Staff
- Sara Cortez
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(916) 319-8348
Special Education, Preschool, Child Nutrition, and Facilities - Kenneth Kapphahn
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(916) 319-8339
Proposition 98, School District Budgets, School Transportation - Lisa Qing
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(916) 319-8306
California Community Colleges - Michael Alferes
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(916) 319-8338
Local Control Funding Formula, Charter Schools, Alternative Schools, High School Career Technical Education - Natalie Gonzalez
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(916) 319-8320
California State University, Student Financial Aid - Dylan Hawksworth-Lutzow
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(916) 319-8308
Child Care, Expanded Learning, Teachers, and Education Technology - Edgar Cabral
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(916) 319-8343
Deputy Legislative Analyst: K-12 Education - Jennifer Pacella
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(916) 319-8332
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Higher Education - Florence Bouvet
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(916) 319-8310
University of California; College of the Law, San Francisco; California State Library
Publications
Education
To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.
The 2026-27 Budget: Fiscal Outlook for Schools and Community Colleges
November 19, 2025 - We forecast that increases to the Proposition 98 guarantee in 2024-25 and 2025-26, coupled with a preexisting payment obligation, require the state to provide nearly $7.4 billion in one-time funds for schools and community colleges. For 2026-27, we estimate the guarantee is $117.8 billion, an increase of $3.2 billion (2.8 percent) from the previously enacted level. This growth—combined with a required reserve withdrawal—would be just enough to fund a 2.51 percent statutory cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The state could use the one-time funds to build budget resiliency, which seems especially important given the risks of a stock market downturn.
The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Proposition 98 and K-12 Education
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November 10, 2025 - This post summarizes Proposition 98 funding and K-12 education spending in the 2025-26 budget package.
The 2025-26 Budget: Analysis of the School and Community College Funding Split
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May 20, 2025 - The 2025-26 Budget: Analysis of the School and Community College Funding Split
The 2025-26 Budget: Analysis of the May Revision K-14 Education Plan
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May 20, 2025 - The 2025-26 Budget: Analysis of the May Revision K-14 Education Plan
Child Care Funding Rates and Transition to an Alternative Methodology
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April 3, 2025 - Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 On Health and Human Services
Overview of K-12 Career Technical Education
March 25, 2025 - This brief is intended to give policymakers a high-level overview of the state’s role in supporting K-12 career technical education programs. We also raise key issues for the Legislature as it considers policy and budget decisions related to career technical education.
The 2025-26 Budget: Department of Developmental Services
March 5, 2025 - This brief provides a short summary of the Governor’s proposed budget for the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) before addressing four issues that warrant legislative oversight: (1) quality incentives as part of service provider rate reform, (2) the Master Plan for Developmental Services, (3) DDS’s ongoing information technology project, and (4) the phaseout of subminimum wage employment.
The 2025-26 Budget: Proposition 98 Guarantee and K-12 Spending Plan
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March 5, 2025 - Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance
The 2025-26 Budget: Proposition 98 Guarantee and K-12 Spending Plan
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February 27, 2025 - Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education
The 2025-26 Budget: Transitional Kindergarten Multilingual Learner Screeners
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February 26, 2025 - In this post, we provide background on the state’s English learner identification process, describe and assess the Governor’s proposal to provide $10 million for a multilingual learner screener in transitional kindergarten, and provide our recommendations to the Legislature.
Child Care Funding Rates and Transition to an Alternative Methodology
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February 19, 2025 - Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 On Human Services and Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 On Education Finance