Lempert, T., Tran, S., Brown, D., & Aguilar, E. (2014, February). Local Control Funding Formula 101: Understanding the new school funding system. [PowerPoint slides]. Oakland, CA: Children Now. Available at http://www.childrennow.org/files/5514/4311/0603/LCFF101-Webinar-020714.pdf
As part of Children Now’s webinar series on community engagement, this PowerPoint presentation focuses on ways in which the LCFF creates a more equitable, flexible, and accountable law for California’s education resource allocation system. In addition, the slides summarize the state plans to distribute funding under LCFF and provides diagrams comparing previous models of categorical and revenue limit funding against key shifts brought by LCFF, including supplemental funding, concentration funding, and the formula’s new method for impacting high needs students. In order to meet LCFF’s demands for accountability, the law requires districts to develop (with stakeholder engagement) and adopt a three-year district-wide LCAP. Unlike previous resource allocation plans, the LCAP will link directly to the entire district budget and to outcomes. The presentation concludes with next steps for districts and communities alike to engage with LCFF effectively for maximum equity and accountability.
Local Control and Accountability Plan and Annual Update Template, California Department of Education, Chapter 14.5, Subchapter 1. §15497 (2014).
Districts, county offices of education, and charter schools must use this template—approved by the California State Board of Education (SBE) in January 2014—to describe goals within each of the state priority areas and plans to achieve those goals for all pupils and subgroups. With the aid of guiding questions embedded in the template, local education agencies (LEAs) must describe the process used to engage stakeholders in development of their LCAP. For each goal in the plan, LEAs must identify applicable pupil subgroups, schools affected, the related state and local priorities, and metrics used to measure progress. LEAs also must describe how they will use funds generated by the number and concentration of low income students, English Learners, and foster youth to provide increased or improved services for these pupils in proportion to the increase in funding.
Local Control Funding Formula Spending Regulations for Supplemental and Concentrated Grants, California Department of Education, Chapter 14.5, Subchapter 1. § 15494 - § 15496 (2014). Available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/documents/lcffamendemrgncyregs.doc
These regulations, adopted by the SBE in January 2014, outline requirements for LEAs to demonstrate increased or improved services for targeted students in proportion to the increase in funds they generate through LCFF. (Targeted students include the unduplicated counts and concentrations of low income students, English Learners, and foster youth in each LEA.) In their LCAPs, LEAs must describe how they will meet these requirements and justify how any uses of these funds on school-, district-, or county-wide programs are the most effective way of meeting its goals for these students.
Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999, California Department of Education, § 6.1-52060, § 6.1-52062-52063, § 52051.5-52052, § 6.5-49085 (2013). Available at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/.html/edc_table_of_contents.html
These selections from the California Education Code include key elements of the LCFF and LCAP implementation requirements. In order of appearance, the selections delineate the requirement for community engagement (52062 & 52063), the requirement for a LCAP linked to the district budget (52060), the state priorities that LEAs are required to address in the LCAP and the ability to adopt additional local priorities (52052), and the requirement to share foster youth data among state agencies (49085).