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

Mar 18, 2026 - Introduction California operates the nation ’s largest public school system, comprising 937 school districts, 1,257 charter schools, and 58 county offices of education. This year, these local agencies will educate nearly 5.8  million students, employ around 700,000 teachers and staff, and spend nearly $150  billion.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - As Figure  6 shows, the ELOP implementing legislation established two funding rates that account for TK ‑6 attendance and vary based on the proportion of a school district or charter school ’s students who are English learners or from low ‑income families (EL/LI).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - 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. The freeze affected Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), CCDF, and the Social Services Block grant.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

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

Feb 4, 2026 - Figure  6 summarizes the usual schedule for these revisions and settle ‑up payments. From an accounting perspective, settle ‑up payments are always scored to the year in which the guarantee increased, rather than to the year the state disburses the payment to schools.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110