Download or read book California s New School Funding Flexibility written by Margaret Weston and published by Public Policy Instit. of CA. This book was released on 2011 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spurred by a deep recession and large budget shortfalls, the California Legislature in 2009 enacted what was arguably the largest change to California's school finance system in decades--relaxing spending restrictions on more than 40 categorical programs through 2012-13, extended later to 2014-15. Categorical funding, which gives school districts money in addition to the general funds they already receive from the state, had been limited to specific, narrow purposes: buying textbooks or providing summer school, for example. Under the 2009 changes, districts could begin spending these funds for any educational purpose. When the law expires, the legislature will be faced with a decision: whether to return to the previous, tightly restricted categorical fund system or transition to a permanent version of the flexibility now in use. Because they were part of legislative negotiations over the state budget, not education policy, the decisions made in 2009 were far from optimal for k-12 schools. A more systematic and less political reconsideration of categorical flexibility could result in a more equitable and transparent distribution of funds, while also reserving targeted aid for students who need supplemental services. In addition, under the 2009 provisions, districts could spend categorical funds on any educational purpose. Both state policymakers and local district officials have expressed concern about the impact of completely flexible funds on the collective bargaining process; specifically, that those funds would be used inappropriately to increase teacher salaries and benefits rather than to provide additional services or materials for students. This report offers three recommendations to improve current flexibility provisions that the legislature could consider should it pursue categorical flexibility beyond the program's sunset date: (1) Distribute these less-restricted categorical funds more equally; (2) Apply clear criteria for flexibility and consider alternative configurations; and (3) Consider some restrictions on flex item funds. These recommendations would create a more equitable and transparent source of revenue. This would provide local school districts with increased flexibility in meeting student needs, and would be consistent with several recent major school finance reform proposals, as well as Governor Brown's campaign plan for k-12 education. (Contains 6 figures, 5 tables and 36 footnotes.) [For "California's New School Funding Flexibility. Technical Appendices," see ed519504.].

Download or read book Rethinking the State Local Relationship K 12 Education written by Margaret Weston and published by Public Policy Instit. of CA. This book was released on 2011 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Governor Jerry Brown's January 2011 budget proposal suggests shifting responsibility and funding for many state programs from the state to the local level. Under this "realignment" of government authority, local governments--usually counties--would be given responsibility for providing the services in realigned programs, and the state would provide local governments with a source of funding for the new responsibilities. In addition, local governments would be granted the authority to reshape realigned programs to better accommodate local conditions and priorities. Although k-12 education is not included in the governor's realignment proposal, similar themes apply to the current discussions and legislation pertaining to California's school finance system. This report examines California's school finance system through the lens of realignment, offering a framework for thinking about how k-12 realignment might work and the difficulties it might face. Certainly there are arguments on both sides of the equation. Proponents of greater local control argue that local school authorities have a better knowledge than state officials of the unique needs in their districts and that greater local control would reduce the administrative burden on schools and enable them to redirect their resources toward improving student outcomes. Those in favor of maintaining state control argue that central control allows the state to ensure its priorities are met across individual districts and that students in all districts, regardless of their size or location, are provided with similar educational opportunities. This study examines the trade-offs of each approach, concluding that thoughtful revisions in the state's categorical funding system would offer a good first step in moving toward a more productive, efficient, and transparent school finance system. (Contains 2 figures and 4 footnotes.) [Additional funding for this report was provided by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.].

Download or read book Deregulating School Aid in California written by Jennifer Imazeki and published by RAND Corporation. This book was released on 2012-06-25 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A large share of California's school funding is allocated through categorical programs whose funding is contingent on districts using the money in a particular way or for a particular purpose. In 2008-09, the strings were taken off 40 of these programs as part of a budget deal that also reduced the funding for those programs. This report describes statewide patterns in district revenues and expenditures in light of this new state policy.

Download or read book Deregulating School Aid in California written by Brian M. Stecher and published by RAND Corporation. This book was released on 2012-06-25 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much of California's school funding is allocated through programs whose funding comes with requirements that districts use the money to support specific programs. In 2008-09, the strings were taken off 40 of these programs as part of a deal that also reduced their funding. This report presents the results of a survey of California's district chief financial officers (CFOs), describing how they made decisions in light of this new state policy.

Download or read book Deregulating School Aid in California written by Jennifer Imazeki and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: California's system of school finance is highly regulated and prescriptive. A large share of state funding is allocated through categorical programs; that is, programs whose funding is contingent on districts using the money in a particular way or for a particular purpose. In 2008-09, the strings were taken off 40 of those programs, collectively known as the "Tier 3" programs, as part of a budget deal that also reduced the funding for those programs. The author gathers evidence about how districts have responded to this fiscal freedom, particularly how resource allocations are made at the district level and what specific changes districts have made in their allocations. Although concerns have been raised that those districts with relatively more Tier 3 funding have been disproportionately affected by the state's budget crisis, the data show that districts with more Tier 3 funding lost a similar share of their budget as other districts (although that represents larger per-pupil dollar amounts). Furthermore, so far and on average, districts do not appear to be making large-scale changes in how they are spending their money. Individual chapters contain footnotes. (Contains 1 figure and 24 tables.).

Download or read book Deregulating School Aid in California written by and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "California's system of school finance is highly regulated and prescriptive. A large share of state funding is allocated through categorical programs, that is, programs whose funding is contingent upon districts using the money in a particular way or for a particular purpose. In 2008-09, the strings were taken off 40 of those programs, collectively known as the "Tier 3" programs, as part of a budget deal that also reduced the funding for those programs. The authors conducted a survey of 350 California school district chief financial officers (CFOs) between April and August of 2011 to see how district leaders responded to this sudden, limited fiscal flexibility and the conditions that shaped their decisions."--Publisher's website.

Download or read book School Finance Reform written by Mary Perry and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For decades, when California's state leaders have wanted to see local school districts respond to shifts in policy and expectations they relied on the state-controlled school finance system to leverage local change. Through the use of categorical programs and earmarked funding, they created incentives for districts that complied and penalties for those that did not. The result: a school finance system that has been roundly criticized as irrational, inequitable, excessively complicated, overly centralized, and inefficient at allocating resources. In 2012, Governor Jerry Brown proposed to transform California's school finance policies by introducing a new funding formula that would give local districts more control over their funding and provide additional funds to school districts based on student need. Despite broad consensus that school finance reform is needed the Legislature declined to act on the Governor's proposal. As the 2013 legislative session begins, the governor is once again proposing K-12 finance reform. In broad strokes, his proposed Local Control Funding Formula would provide a uniform base amount for each student a school district serves, adjusted by grade span, and with extra funding based on student needs. (See box below.) Intended both to simplify the state's approach to school district funding and to give more control and flexibility to local education leaders, the proposal raises a number of challenging questions that are examined in this report: (1) How can the state balance its need to create a school finance system that is more rational and transparent with its interest in better results for all students?; (2) Is it possible to provide funding with few or no strings attached and still have meaningful incentives and accountability systems that result in improved local educational practices and student outcomes?; and (3) What changes in how state policymakers allocate funds to local education agencies would most effectively further their aspirational goals for schools?

Download or read book Year one Survey written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book School Funding and Accountability in California written by Leilani Aguinaldo and published by . This book was released on 2019-03-22 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: California public school finance started a new era with the introduction of the Local Control Funding Formula for the 2013-14 fiscal year, and everything we thought we knew about our old revenue limit and program-based funding model started to fade into obsolescence. The unfolding story of this transition is newly told in the new 2019 edition of the new book, School Funding and Accountability in California--A Guide to School Finance.For more than 30 years, School Services of California, Inc., (SSC) has published the definitive guide to California school finance, Revenues and Revenue Limits, and in that tradition SSC now offers a totally revised text incorporating complete information about California's new, ground-breaking funding formula and its companion accountability plan. The 2019 edition of School Funding and Accountability in California--A Guide to School Finance will be an indispensable for anyone needing to understand the way public schools receive their resources, how state support for schools is determined and the linage of that funding with accountability for new and improved services.Since 1981, SSC's books on school finance have helped tens of thousands of people understand everything from the basics to the intricacies of California's unique school finance system. Detailed enough to be of use to the most experienced readers, yet clear enough for the newcomers to the field, the 2019 edition of School Funding and Accountability in California--A Guide to School Finance will be invaluable to everyone interested in California school finance.

Download or read book Year round Education Year round Opportunities written by Claire Quinlan and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An increase in the number of schools adopting year-round programs prompted this analysis of all year-round education programs in California. Chapter 1, "Introduction to the Study," outlines study organization and calendar scheduling plans. "Design of the Study," chapter 2, describes data obtained from interviews, surveys, databases, site visits, and California Assessment Program files. Chapter 3, "Academic Achievement in Year-round Schools," interprets achievement data. Compared to traditional schools, year-round schools most frequently serve lower socioeconomic communities and have twice as many limited and non-English-speaking students and a larger percentage of minority students. Many schools are not achieving at predicted levels, though single-track schools have the strongest performance. Chapter 4, "Cost Analysis," reveals that increased per-pupil costs compare with those of traditional programs. "Characteristics of the Year-round Education Program," chapter 5, discusses operations and survey results. Teachers experienced better quality instruction and preferred teaching year-round. Students had mixed feelings about school scheduling. Parents' overall satisfaction was positive. The final chapter, "Conclusions and Recommendations," indicates that year-round education is an acceptable alternative. Overcrowding is relieved, new school construction is avoided, and flexible curriculum planning and extended teacher employment are offered. Recommendations are provided to districts and state agencies. Twenty-one tables and 13 figures exhibit data findings; 5 appendices provide survey instruments. (CJH)

Download or read book Building Pressure written by Liz S. Jain and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book School Finance written by Arthur J. Townley and published by Kendall Hunt. This book was released on 2005 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Nonclassroom based Charter Schools in California and the Impact of SB 740 written by Cassandra M. Guarino and published by RAND Corporation. This book was released on 2005 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charter schools are publicly funded schools that have the flexibility to operate outside normal district control. They are designed to provide greater educational choice to families, reduce bureaucratic constraints on educators, and provide competitive pressure to induce improvement in conventional public schools while remaining publicly accountable. This document reports on an evaluation of the legislatively mandated (under SB 740) process of evaluating California's nonclassroom-based (NCB) charter schools, in which instruction generally takes the form of independent study, home study, or some combination of these two with classroom-based instruction. The report concludes that the impact of SB 740 has been significant and largely in accordance with the explicit goals of the legislation. However, despite the financial savings to the state and adaptations on the part of NCB charter schools to the requirements of SB 740, the success of the legislation as a mechanism for improving education for California students is unclear, and it may have had some harmful as well as beneficial effects. SB 740 has sent a strong and important message to NCB schools that they must be careful regarding the ways in which they use resources or face strong sanctions. But the regulations need to be reshaped to fit a newly acquired understanding of how these schools operate within the context of all public education and to serve the needs of students more effectively.

Download or read book How Approaches to Stuck in the Mud School Funding Hinder Improvement written by Melissa Lazarn̕ and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 10 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many state and education leaders continue to support and employ methods that prevent schools and principals from undertaking the efforts that they think are most needed to improve education in their classrooms. The use of state categorical grants--funds to school districts with strict limits on their use--exemplifies this lack of innovation in school finance. Categorical grants remain all too common in state education finance systems. New survey data released today in a Center for American Progress issue brief by Joanna Smith and researchers at the Rossier School of Education's Center on Educational Governance at the University of Southern California, provide a national overview of which states have embraced more flexible funding streams and which are still using rigid bureaucratic categorical grants to fund schools. The data also show the extent to which categorical grants comprise state education budgets and reports on state finance and district officials' opinions of categorical grants. Key findings from the study include: (1) Categorical grants are prominent in state education finance systems; (2) A variety of policymakers are empowered to create or terminate categorical grants; (3) States most commonly used categorical grants for special education; (4) State education officials generally have a positive view of categorical grants; and (5) District superintendents and school board members are favorably disposed to categorical spending, though they expressed the desire for greater flexibility. [This brief is part of a larger multiyear project on governance, conducted in partnership with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.].

Download or read book Two Years of California s Local Control Funding Formula written by Julia E. Koppich and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: California ended 40 years of reliance on categorical funding for schools when Governor Jerry Brown signed the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) into law on July 1, 2013. LCFF intends to enhance services for high-needs students through new flexibility, targeted student funding, and local accountability. Two years into LCFF implementation, research in 18 districts and more than half of the state's County Offices of Education (COEs) uncovers both reasons for optimism and a few concerns. The LCFF represents an ambitious effort in the nation's largest state to fundamentally change the way education decisions are made, engage local stakeholders in these important decisions, and target additional resources to traditionally underserved students. Now is the time for mid-course corrections that will ensure the state is able to realize the "Grand Vision" that the LCFF is intended to be. Data Collection Methods are presented in the appendix. ["Two Years of California's Local Control Funding Formula: Time to Reaffirm the Grand Vision" was written with the assistance of Jarah Blum, Ashley Campbell, Camille Esch, Laila Fahimuddin, Michelle Hall, Jennifer O'Day, Katherine Ramage, Laura Stokes, and Laura Tobben.].

Download or read book Examining Educational Leaders Perceptions and Experiences About Public School Funding Policies and Educational Equity written by Carly Elizabeth Farah and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Education finance in the United States and in the state of California is highly complex, contributing to perpetuating an inequitable public education system. The purpose of this qualitative, comparative case study was to examine nation- and state-wide education finance policies and funding sources. This study also examined the perspectives and experiences of educational leaders in a Southern California school district to explore the ways in which these policies contributed to-or detracted from-educational equity. Findings from this study revealed four major themes and several sub-themes. The major themes that emerged were: (a) difficulties in defining the expanding role of an administrator; (b) complexities of education funding through multiple sources; (c) challenges surrounding communication, advocacy, and barriers to access; and (d) participants' suggestions and ideas about ways to improve and increase educational equity in public schools. The implications of these findings suggest both small-scale and large-scale changes are necessary to improve educational equity systemically. Such changes include (a) increased and reprioritized funding; (b) increased transparency; (c) more flexibility in how funds are allocated; and (d) addressing the political and social implications for how education, teachers, and administrators are perceived. The findings indicate challenges are numerous, and more research is necessary to implement changes that support U.S. public schools and the students they serve.

Download or read book Rising to the Challenge written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: