By Bode Owoyele, CSBA Associate General Counsel Parcel taxes have long been an essential part of school financing in California. Under the state Constitution, a school district may impose a special tax when a ballot measure proposing the tax is supported by two-thirds of qualified […]
Category: Funding & Finance
Funding & Finance
Governor’s budget continues most commitments to TK-12 education despite budget shortfall
Gov. Gavin Newsom released his 2023–24 Budget Proposal on Jan. 10, outlining a $297 billion budget proposal and officially kicking off the budget season. Despite a slowing economy and what the Newsom Administration projects to be a $22.5 billion dollar state General Fund shortfall, the […]
School finance reforms prove valuable for improving student achievement
Spoiler alert: financial investments in K-12 education matter greatly when it comes to ensuring equitable access and opportunities for students and improving academic achievement. A recent Learning Policy Institute webinar “Money Matters: Evidence Supporting Greater Investment in Public Education” covered the history of school finance […]
CSBA aims to preserve school funding in 2023
As the new year begins in the Capitol, all eyes are on Gov. Gavin Newsom as he prepares to release his January Budget Proposal. As required by the Constitution, the Governor must introduce the state’s proposed budget “within the first 10 days of each calendar […]
The progress of federal COVID relief funding: Fall 2022 update
By Jeremy Anderson CSBA has been monitoring how local educational agencies are using COVID relief funding and issued its first report on the progress of spending federal aid in June 2022. Sept. 30, 2022, marked the first significant deadline associated with the federal COVID-19 emergency […]
Budget forecast projects $25 billion state deficit
The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released its annual fiscal outlook on Nov. 16, revealing an estimated $25 billion budget deficit in the coming year, with the impact on Proposition 98 blunted by the availability of reserve funding. Released every fall, the Fiscal Outlook gives the […]
Youth mental health is a top priority for education leaders
By Angela Asch Over the past few years, rates of chronic sadness, emotional distress and suicidal ideation have been steadily increasing among youth. According to a survey conducted by Kids Data, 43 percent of parents across the state reported feeling moderately or extremely concerned for […]
Recent funding increases not enough to offset long-term challenges schools face
Despite record education funding levels, fiscal challenges remain, according to a fact sheet released Sept. 28 by the Public Policy Institute of California. State K-12 funding increased nearly 50 percent between 2017–18 and 2021–22, and with state, local and federal funding combined, public schools received […]
New state policy requires high school seniors to apply for FAFSA
By The California Student Aid Commission In California’s 2021–22 state budget, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature included a groundbreaking new policy that local educational agencies, including charter schools, must confirm that their graduating high school seniors complete an application for financial aid (or an […]
District leaders want deadline extension to spend federal COVID funds
Without an extension to the deadline by which districts must spend American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, officials say they will have to scale back pandemic investments while students are still in desperate need of additional academic and social-emotional supports. A majority of school superintendents surveyed […]