SBE takes first look at LCFF
Published: August 1, 2013
In its first meeting since the adoption of a Local Control Funding Formula as part of the state budget, the State Board of Education last month began considering the breadth and scope of LCFF’s impact on the state’s schools.
Every aspect of school district operations will be affected by the new formula. Assembly Bill 97, the enacting legislation, contains some very strict requirements for districts, including an accountability system to ensure that the students generating additional funds under LCFF benefit from that funding.
“Districts need to begin quickly to set annual goals for achievement, strategies to reach those goals, and priorities for both academic performance and school climate,” Teri Burns, senior director for Policy and Programs said in a This Just In video briefing.
By July 2014 districts will need to submit a Local Control and Accountability Plan following a format to be adopted by the State Board next March. In the meantime, local boards will be accountable for how they spend current-year funds to serve the populations that generate them—English learners, students from low-income families and foster youth (see related story).
“Now is the time to be determining what your goals are and getting parent input on how best to reach those goals by allocating resources,” Burns said. “Ask folks what they think they need, and really listen to those requests.”
Science standards, Common Core
The State Board delayed action on proposed Next Generation Science Standards until its Sept. 4-5 meeting to give educators in the field more time to review them. The standards attracted broad support, “with 21 speakers from a cross-section of business, labor, parents, educators and community groups speaking in favor of adoption,” Burns reported on the CSBA blog July 11. Her blog post also includes an update on preparations to help with local implementation of the Common Core State Standards in math and English/language arts, and on the new assessments that will accompany them.
“Local Control Funding Formula: What Governing Board Members Need to Know Now”
CSBA’s webinar on the state’s new funding formula for K-12 schools has must-see information for governance teams. It's archived at www.csba.org/LCFF, where you can also download:
• Governance brief: “Local Control Funding Formula”
• Fact sheet: “State Priorities for Funding: The Need for Local Control and Accountability Plans”
• Fact sheet: “What Does the LCFF Appropriation Formula Look Like?”