Staff
- Sara Cortez
-
(916) 319-8348
Special Education, Preschool, Child Nutrition, and Facilities - Kenneth Kapphahn
-
(916) 319-8339
Proposition 98, School District Budgets, School Transportation - Lisa Qing
-
(916) 319-8306
California Community Colleges - Michael Alferes
-
(916) 319-8338
Local Control Funding Formula, Charter Schools, Alternative Schools, High School Career Technical Education - Natalie Gonzalez
-
(916) 319-8320
California State University, Student Financial Aid - Dylan Hawksworth-Lutzow
-
(916) 319-8308
Child Care, Expanded Learning, Teachers, and Education Technology - Edgar Cabral
-
(916) 319-8343
Deputy Legislative Analyst: K-12 Education - Jennifer Pacella
-
(916) 319-8332
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Higher Education
Publications
Education
To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.
Public Employees' Retirement System Deferral
- Format:
- HTML
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
- Format:
- HTML
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
- Format:
- HTML
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.
Building Standards in Higher Education
January 31, 2002 - We find that three key types of building standards are not being used uniformly by the three segments of higher education. This has resulted in construction costs that are higher than necessary and possible over-statement of facilities needs. As a result, we recommend various improvements to make standards more useful to the Legislature.
Letter on the General Fund's Projected Condition
- Format:
May 9, 2001 - We estimate that General Fund revenues will be $3.4 billion less than estimated by the Governor for the current and budget years combined. In addition, we discuss the amount of one-time and ongoing spending reductions that would be needed to keep the budget in balance and the fiscal implications of funding Proposition 98 under our updated estimates.
A New Blueprint for California School Facility Finance
May 1, 2001 - When the state issues a bond to pay part of the cost of constructing and remodeling schools, school districts are unsure when and how much funding will be available, or what rules will govern eligibility. We recommend that the state identify the average cost of providing educational facilities and provide a share of this amount to every school district as an annual, per-pupil, facilities grant.
The Cal Grant Program
- Format:
- HTML
February 21, 2001 - We describe the Cal Grant Program which is providing grant aid to over 152,000 college and vocational education students in 2000-01.
Part-Time Faculty Issues: Changing the Focus to Education Outputs
- Format:
- HTML
February 21, 2001 - We recommend the Legislature provide local community college districts with the authority to allocate faculty resources to meet local campus needs, while it continues to hold districts accountable for improving student outcomes.
Update on Year-Round Instruction at UC and CSU
- Format:
- HTML
February 21, 2001 - We discuss the specific actions the Legislature has recently taken to encourage UC and CSU to expand their summer terms, discuss the Governor's proposal to expand summer terms, and identify options for increasing the incentive UC and CSU have to expand summer enrollments as quickly as possible.
Child Care and Development
- Format:
- HTML
February 21, 2001 - The 2001-02 Governor's Budget proposes $2.1 billion from the General Fund and federal funds for child care and child development programs--$1.4 billion General Fund and $756 million federal funds--in the State Department of Education (SDE).
Longer Middle School Year
- Format:
- HTML
February 21, 2001 - Research shows that extending the school year has limited to no effect on student achievement. We recommend redirecting the proposed $100 million for a longer school year, along with other savings, to a block grant for disadvantaged middle schools and high schools.
Disadvantaged Schools Block Grant
- Format:
- HTML
February 21, 2001 - Research shows that extending the school year has limited to no effect on student achievement. We recommend redirecting the proposed $100 million for a longer school year, along with other savings, to a block grant for disadvantaged middle schools and high schools.
Professional Development For K-12 Teachers
- Format:
- HTML
February 21, 2001 - The Governor proposes a greatly expanded effort over the next three years to train nearly all the state's K-12 teachers. We recommend an approach that better accounts for existing programs and provides a more realistic implementation time frame, while saving $235 million in 2001-02