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 2014-15 Budget: The Commission on Teacher Credentialing
March 28, 2014 - In this report, we analyze the Governor's two main 2014-15 budget proposals for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). The Governor proposes to allow CTC to transfer revenue from its test fee account to its primary budget account to help cover cash shortfalls midyear. The Governor also proposes to expand CTC's fee authority by allowing it to begin charging fees for the regular activities it undertakes in accrediting existing teacher preparation programs. Although the Governor's proposal to allow 60-day fund transfers among accounts would provide some cash relief, we recommend the Legislature instead consolidate CTC's revenues into a single, combined account. We also recommend the Legislature work with the administration and CTC to refine budget documents such that fee revenues can be more easily linked with associated expenditures. Additionally, we recommend the Legislature adopt the Governor's proposal to expand accreditation fees, as it is consistent with prior state actions that aim to keep CTC self-supporting. We are concerned, however, that the Governor's proposal does not make any changes to CTC's current costly, labor-intensive accreditation process. We recommend the Legislature require CTC to streamline its process to ensure (1) teacher preparation program standards are clear, concise, and aligned to state academic content standards; (2) accreditation incorporates data on program outcomes; and (3) accreditation is self-supporting.
The 2014-15 Budget: An Analysis of Local Libraries' Internet Speeds
March 27, 2014 - In this report, we assess the Governor's proposal to provide state funds for the California State Library to contract with the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) in an effort to increase Internet speeds at local libraries. We find that the Governor’s plan is unlikely to increase speeds at many libraries and lacks adequate cost information. We recommend the Legislature reject the Governor’s proposal and instead focus on improving existing state programs designed to increase Internet speeds for libraries as well as other entities.
Governor’s 2014-15 Assessment Proposals
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March 20, 2014 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
Overview of California's Academic Content Standards and Assessments
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March 18, 2014 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
An Overview of LCFF and Agricultural Education Grants
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March 18, 2014 - Presented to Senate Committee on Agriculture
Overview of New Funding and Accountability System (S)
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March 6, 2014 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 2 on Education
Review of School Transportation in California
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March 4, 2014 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
Overview of New Funding and Accountability System (A)
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March 4, 2014 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
Analysis of Education Mandates
February 26, 2014 - Traditionally, the state has reimbursed local educational agencies (LEAs) for performing mandated activities by requiring them to submit detailed documentation of their costs. In recent years, the state has tried to simplify this process by creating two alternative reimbursement structures. The reasonable reimbursement methodology (RRM) provides reimbursement for a particular mandate using a formula developed in a quasi-judicial forum. The education mandates block grants (one for schools and one for community colleges) provide reimbursement for all active education mandates using a per-student rate established in the budget. Whereas the rarely used RRM process has been very adversarial (once involving litigation) and resulted in long reimbursement delays, nearly all LEAs have chosen to participate in the block grants. Given their overlapping purposes and the comparative advantages of the block grants, we recommend the Legislature repeal the RRM for education mandates.
Overview of Proposition 98 Budget Proposals
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February 25, 2014 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
Review of School Transportation in California
February 25, 2014 - In 2013-14, the Legislature undertook a major restructuring of school finance but retained the state’s Home-to-School Transportation (HTST) program. Recognizing the need for additional reform, the Legislature asked our office to make recommendations for improving the state’s approach to funding school transportation. The state’s existing approach for allocating HTST funding is widely recognized as outdated and irrational. Given the problems with the state’s existing funding approach, we recommend the Legislature replace it with one of three alternatives. In the report, we describe and assess the trade-offs of the following three options: (1) fund transportation services within the new Local Control Funding Formula; (2) create a new, targeted program to help districts that face extraordinarily high transportation costs; and (3) create a broad-based program whereby the state pays a share of each district’s transportation costs. Any of the three options would be a notable improvement over the state’s current approach.
State Budget Update
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- PowerPoint
February 21, 2014 - Presented to the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association on February 21, 2014.
The 2014-15 Budget: Proposition 98 Education Analysis
February 14, 2014 - This report analyzes the Governor's 2014-15 Proposition 98 budget proposals. The Governor’s 2014-15 budget includes $11.8 billion in Proposition 98 spending increases (attributable to 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15). Of that amount, the Governor dedicates $6.7 billion to paying off outstanding one-time obligations and $5.1 billion for ongoing programmatic increases. We believe the Governor's plan is a reasonable mix of one-time and ongoing spending--eliminating the largest outstanding one-time obligation and significantly increasing ongoing programmatic support for schools and community colleges. The Governor's Proposition 98 wall of debt plan also includes a reasonable multiyear approach to paying off all outstanding school and community college obligations one year before the expiration of Proposition 30 revenues. Our report also analyzes the Governor's specific proposals for career technical education, student assessments, and independent study programs. Though we think these proposals generally have merit, we offer various recommendations for refining them.
How Are County Offices of Education (COEs) Funded Under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)?
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January 1, 2014 - How Are County Offices of Education (COEs) Funded Under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)? This is one in a set of issue briefs examining important questions about education funding in California.
How Are School Districts Funded Under The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)?
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January 1, 2014 - How Are School Districts Funded Under The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)? This is one of a series of issue briefs examining important questions about education funding in California.