills in the data and information that was not included in the original “skinny” […]
On May 14, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his proposed May Revise to the 2025–26 State Budget. Despite higher than estimated state revenues over the past several months, the May Revise offered a somber view of the state budget in light of significant developments at the federal level.
Physical and mental health issues can affect children’s ability to succeed at school. Among low-income children with special healthcare needs, about 85 percent do not receive the medical care they require, primarily due to financial constraints and limited access. School-based healthcare services help to fill […]
School boards play a crucial role in allocating resources to support student achievement, but a new report published by the Brookings Institution shows many budget deliberations focus on compliance-based budgeting rather than strategic investments to boost educational outcomes and long-term financial stability. With budgets shrinking […]
Using free and reduced-price meal (FRPM) enrollment as a proxy to identify how much additional funding local educational agencies receive under California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) may be leaving out children and undercutting schools’ efforts to support them. LCFF allocates additional funding to LEAs […]
In keeping with the requirements of statute, the Governor’s Department of Finance released their budget trailer bills. Providing greater clarity on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January Budget Proposal, the trailer bills provide the details where specific statutory amendments are proposed on how specific programs and proposals are intended to operate. As part of that release, the education trailer bill helps to shed light on significant proposals made last month.
On Jan. 10, California’s Department of Finance Director Joe Stephenshaw formally presented the Governor’s January Budget Proposal. A continuance of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sneak peek presentation of his proposed budget on Jan. 6, the theme for the 2025–26 budget proposal is one of caution and […]
On Jan. 6, Gov. Gavin Newsom provided a topline preview of his proposed 2025–26 budget. Highlighting the main themes of the budget, he deferred much of the detail typically included in the January Budget Proposal announcement to Friday, Jan. 10, when the state’s Director of […]
A national survey of 467 superintendents conducted over summer 2024 considered the societal and fiscal costs of recent conflicts happening in schools and found that two-thirds of respondents, who represent 46 states, have experienced moderate to high rates of culturally divisive clashes in their local educational agencies since the pandemic.
Slightly higher state revenues driven by continued stock market growth means the LAO’s assessment offers a brighter picture than last year’s dismal forecast, but storm clouds remain on the horizon due to weakness in the overall state economy, the unpredictability of future tax revenues, and fiscal pressures that are problematic for local educational agencies.
