May Revision cuts LCFF, drops COLA, introduces proposals in effort to mitigate impact

Reflecting California’s pandemic-induced $54 billion budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom presented his May Revision on May 14 featuring a blend of proposals aimed at mitigating the dire financial straits of the state’s K–12 schools. “Coupled with a 10 percent cut to LCFF — the primary […]

Significant aid from state and federal government will be needed for schools in coming recession, panel finds

School closures and a tanking economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic laid the backdrop for a panel discussion on April 28 about the current and future state of education funding in California, hosted by Policy Analysis for California Education. Panelists shared concerns about how schools […]

Budget subcommittee takes on big questions around school finance, learning loss, the future

While legislators, state officials and education advocates may have left with more questions than they arrived with, an Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing on April 28 punctuated the COVID-19 pandemic’s massive impact on K–12 schools. The parties learned that many of the answers largely hinge upon […]

In wake of pandemic, local reserves can help stabilize districts in short term

The Legislative Analyst’s Office on April 5 released an update on state and school district reserves in light of the likelihood of vastly decreased revenues due to COVID-19 pandemic mitigation efforts. About 40 percent of California’s General Fund is dedicated to K-14 education. This money, […]

Assembly budget memo outlines rocky 2020-21 outlook, declares August revision likely

Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), in a memo released this week, provides an overview of that the 2020-21 budget situation and process might look like. Asm. Ting echoed the March advisory issued by the Department of Finance that the May budget revision will […]

Coronavirus update: Stimulus set to deliver $13.5B in emergency funding for K-12 schools; a look at CalPERS and CalSTRS impacts

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday night unanimously passed a $2 trillion stimulus bill to aid the country amidst the massive economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of note, the stimulus will deliver $16.5 billion in emergency funding for K-12 education, with $13.5 billion via formula […]

Governor issues executive order ensuring state funding for coronavirus-related school closures

Early on the evening on March 13, 2020, Gov. Newsom issued an executive order addressing some of the unresolved questions prompted by coronavirus-related school closures. The order ensures that districts will receive state funding as normal and will not lose Average Daily Attendance (ADA) revenue […]

State, local bond measures see newfound struggles in primary election

The March 3 primary election results have thus far delivered disappointing results as California districts work to provide students with healthy, safe and modern schools and classrooms. The campaign for Proposition 13 — the largest school facilities bond measure in state history at $15 billion […]