California has reformed its system of school financing by introducing the Local Control Funding Formula. The formula, which requires districts to draw up a Local Control and Accountability Plan, grants more decision-making powers to school districts, and also gives additional state funds to districts based on the number of low-income students, English learners, foster children and homeless youth they serve.
With a continuing surge in revenue, the governor would expand community schools and create a $500 college savings account for every low-income first grader.
In the absence of effective oversight, too many districts' local control and accountability plans, or LCAPs, focus more on compliance with the letter of the law than on improving outcomes for their students.
California has put on hold most aspects of its school accountability system. Learn more about how the state is handling accountability during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Newsom would cut $6.4 billion in school funding if Congress doesn’t deliver more stimulus aid. The Legislature would issue more IOUs to schools instead.
Federal stimulus funding is coming to the aid of California’s school districts. An EdSource analysis projects that of the 897 districts that receive their funding through the state’s education funding formula, 60.4 percent would get more in stimulus funding than they’d lose in state cuts.
Districts are anticipating billions more in unfunded costs to reopen schools. They want some of the money they'll need to be distributed more evenly than Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes.
