Policy Brief Policy Brief: Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding By Julien Lafortune, Joseph Herrera, Niu Gao, Stephanie Barton Sep 6, 2023 The Local Control Funding Formula gives California districts additional funds for low-income and other high-need students as well as flexibility around how to spend this money. But this flexibility has raised concerns over whether districts are spending in ways that reach the high-need students and schools who generate the added funds.
blog post California’s Leading Role in Providing Criminal Defense to the Poor By Heather Harris Mar 16, 2023 This week is the 60th anniversary of a landmark US Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to legal representation for defendants in state criminal courts, regardless of their ability to pay. We look at California’s approach to indigent defense and how it has changed over time.
blog post Funding Measures and the June Ballot By Patrick Murphy, Radhika Mehlotra, Jennifer Paluch Jun 11, 2018 In the June primary, Californians voted on a variety of measures ranging from parcel taxes to bridge tolls to cannabis taxes—and most of them passed.
Report California School District Revenue and Student Poverty: Moving Toward a Weighted Pupil Funding Formula By Heather Rose, Margaret Weston Feb 21, 2013 Governor Brown has proposed a new funding system—known as a weighted pupil formula—that would direct more revenue to California school districts serving many economically disadvantaged students. This report examines the relationship between funding and student disadvantage and addresses questions about converting the current school finance system to a weighted pupil formula. We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Silver Giving Foundation and the Stuart Foundation.
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.
blog post Drought Watch: Roadblocks to Efficient Funding By Ellen Hanak, Caitrin Chappelle Mar 13, 2014 This is part of a continuing series on the impact of the drought.Looming legal challenges may limit the ability of local agencies to make continued investments in modern, integrated water management—investments that would better prepare us for population growth, climate change, and future droughts.
blog post Funding Special Education By Linda Strean Dec 6, 2016 A well-attended Sacramento event focused on the way the special education finance system works now in California and on PPIC’s recommendations to change it.
event Implementing California’s School Funding Formula Mar 13, 2015 About the ProgramCalifornia is making major changes in the way it funds K‒12 education. Senior fellow Laura Hill will provide an overview of new PPIC research on key issues and elements of the Local Control Funding Formula and Local Control and Accountability Plan. PPIC director of research Patrick Murphy will moderate a panel discussion of the implementation challenges that lie ahead. This research was supported with funding from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and the Silver Giving Foundation.
event District Spending of One-Time Funds for Educational Recovery Jul 11, 2023 To address COVID-19 disruptions to education, federal and state programs directed billions in stimulus aid to K–12 schools, targeting greater funding to lower-income and high-need districts. PPIC researcher Julien Lafortune will present findings from a report that examines California’s funding allocations and key areas of district spending; coauthor Bruce Fuller, a professor of education and public policy at UC Berkeley, will lead a panel discussion on district strategies for learning recovery.
blog post How Are School Districts Spending Their LCFF Dollars? By Julien Lafortune Sep 11, 2019 Six years after California revamped K-12 school funding, a PPIC study looks at how effectively dollars are being targeted to the highest-need students.
