Local Control Funding FormulaParent and Community Forum

Goals for Today’s PresentationSpecific Takeaways

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How does it work and what does it mean for communities?

How did we get here and why?

What can local communities & districts do now to prepare?

Why LCFF?

What is LCFF

Stay Engaged

Act Now

Why LCFF?

How did we get here and why?

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How we arrived at LCFF

LCFF was nearly four decades in the making

A diverse coalition of education, equity, business, parent and civic leaders, in concert with the Governor’s leadership, made LCFF a reality in 2013

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From then to Now

Before LCFF With LCFFRevenue limits - varied from district to district and were based on a historical snap shot.

Base funding – which is the same for all districts and charters – differentiated by grade span.

Categorical programs - required district to establish specific programs and services with numerous and sometimes inconsistent or duplicative requirements. At one point there were over 100 separate programs. Temporary flexibility was provided for approx. 40 programs during the recent fiscal crisis.

Supplemental funding – equal to 20% of the base for the unduplicated count of English learners (EL), low-income students (LI) and foster youth (FY).

Concentration funding – additional funding of 50% of base provided for districts with 55% or more of their students English learner (EL), low-income (LI) or foster youth (FY).

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What is LCFF?

How does it work and what does it mean for communities?

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What does LCFF mean for school funding?

Historic investment of in high need students: $10 billion once LCFF is fully implemented

LCFF addressed part of the school funding problem:

• Now we know how schools are funded by the state

• Local communities will have greater control over what to invest in

• We still need to invest more in public education: California is 49th in the nation in our investment

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We will transition to LCFF based on available state funding

Funding increases each year depending

on how much new Prop. 98 dollars

are available until target is reached.

Current year revenue

limit funding

Categorical funding

Growth

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How does the formula work?

What does LCFF mean for accountability?

• By July 1 each year districts will be

required to adopt, with community input,

a districtwide plan: The Local Control and

Accountability Plan (LCAP)

• For the first time this plan will be

directly linked to the entire district

budget

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Plan must meet state and local priorities 1. Providing all students access to fully credentialed teachers, instructional

materials that align with state standards and safe facilities.

2. Implementation of California’s academic standards, including the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and math, Next Generation Science Standards, English language development, history social science, visual and performing arts, health education and physical education standards.

3. Parent involvement and participation, so the local community is engaged in the decision-making process and the educational programs of students.

4. Improving student achievement and outcomes along multiple measures, including test scores, English proficiency and college and career preparedness.

5. Supporting student engagement, including whether students attend school or are chronically absent.

6. Highlighting school climate and connectedness through suspension and expulsion rates and other locally identified means.

7. Ensuring all students have access to classes that prepare them for college and careers, regardless of what school they attend or where they live.

8. Measuring other important student outcomes related to required areas of study, including physical education and the arts.

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Parental Involvement

There are specific points in the development of thedistrict plan that necessitate parental involvement

• Districts must establish parent advisory

committee(s) to provide advice to the district

regarding the district wide plan

• State Priority - Increasing parental involvement, including

parent input in decision-making and parental participation in their

child’s education

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Parental Involvement

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• Districts where 15% of the students are English Learner must establish an English learner advisory committee that must review and provide comment on the LCAP

• Districts can utilize existing committees

Minimum Community Engagement Requirements

• There must be alignment between school site plans and the district plan.

• The superintendent must also notify the community of opportunities to provide comments regarding the proposed plan

• The school district board must hold at least one hearing to seek recommendations and comments from members of the public prior to adopting the LCAP

• The LCAP must be adopted at a public hearing at the same time as the budget is adopted

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District Plan Adoption:Minimum Requirements of the Law

Source: Legislative Analyst’s Office – An Overview of the Local Control Funding Formula, July 29, 2013. www.lao.ca.gov

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Act Now

What can local communities and districts do now to prepare?

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3 Critical Opportunities

LCFF creates a unique opportunity to:

What can districts and communities do now?

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Focus on long-term, multiyear planning

Implement early, ongoing and meaningful community engagement

Leverage the requirement to link planningefforts to the entire district budget

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LCFF provides an opportunity to set a vision. Upon full implementation of LCFF funding, what outcomes,services and support does the district community envision willbe in place for students?

The LCAP is a three year plan. What are the short term steps that can be achieved in the

next three year window to support the vision?

Each year the district has to adopt a budget aligned to the plan.What strategic investments can be made next year that arealigned and moving toward the vision?

What can districts and communities do now?

Focus on long-term, multiyear planning1

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What can districts and communities do now?

Implement early, ongoing and meaningful community engagement 2

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Authentic Engagement: Take the time and create the environment for all stakeholders to actively participate in the conversation.

Build Understanding: Meaningful dialogue builds understanding and support for difficult decisions about where to focus scarce resources.

Transparency: Increased transparency about budgets is essential to build or rebuild trust and increase community support for public education.

What can districts and communities do now?

Implement early, ongoing and meaningful community engagement 2

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Below are some “best practices” that districts and communities can deploy in the near term:•Identify staff-community liaisons. For example:

• Parents (including English learners, foster youth education rights holders)

• Students • Foster Youth County Liaison• Business

•Review parent advisory committee(s) structure and function•Determine ways to align site plans and process with district plan

What can districts and communities do now?

Implement early, ongoing and meaningful community engagement 2

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Below are some “best practices” that districts and communities can deploy in the near term:

•Determine timeline and format for community wide forums and/or school site level forums

•Begin creating materials to provide information on LCFF and the LCAP and make them widely available

•Talk about what is in the law and what is still being determined in a way that is easily accessible to the public

•Offer multiple forums at times and locations that are convenient for all stakeholders

•Provide translators and childcare at forums

What can districts and communities do now?

Leverage the requirement to link planningefforts to the entire district budget3

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Parents and community members can be most effective by helping boards and school sites set goals and prioritize strategies

This approach gives community members the opportunity to influence resource allocation decisions IF:

•Budgets are developed around goals AND

•Districts begin budget development in the fall

Questions?

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AB: Assembly Bill

CDE: California Department of Education 

EC: Education Code - A collection of all the laws directly related to California K-12 public schools. Ed Code sections are created or changed by the governor and legislature when they make laws. (Ed Source).

EL - English Learner

ELD: Early Learning and Development - High Quality programs and services, such as preschool, that support the cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of children 0-5 years old.

FY: Foster Youth – A child that has been removed from their home due to suspicions of abuse or neglect, is living in an out-of-home placement and is under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.  

LCAP: Local Control and Accountability Plan– A plan adopted by a district, county office of education or charter school governing board, in concert with their budget, that reflects the goals and specific actions that will be pursued based on the 8 state priorities outlined in the LCFF legislation, as well as any locally adopted priorities

LCFF: Local Control Funding Formula - California's new school finance model to allocate funding from the state to local school districts, county offices of education and charter schools

LEA: Local Education Agency - School districts, county offices of education, and charter schools

LI: Low Income - Students who are eligible to receive free and reduced price meals

SB: Senate Bill

SBE: State Board of Education

 

 

California Department of Education•Website: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/

•Questions: lcff@cde.ca.gov

•LCFF Listserv: join-LCFF-list@mlist.cde.ca.gov

WestEd LCFF Implementation: http://lcff.wested.org/

Children Now•Children’s Movement: http://www.childrennow.org/school_funding_reform

•LCFF Website: http://lcff.childrennow.org/

For additional resources

Thank you for participating!

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