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.
Mental Health Services for Special Education Pupils
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend the Legislature set aside funding for the AB 3632 program mandate--"Services to Handicapped Students"--pending development of a new program of county mental health services for special education pupils.
Partnership for Excellence
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend that the Legislature either end or modify the Partnership for Excellence (PFE) experiment, which provides supplementary funding to community colleges in exchange for their commitment to improve certain student outcomes.
The University of California's K-12 Outreach Programs
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February 20, 2002 - The state administers a number of K-12 outreach programs that focus on preparing students from disadvantaged backgrounds for college. We find that for a variety of reasons these programs may not be achieving their goals. We review these programs and recommend steps for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.
Expand Competitive Cal Grant Programs by Pooling State Funds
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend expansion of the competitive Cal Grant programs by redirecting state funds from certain financial aid programs at the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU). This would help create a statewide financial aid system that is more efficient and objective.
Student Fee Policy Needed
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend that the Legislature enact in statute a consistent fee policy that provides for an appropriate sharing of educational costs between students and the state, and which preserves student access to higher education.
Accountability and Low-Performing Schools
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February 20, 2002 - We discuss the state's school accountability system, with emphasis on aspects of the system concerned with improving performance at so-called "low-performing" schools. We also discuss challenges posed for the state's accountability efforts by recent changes in federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization.
Instructional, Library, and Science Materials
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend that the Legislature (1) redirect $625 million requested for the "Instructional Materials Realignment Initiative" to our recommended Academic Improvement Block Grant and (2) deny requested advance appropriations totaling $1.95 billion for fiscal years 2003-04 through 2006-07.
Reforming Categorical Program Funding
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend that the Legislature consolidate 51 K-12 programs into five categorical block grants, because greater local flexibility should lead to increased efficiency and effectiveness in meeting specified educational needs.
Discretionary Funds
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend that, to the extent funds are available, the Legislature provide budget-year funding to continue revenue limit equalization ($42 million) and a reduced Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) offset to revenue limits ($36 million) because these programs (1) provide general purpose funds to local education agencies (LEAs) and (2) meet important legislative priorities.
Teacher Support and Development
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend the Legislature consolidate 18 existing programs and create a new formula-based block grant to increase local flexibility and effectiveness is supporting teacher development. The block grant would provide a total of $722 million of Proposition 98 funds that school districts could use for teacher support and professional development activities.
Proposition 98 Mandates
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February 20, 2002 - We discuss the implications of the proposal in the Governor's Budget to delay reimbursement of the $66.7 million budget-year appropriation for the School Bus Safety II mandate and suspend six other education mandates.
Public Employees' Retirement System Deferral
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February 20, 2002 - The Legislature's action regarding the budget's proposal to defer employer contributions to the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) has important implications for the Legislature's efforts to craft a K-14 education budget.
K-14 Education Priorities Proposition 98
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February 20, 2002 - A crucial issue is posed for the Legislature by a potential General Fund increase needed for Proposition 98 of about $825 million. We discuss ways for the Legislature to act strategically in response to this challenge, in order to minimize impacts on non-Proposition 98 programs, yet still meet important K-14 education priorities.
Funding Higher Education Capital Outlay
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February 20, 2002 - We recommend the Legislature provide funding for higher education capital outlay based on statewide priorities and criteria, using reasonable construction cost guidelines, and based on year-round operation. We also recommend the Legislature consider the extent to which existing buildings at a campus are underutilized when making capital outlay funding decisions, and consider UC research revenue as a primary source of funding for UC research facilities.