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
Publications
Education
To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.
Review of School Districts' 2014-15 Local Control and Accountability Plans
January 20, 2015 - This report examines Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) for 50 school districts to evaluate whether they reflect thoughtful strategic planning and meet statutory requirements. We find that fulfilling all of the statutory LCAP requirements is a challenging undertaking for districts. Requiring districts to cover every area required in statute—regardless of local conditions—reduces the time and energy districts can spend on areas in need of greatest attention. We recommend the Legislature allow districts to focus their plans on their highest priority areas rather than require them to address all eight state-specified priority areas. We also find that the information in districts’ LCAPs related to the services they will provide to EL/LI students is often unclear and difficult to understand. We recommend several changes that would improve the quality of this information. We also recommend the Legislature clarify the metrics districts can include in their plans. Additionally, we recommend the state disseminate model LCAPs to help districts improve their plans moving forward.
Snapshot of Internet Usage in Schools
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- HTML
January 13, 2015 - Provides information about schools’ Internet speeds, service providers, and the number of devices per student.
An Overview of Internet in Schools
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January 7, 2015 - Describes key aspects of schools’ Internet connections, including physical infrastructure, connection speeds, Internet service providers, devices used to display Internet content, and networking equipment.
California's Fiscal Outlook
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- PowerPoint
December 15, 2014 - Presented to California School Boards Association, Annual Education Conference
California's Fiscal Outlook
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- PowerPoint
November 20, 2014 - Presented to: California Association of School Business Officials
The 2015-16 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook
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- Press Conf
- Infographic
November 19, 2014 - The 20th annual edition of the LAO's Fiscal Outlook—a look at possible state revenue and spending trends over the next five years—reflects anticipated progress in building budget reserves under the recently approved Proposition 2. Specifically, absent new budget commitments, we estimate the state would end 2015-16 with $4.2 billion in total reserves, $2 billion of which would result from Proposition 2's new reserve rules. A $4 billion reserve would mark significant progress for the state, but maintaining such a reserve in 2015-16 would mean little or no new spending commitments outside of Proposition 98, the funding formula for schools and community colleges. Our higher General Fund revenue estimates translate to $6.4 billion available in 2015-16 for the state's Proposition 98 priorities. The report also discusses choices facing the state in implementing Proposition 2, such as choices about which budgetary and retirement debts to repay with dedicated Proposition 2 funds over the next 15 years.
Review of the California Department of Education
August 28, 2014 - The core responsibility of the California Department of Education (CDE) is to administer federal and state education programs. Our review found the department currently is adequately positioned to fulfill this core mission. We also found, however, that the scope of CDE’s responsibilities—and the associated need for staff and funding—change frequently based on shifting state and federal policies. In order to maintain the department's capacity to meet its responsibilities, we recommend the Legislature ensure that additional responsibilities placed on CDE in the future are paired with additional resources. Similarly, should the Legislature notably reduce CDE’s responsibilities, we recommend it make a conforming reduction to associated CDE positions and funding. We also believe CDE could find ways to make its existing services more valuable to districts and integrate state and federal accountability activities. Finally, we recommend that the Legislature repeal some CDE reporting requirements that provide limited value.
Proposition 98: Overview of Conference Issues
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June 4, 2014 - Presented to: Budget Conference Committee
High School Career Technical Education: Overview of Conference Issues
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June 4, 2014 - Presented to: Budget Conference Committee
Proposition 98: May Revision Overview
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May 15, 2014 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
Review of School Transportation in California
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May 8, 2014 - Presented to: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education Finance
Child Nutrition
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May 1, 2014 - Presented to: Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education
Local Libraries' Internet Services
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April 29, 2014 - Presented to Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education
Commission on Teacher Credentialing
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April 29, 2014 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance
Local Libraries' Internet Services
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April 23, 2014 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Education Finance