Governor Jerry Brown

Gov. Jerry Brown

Gov. Jerry Brown emphatically vowed Wednesday “to fight with everything I have and whatever we have to bring to bear” for passage this year of his school finance reform, as proposed.

Back from a trip to China and re-engaged on a priority issue, Brown spoke at a news conference a day after Senate Democrats announced they would propose a bill that would delay action on the governor’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) for a year and would eliminate one of its chief features, providing a “concentration grant” for districts with high percentages English learners and low-income children.

“We will go for the full program and fight any effort to dilute” the proposal, Brown said. “Kids cannot wait; superintendents and thousands of people will work to see passage of our bill.”

Standing with Brown were 20 superintendents whom the governor had summoned to Sacramento to voice their support. Some then testified at a hearing on Brown’s proposal before the Assembly Education Committee.

Brown’s plan would invest an extra 35 percent in per student funding for every low-income student and English learner, with a concentration bonus in districts where high-needs students comprise a majority.

Brown said the concentration grant would put “a relatively small amount of money into high concentrations of poverty,” where it will have powerful effect.

Brown characterized LCFF as a civil rights issue that deals with “the fact of life that there are deep inequities from Oregon to the Mexican border.” In California, he said, 60 percent of children are poor and 23 percent speak a language other than English at home. “People who know best,” he said referring to the superintendents, “are confronting the challenges of a two-tier society.”

“I fully support the new formula. I deeply believe this brings equity long overdue to the state,” said Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy, who added that failing to take action this year would be “intolerable.”

“Equity delayed is equity denied,” he said.

Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jonathan Raymond praised Brown for having the courage to “change the status quo and change it now.” He said it would be “criminal” and “intolerable” to delay passage.

Without naming names, Brown castigated consultants and groups in Sacramento he said are trying to thwart change from the current system, with its dozens of earmarked programs that have spending restrictions and regulations that the LCFF would eliminate. They “make money scaring people to keep categorical complexities to keep their employees and profits,” Brown said.

Brown did not say that he wouldn’t agree to changes to the LCFF, and his adviser, Karen Staph Walters,  who is also the executive director of the State Board of Education, promised “to sit down with colleagues in the Senate and work together” on the proposal.

Brown is expected to include amendments to the LCFF in the May budget revision; neither he nor his advisers would say what those might be.

To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSource’s no-cost daily email on latest developments in education.

Share Article

Comments (5)

Leave a Reply to navigio

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * *

Comments Policy

We welcome your comments. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy.

  1. navigio 11 years ago11 years ago

    Every time I turn around someone is arguing in favor of LCFF because no district will get less in funding than they got in the 12-13 school year. If that is such a great thing, we should just use that as the bar and ditch all these other ideas... Anyway, when's the showdown? The legislature has to approve a budget within the next 8 weeks or so and must decide what to do with that pesky … Read More

    Every time I turn around someone is arguing in favor of LCFF because no district will get less in funding than they got in the 12-13 school year. If that is such a great thing, we should just use that as the bar and ditch all these other ideas…

    Anyway, when’s the showdown? The legislature has to approve a budget within the next 8 weeks or so and must decide what to do with that pesky trailer bill, especially given their own (diluted?) versions of the same. What is the timeline? Districts are getting antsy for their free money..

  2. Marian Devincenzi 11 years ago11 years ago

    April 25, 2013 My suggestion for children in kindergarten, needing to learn English, be taught to read with Mary Pecci's readers. (www.OnlineReadingTeacher.com) A teacher in Mexico used her readers and was happy that his students were learning to speak English, while learning to read with her Pre-Primers, at that time. Her reading series now is completed. (This information comes from an … Read More

    April 25, 2013

    My suggestion for children in kindergarten, needing to learn English, be taught to read with Mary Pecci’s readers.

    (www.OnlineReadingTeacher.com)

    A teacher in Mexico used her readers and was happy that his students were learning to speak English, while learning to read with her Pre-Primers, at that time. Her reading series now is completed. (This information comes from an email I received from Ms. Pecci years ago.)

    Marian Devincenzi

  3. Mark 11 years ago11 years ago

    Brown wants to rob Peter to pay Paul, it would be more transparent is he was honest about the impact to all school districts and children across California. He wants to move a group forward by leaving others behind. Extra dollars don’t make a difference, I am a product of LA schools, EL for two years, college grad, etc. I think all students deserve more not just EL.

  4. Paul Muench 11 years ago11 years ago

    Hmmm…I womder what principals would say?

  5. navigio 11 years ago11 years ago

    I think it would be helpful for critics to decide whether the current system is better than his proposal. Perhaps a solution would be to implement brown’s suggestion for next year, then address the changes to it in the subsequent year. It seems there is mostly consensus on the fact that something needs to change. A delay might be the worst solution for those who believe that.