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

Mar 18, 2026 - In either case, it would likely want separate appointments for the Assembly and Senate so that each house could choose a board member to represent its interests. Conclusion State Governance Is Ripe for Reform.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

The 2025-26 Budget: Educator Workforce

Mar 7, 2025 - Under more modest program growth of 20  percent annually, existing funding would fully cover grants for interested teachers through 2025 ‑26. In addition, some of the funding that has already been set aside could become available in 2025 ‑26 if a significant number of awardees do not complete the National Board certification process and/or do not work in a priority school for the maximum five years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5012

The 2026-27 Budget: Re-Envisioning State Education Governance [Publication Details]

Mar 18, 2026 - In this brief, we examine the Governor’s proposal to restructure state governance. The first section explains how the current system evolved and describes the main entities and their responsibilities. The second section reviews previous governance studies and explains how governance works in other contexts.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5165

The 2025-26 Budget: Educator Workforce [Publication Details]

Mar 7, 2025 - In this brief, we assess the Governor’s 2025-26 educator workforce proposals and provide associated recommendations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5012

Analyzing Recent Changes to State Support for Fiscally Distressed Districts

Dec 20, 2018 - Local school boards are the ones tasked with keeping their districts in good fiscal health. These boards are to balance their district budgets each year, even when —especially when —doing so requires difficult trade ‑offs and decisions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3914

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - Based on conversations with the State Board of Education, our understanding is that the state excluded high school absenteeism rates as part of its negotiations with the federal government to ensure compliance with federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100

The 2026-27 Budget: Computer Science Supplementary Authorization

Mar 6, 2026 - Only one-fifth of the amount available has been awarded after nine rounds of funding, suggesting school districts have little interest in this program. The administration ’s proposed changes are intended to increase demand by increasing the grant amount per teacher.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5153

Review of the Funding Determination Process for Nonclassroom-Based Charter Schools

Feb 29, 2024 - In most cases, an interested group looking to establish a charter submits its petition to the local governing board of the school district where the charter school will be located. In 2023 ‑24, districts authorize 83  percent of active charter schools.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4870

The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - Some schools also reported making changes in their curriculum so that instruction better reflects the culture, experiences , and interests of students. Model Can Be Challenging to Initiate and Sustain.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

Evaluation of the School District of Choice Program

Jan 27, 2016 - A distinguishing feature of the District of Choice program is the requirement for a participating district to accept all interested students up to the number specified in its board resolution. The law explicitly prohibits giving any consideration to academic or athletic performance or to the cost of educating a student.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3331