CSBA’s 2026 budget advocacy strategy: Protect core funding, strengthen local control and drive overall student success
As the 2026 State Budget cycle begins, CSBA is advancing a comprehensive advocacy strategy that defends public education’s fiscal foundation while urging Sacramento to do more — at the state level — to help school districts and county offices of education (COE) close persistent achievement gaps without undermining local decision-making.
This approach builds on CSBA’s long-standing budget principles: full education funding and respect for voter-approved Proposition 98, eliminating unfunded and underfunded mandates, strengthening local control and stopping initiative creep, all while elevating a complementary goal: a coherent state strategy for supporting — not dictating to — local educational agencies as they work to improve outcomes for all students and uplift struggling student groups.
Why the Governor’s January Budget matters
The Governor’s proposed budget, released on or before Jan. 10 as required by law, is the first formal blueprint that sets priorities and shapes the negotiations that follow through the May Revision and the Legislature’s adoption of the budget in June. Since January launches the public portion of the conversation around Caifornia’s state budget, it’s important that members engage early and often to augment CSBA’s advocacy and ensure the interests of public schools are well-represented.
Join CSBA’s budget webinar: First look at the Governor’s January proposal
CSBA members are encouraged to attend CSBA’s budget webinar at 11 a.m. on Jan. 12 when CSBA staff will respond to the Governor’s January Budget Proposal.
The webinar will help members:
- Understand key TK–12 fiscal and policy signals in the Governor’s proposal
- Track what to watch as the process moves toward the May Revision and June negotiations
- Prepare for coordinated advocacy during the most influential windows of the budget cycle
CSBA’s budget advocacy priorities
Protect and fully fund Prop 98 and core instructional programs
CSBA is urging state leaders to fully fund Prop 98 without maneuvers or manipulations and to prioritize stability for core instructional programs, especially in years when deficits or cash-flow tools like deferrals threaten district and COE operations.
Preserve local control and stop underfunded policy churn
Districts and county offices need the combination of adequate support and flexibility to meet state expectations and local community needs. CSBA is advocating for budget decisions that avoid creating new burdens on LEAs without sustainable funding and that reduce the disruptive cycle of disconnected initiatives.
Close the achievement gap by strengthening the state’s role as a partner — not a micromanager
CSBA is calling attention to an “accountability gap” in which the state expects local systems to improve outcomes while the state itself lacks a coherent, transparent state operations and support plan that details how it will support that work.
In its 2026–27 budget priorities, CSBA specifically urges the state to focus on closing the achievement gap by clarifying the state’s responsibilities, setting state-level benchmarks for state agencies, and evaluating whether existing accountability and support structures are actually helping LEAs accelerate improvement for all students, especially for historically underserved student groups.
How members can support the strategy
CSBA will continue leading statewide advocacy, but member engagement strengthens the message. Consider:
- Sharing local budget and program impacts with your legislators early in the budget process
- Reinforcing the principle that Sacramento should support LEAs with coherence, transparency, comprehensive planning, robust resources and effective tools — without mandates or one-size fits-all programs that weaken local control or are ill-suited to local needs.
