The 2021-22 Budget: School Mental Health

Feb 12, 2021 - As a result, existing partnerships are better positioned to apply for the matching funds. Number of Projects Likely to Receive Matching Funds Is Uncertain. Because the proposal requires CDE to match eligible projects dollar for dollar, a handful of large counties with high ‑cost projects could receive the matching grants and entirely exhaust all available funding.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4368

The 2026-27 Budget: Computer Science Supplementary Authorization

Mar 6, 2026 - However, based on our analysis, the $5,000 teachers receive under the current grants —$2,500 from the state and $2,500 from the district match —are sufficient to cover the costs of obtaining an authorization.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5153

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

Feb 4, 2026 - The state, however, cannot predict the timing of such a decline. The potential forecasting errors are larger in 2026 ‑27 than in 2025 ‑26 because the 2026 ‑27 estimates must make assumptions further into the future, and the state does not yet have any tax collection data for the year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110

Overview of K-12 Career Technical Education

Mar 25, 2025 - Grantees that receive funding from both programs must set aside local matching funds for each program, as funding from one program cannot be counted as a local match for the other. (Both programs allow grantees to use other CTE categorical funding as a local match.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5021

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - Overall, our analysis finds that shifting to enrollment ‑based funding would be somewhat more predictable and reduce some administrative burdens for LEAs, but likely would have a negative effect on student attendance over the long run.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100

A Review of the CalSTRS Funding Plan: Funding Plan May Not Meet Principle of “Shared Responsibility”

Feb 2, 2016 - As we described in our second post , the funding plan—as implemented—makes the state responsible for an estimate of what CalSTRS’ unfunded liabilities would be today if the state had made different decisions about teacher pensions in the past.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3337

The 2019-20 Budget: Proposition 98 Outlook

Nov 14, 2018 - Inflation ‑adjusted teacher/faculty compensation for both school districts and colleges also is higher today compared to 2007 ‑08 (the pre ‑recession level). Pension Rates and Costs Have Been Growing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3897

Analyzing Recent Changes to State Support for Fiscally Distressed Districts

Dec 20, 2018 - Providing Grants Undermines Predictability of Oversight Process. The state ’s traditional oversight process requires districts to follow a predictable series of steps before seeking state support. By contrast, the state ’s recent actions create precedent for aiding districts at unscheduled times and for unspecified reasons.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3914

The 2025-26 Budget: Expanded Learning Opportunities Program

Feb 20, 2025 - This  structure provides a great degree of predictability for Tier 1 districts and for state costs, but results in a highly variable Tier  2 rate. In  the last three years, the Tier 2 rate has decreased 23  percent (from $2,054 to $1,580).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4977

A Review of the CalSTRS Funding Plan: CalSTRS Funding Plan Relies on Abstract Calculation

Feb 2, 2016 - (The calculation also excludes the effects of pension change legislation passed in 2012 known as “PEPRA. ”) If the state had made these different decisions in the past, the calculation shows that CalSTRS ’ unfunded liability would be smaller today.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3333