The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - Many Schools Report Key Changes in Practices. Information gathered by CDE from annual progress reports demonstrate that many schools in the first cohort of grantees made key changes through implementing the community schools model.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - The administration has yet to provide key details, such as grant amounts, the allowable uses of funding, and time lines for when funding would be awarded. We recommend the Legislature request additional information from the administration regarding key elements of the infrastructure grant proposal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

The 2026-27 Budget: Re-Envisioning State Education Governance

Mar 18, 2026 - This process would provide key legislative oversight for the selection of the education commissioner, as is currently the case with most other heads of state departments. Through the confirmation process, the Legislature could better understand the commissioner ’s credentials, past employment history, and key priorities for leading the department.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - (As we discuss in the nearby box, the Legislature could consider changes to improve another key tool used to focus efforts on student attendance: the California school dashboard chronic absenteeism indicator.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100

Overview of K-12 Career Technical Education

Mar 25, 2025 - Key differences  include: Grant Allocation. Although both programs award grant amounts primarily based on a grantee ’s student attendance, there are differences in how awards are made under each program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5021

The 2025-26 Budget: Expanded Learning Opportunities Program

Feb 20, 2025 - We  identify several key problems with ELOP that the Legislature might want to address before expanding the program. Proposal Would Affect Districts That Enroll About One ‑Quarter of California ’s Students.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4977

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposition 98 Guarantee and K-12 Spending Plan

Feb 4, 2026 - Proposition   98 Reserve Is a Key Tool for Protecting Programs. The state has multiple tools that can make school and community college programs more resilient against risk and volatility. The Proposition  98 reserve is particularly powerful because it (1)  can be accessed relatively quickly, (2)  can support any school or community college activities, and (3)  avoids disrupting district cash flow (unlike payment deferrals).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding [Publication Details]

Jan 6, 2026 - Chapter 442 of 2024 (SB 98, Portantino) requires our office to report on the effects of changing the student count methodology of the Local Control Funding Formula and other K-12 education programs from average daily attendance to student enrollment.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5100

Overview of Special Education Funding Models

Dec 17, 2021 - Framework for Evaluating Special Education Funding Models Framework Focuses on Three Key Criteria. Based on our review of the academic literature, we developed the simplified framework shown in Figure  2 that describes three key criteria for evaluating special education funding models.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4486

The 2026-27 Budget: Fiscal Outlook for Schools and Community Colleges

Nov 19, 2025 - Key Considerations Funding Estimates for 2026‑27 and Beyond State Would Have Just Enough Funding to Cover COLA. Figure  10 shows our estimate of the funding available for new commitments in 2026 ‑27.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5093