Fact Sheet Paying for California’s Water System By Caitrin Chappelle, Ellen Hanak, Annabelle Rosser May 26, 2021 Most funding for California’s water system comes from local water bills and taxes. During droughts and recessions, revenues decline, making it harder for water agencies to keep up with needed investments.
blog post Federal Action—or Inaction—Will Shape California’s Recovery By Sarah Bohn, Dean Bonner, Vicki Hsieh, Julien Lafortune Dec 10, 2020 State policymakers have many options for helping promote an equitable recovery from the current downturn. But federal policy choices will have an outsized impact on California’s workers and families, especially in the short term.
blog post 2020 Primary: Funding Higher Education Facilities By Patrick Murphy, Radhika Mehlotra, Kevin Cook Oct 24, 2019 A bond measure that will appear on the March 2020 statewide ballot would provide $15 billion to upgrade education buildings and facilities, including $6 billion for higher education.
Report Financing Higher Education Capital Projects By Patrick Murphy, Radhika Mehlotra, Kevin Cook Dec 5, 2018 Aging infrastructure should be a major priority as California seeks to produce more college-educated workers. Modernizing and maintaining facilities at the state’s community colleges, CSU, and UC could cost billions of dollars, with each system facing its own unique challenges.
blog post Paying for Water’s “Fiscal Orphans” By Lori Pottinger Jul 9, 2018 Bonds don’t currently cover ongoing expenses for the projects they fund. We talked to Dean Misczynski about his proposal to change that.
blog post New Laws Strengthen State’s Water Safety Net By Ellen Hanak, Henry McCann Oct 5, 2016 Several new laws will help communities lacking reliable access to safe and affordable drinking water.
Report School Finance By Margaret Weston Nov 14, 2012 There is broad consensus that California's school finance system is inequitable, inadequate, and overly complex. In response to these critiques, this year Governor Jerry Brown proposed an overhaul of our school finance system. Also, two initiatives on the November ballot asked voters to increase education funding through tax increases: voters approved Proposition 30, which was integral to the governor's budget plan, and rejected Proposition 38, a citizens' initiative. Despite the passage of Proposition 30, California faces many school finance challenges. This report provides an overview of the state's school finance system and outlines some longstanding school finance issues that may be in play next year.
Report California’s English Learner Students By Laura Hill Sep 6, 2012 English Learner (EL) students in California’s schools are numerous and diverse, and they lag behind their native-English-speaking peers. Closing the achievement gap for EL students has been a long-standing goal for California educators, and there are some signs of success. Now that EL funding and curriculum issues are receiving a fresh level of scrutiny from decisionmakers in Sacramento, it is important to assess our understanding of this diverse group, highlight the opportunities to improve policies around demonstrating mastery of English, calibrate funding formulas involving EL students, and implement new curriculum standards thoughtfully.
