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

Mar 18, 2026 - In 1912, the voters amended the Constitution to remove the SBE ’s ex officio members and allow the Legislature to determine the selection process. The Legislature subsequently decided to make the SBE consist of the Governor ’s appointees.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - Each statewide indicator is linked to one of eight state priority areas. Outcomes from standardized tests, for example, are part of the student achievement priority area, while chronic absenteeism is one of two indicators (along with the high school graduation rate) used to measure student engagement.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - Figure 2 shows the total number of subsidized child care slots, as well as total funding, since 2018‑19. Statutory intent language associated with the multiyear agreement would require an additional 44,000 slots in 2026‑27 and 33,000 in 2027‑28.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - (These are known as Tier 2 rates.) From 2022 ‑23 through 2024 ‑25, the state appropriation remained at $4  billion annually, while the Tier 1 rate and overall Tier 1 TK ‑6 attendance increased. As a result, funding available for Tier 2 rates decreased.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

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

Feb 4, 2026 - Instead, we recommend (1)  making a larger deposit into the Proposition  98 Reserve, and (2)  adopting trailer legislation that automatically reduces the deposit if the 2025 ‑26 guarantee declines relative to May estimates.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110