Education

Overview of Proposition 98 Budget Proposals

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February 21, 2018 - Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance

Overview of High School Career Technical Education

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February 21, 2018 - Presented to Assembly Committee on Education; Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance; Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy; and Assembly Select Committee on Career Technical Education and Building a 21st Century Workforce

Overview of State Governance: K-12 Education

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February 14, 2018 - Presented to Senate Committee on Education and Assembly Committee on Education

The 2018-19 Budget: Proposition 98 Education Analysis

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February 7, 2018 - In this report, we analyze the Governor’s overall Proposition 98 budget package as well as his specific spending proposals for K‑12 education and early education.

K-12 Education in Context

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January 26, 2018 - In this post, we answer many questions legislators and others commonly ask about K-12 education in California. We begin by providing information on the main components of California’s public school system. We then review the state’s K-12 accountability system. Lastly, we explain the basics of school finance in California.

The 2018-19 Budget: Overview of the Governor’s Proposition 98 Budget Package

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January 18, 2018 - The Governor presented his budget package to the Legislature on January 10, 2018. This web post provides an overview and assessment of the largest component of that package—the Proposition 98 budget.

Evaluating California’s System for Serving Infants and Toddlers With Special Needs

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January 4, 2018 - In 2015‑16, California provided early intervention services to about 41,000 infants and toddlers with special needs. These infants and toddlers either have a disability (such as a visual or hearing impairment) or a significant developmental delay (such as not beginning to speak or walk when expected). California’s early intervention system consists of three programs administered by two types of local agencies—schools and regional centers for persons with developmental disabilities. This report provides the first comprehensive analysis of this system since it was established in 1993. The report has three main sections. We first provide background on California’s early intervention system, then assess this system, and conclude by recommending several ways to improve the system.

The 2018-19 Budget: Proposition 98 Outlook

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November 15, 2017 - Proposition 98 (1988) establishes a minimum annual funding requirement for schools and community colleges. In this report, we (1) explain how our estimates of the minimum requirement have changed since the adoption of the June budget plan, (2) identify the new funding available in 2018-19, and (3) highlight a few key trends affecting schools and community colleges over the next four years.

This is part of a collection of material for The 2018-19 Budget: California’s Fiscal Outlook. See a complete list of this year's fiscal outlook material on our fiscal outlook budget page.

Charter School Authorization in California

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October 23, 2017 - Presented to: Senate Education Committee

Overview of High School Career Technical Education

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October 2, 2017 - Presented to Assembly Committee on Education; Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance; Assembly Select Committee on Career Technical Education and Building a 21st Century Workforce; and Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy

Update on School District Retiree Health Benefits

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September 25, 2017 - School districts face growing cost pressure related to the health benefits they provide for their retired employees. The first section of this post explains how districts structure their retiree health benefits, and the second section analyzes historical spending levels and future liabilities. We find that the unfunded liability—the total future cost of providing the retiree health benefits that employees have already earned, after subtracting the funds already set aside to cover those benefits—is about $24 billion across all districts. Some districts have taken steps to reduce their future costs, such as requiring employees to work longer before qualifying for these benefits. A few districts also are beginning to set aside additional funds now to cover future retiree health benefits, a practice that could yield significant long-term savings.

Teacher Workforce Proposals

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June 2, 2017 - Presented to Budget Conference Committee

Overview of Proposition 98 and K-12 Conference Issues

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June 2, 2017 - Presented to Budget Conference Committee

The 2017-18 Budget: Analysis of the May Revision Education Proposals

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May 15, 2017 - In this brief, we analyze the Governor’s May Revision education proposals. First, we review changes in the overall Proposition 98 funding level. Subsequently, we describe and assess the Governor’s major proposals for K‑12 education, child care and preschool, the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, and student financial aid.

5/16/17: Correction to LAO CalWORKs Stage 2 cost estimates.

The 2017-18 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision

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May 13, 2017 - On May 11, 2017 the Governor presented his 2017-18 May Revision budget proposal to the Legislature. We are releasing our assessment of the May Revision in various online products. This post describes the major features of the Governor’s May Revision and our office’s initial comments on it. Other posts in this series discuss our office’s independent assessments of the state’s economy, revenues, and spending proposals in the May Revision.