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 - Ian Klein
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(916) 319-8336
University of California; College of the Law, San Francisco; California State Library - 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
Publications
Education
To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.
Categorical Reform Funding
- Format:
March 24, 2003 - Presented to the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on March 24, 2004.
Categorical Reform
- Format:
March 19, 2003 - Presented to the Senate Education Committee on March 19, 2003.
Analysis of the 2003-04 Budget Bill Overview of K-12 Education
- Format:
March 10, 2003 - Overview of the K-12 Education section of the 2003-04 Analysis of the Budget Bill. Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1.
Funding Higher Education Capital Outlay
February 19, 2003 - As in the past, we recommend the Legislature fund higher education capital outlay based on year-round operation, statewide priorities and criteria, reasonable construction cost guidelines, and appropriate utilization of existing facilities.
California Community Colleges Fees
February 19, 2003 - We believe that the level of the proposed CCC fee--which would remain the lowest in the nation--is reasonable. However, the Governor's proposal misses an opportunity to significantly increase federal financial aid to needy students. This could be achieved by increasing the proposed fee by $1 per unit.
Higher Education Financial Aid
February 19, 2003 - The Governor's budget would increase campus-specific financial aid programs at UC and CSU by about 60 percent. We recommend that the state instead provide additional funding for statewide financial aid programs that are open to all students, irrespective of the particular campus or system they select.
Higher Education Enrollment Growth
February 19, 2003 - We believe the Governor's proposed enrollment increase at UC and CSU far exceeds any reasonable projection of demand. We therefore recommend that budgeted enrollment at UC and CSU be increased by 4 percent rather than 7 percent. We recommend that the Legislature consider increasing enrollment funding at CCC by up to $100 million.
Higher Education Student Fees
February 19, 2003 - The Governor's budget assumes student fees will increase for the average full-time undergraduate student by $1,065 at UC, $468 at CSU, and $338 at CCC in 2003-04. We recommend increases that are about 40 percent smaller at UC and CSU. We also recommend the Legislature adopt an explicit fee policy requiring annual adjustments that are gradual and predictable.
LAO Alternative Higher Education Budget Proposal
February 19, 2003 - The Governor proposes a 9.8% General Fund saving in higher education. We outline the main features of an alternative that accomplishes this for the University of California, the California State University, and the Student Aid Commission.
Child Care and Development
February 19, 2003 - The Governor's proposal to shift responsibility for most child care programs from the state to counties deserves legislative consideration. This realignment would give counties the flexibility to use child care funds as part of an integrated county strategy to serve low-income families.
Instructional Materials
February 19, 2003 - We recommend that the Legislature enact legislation to allow materials adopted in the interim adoptions required under Chapter 481, Statutes of 1998 (AB 2519, Poochigian), to be recognized as standards-aligned materials for the purposes of eligibility for categorical programs.
Accountability
February 19, 2003 - We recommend that the Legislature take steps to integrate state and federal sanction and intervention programs to send a clear message of expectations to schools and districts. We recommend that state interventions be focused at the school district level and that the state intervene directly at only the lowest-performing schools.
Assessments
February 19, 2003 - We identify several areas where the Legislature could reduce the assessment burden on school districts while maintaining the state's emphasis on academic content and performance standards: the NRT portion of the STAR program, the primary language test, the Golden State Exams, and the physical fitness test.
Class Size Reduction
February 19, 2003 - We review recent research on class size reduction (CSR) which uncovered three major findings: (1) the effect of CSR on student achievement is inconclusive; (2) California's CSR program contributed to a decline in teacher quality; and (3) California's CSR program generated inequitable distribution of fully qualified teachers.