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

Mar 18, 2026 - Considering Adding Legislative Appointees to the SBE. The Legislature could consider adding two legislative appointees to the SBE. These appointees could enable greater legislative oversight of the new governance system and ensure the SBE ’s policies are consistent with legislative intent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

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

Feb 4, 2026 - The proposal effectively shifts that cost from this year to future budgets —helping address the current budget problem on a one ‑time basis, but adding to the large budget deficits the state is projecting over the next several years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - Federal Government Attempted to Freeze Funding Used for Child Care. On January 6, 2026, the federal administration announced that it would freeze $10  billion in grant funding going to five states due to concerns about improper use of federal funds.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

The 2026-27 Budget: Computer Science Supplementary Authorization

Mar 6, 2026 - These funds may be used to cover the costs of coursework and instructional materials necessary for completing the authorizations. To date, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) has administered nine rounds of funding and awarded a total of $3.03  million.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5153

The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - Trailer legislation specifies that this freed up funding could be used to provide grants to new community schools. The administration ind icates it plans to modify this part of the proposal in the May Revision and may allow funds to be used for a broader set of activities related to community  schools.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - Enrollment Count Methodology If State Switches to Enrollment, Recommend Using Enrollment Averaged Across the School Year. If the state switches to an enrollment ‑based student count, we recommend the state use enrollment averaged across the school year, similar to how ADA is currently calculated.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100