Staff
Sara Cortez
(916) 319-8348
Special Education, Preschool, Child Nutrition, and Facilities
Kenneth Kapphahn
(916) 319-8339
Proposition 98, School District Budgets, School Transportation
Lisa Qing
(916) 319-8306
California Community Colleges
Michael Alferes
(916) 319-8338
Local Control Funding Formula, Charter Schools, Alternative Schools, High School Career Technical Education
Ian Klein
(916) 319-8336
University of California; College of the Law, San Francisco; California State Library
Natalie Gonzalez
(916) 319-8320
California State University, Student Financial Aid
Edgar Cabral
(916) 319-8343
Deputy Legislative Analyst: K-12 Education
Jennifer Pacella
(916) 319-8332
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Higher Education


Publications

Education

To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.



Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Student Financial Aid

February 18, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s budget proposals related to student financial aid at the California Student Aid Commission, the Scholarshare Investment Board, and the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: Expanded Learning Programs

February 16, 2022 - In his January budget, the Governor proposes an additional $3.6 billion for the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program and $149 million for the state’s longstanding expanded learning programs. In this post, we provide background on the state’s expanded learning programs, describe and assess the Governor’s proposal, and provide our recommendations to the Legislature.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: UC Climate-Related Proposals

February 16, 2022 - The Governor’s budget funds three UC climate‑related proposals focused on research, technology incubators, and workforce development. This post analyzes these proposals. It begins with a brief background section on climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in California. It then has three sections analyzing each of the proposals in turn. This post is a companion to our main brief on UC budget issues, The 2022‑23 Budget: Analysis of Major UC Proposals.


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The 2022-23 Budget: K-12 Early Literacy Proposals

February 15, 2022 - This post provides background on school funding and literacy, describes the Governor’s K-12 early literacy proposals for schools, and offers associated assessments and recommendations to the Legislature.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: California State University

February 15, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s budget proposals for the California State University. The brief covers base support, enrollment, foster youth programs, deferred maintenance, and climate-related initiatives.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of Major CCC Proposals

February 11, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor's major budget proposals for the California Community Colleges, with a focus on apportionments increases, enrollment, modifications to the Student Centered Funding Formula, part-time faculty health insurance, and deferred maintenance.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Green School Bus Grants

February 10, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s proposal to provide $1.5 billion in one-time Proposition 98 funding for electric school buses. It provides background on school transportation and school bus fleets, describes the advantages and limitations of electric school buses, and makes recommendations to the Legislature.


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The 2022-23 Budget: School Nutrition

February 8, 2022 - This post provides background on various child nutrition programs and requirements, describes the Governor’s child nutrition proposals, and offers associated assessments and recommendations to the Legislature.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of Major UC Proposals

February 2, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s major budget proposals for the University of California, with a focus on base support, enrollment, and deferred maintenance. Also, see our companion piece to this report: The 2022‑23 Budget: UC Climate-Related Proposals.


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The 2022-23 Budget: Local Control Funding Formula

January 28, 2022 - In his January budget, the Governor proposes to provide a 5.33 percent cost-of-living adjustment to the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and change the formula to soften the impact of declining attendance on school districts. In this post, we provide background on LCFF, describe and assess the Governor’s proposals, and provide our recommendations to the Legislature.


Handout

The 2022-23 Budget: Overview of Proposition 98 Proposals

January 27, 2022 - This analysis describes the overall structure of the Governor's plan for school and community college funding, including the major spending proposals and underlying estimates of the Proposition 98 minimum guarantee.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Higher Education Budget Proposals

January 26, 2022 - This brief provides an overview and initial assessment of the Governor’s higher education budget package.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: Special Education Proposals

January 25, 2022 - This post provides background on various special education programs, describes the Governor's proposals related to these topics, and offers associated recommendations and issues for the Legislature to consider.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

January 13, 2022 - On January 10, 2022, Governor Newsom presented his proposed state budget to the Legislature. In this report, we provide a brief summary of the proposed budget based on our initial review. In the coming weeks, we will analyze the plan in more detail and release several additional budget analyses.

Update (1/21/22): Includes a corrected estimate of Governor’s Budget proposals that are excludable under the State Appropriations Limit (SAL).


Report

An Analysis of the University of California’s Agricultural and Natural Resource Programs

January 6, 2022 - The University of California (UC) operates Agricultural Experiment Stations and Cooperative Extension—two programs that together focus on research and outreach involving agriculture and natural resource issues. This report provides an overview of these programs—discussing their statutory origin, structure, employees, and budget. The report also raises a few concerns with the state’s oversight of these programs and concludes by providing recommendations to enhance oversight.