The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - School staff often do not have the skills or experience to implement key aspects of the community schools model, such as improving community eng agement and building partnerships with other local organizations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - The Constitution sets forth three main tests (formulas) for calculating the Proposition  98 guarantee. Test   1 —the most commonly used test over the past 15 years —is based on a share of General Fund revenue and is unaffected by attendance.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - In 2023‑24 and 2024‑25, the state made one‑time reductions to the program in recognition that funding provided exceeded the amount necessary to fund all State Preschool contracts. Child Care and State Preschool Reimbursement Rates in Transition.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

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

Feb 4, 2026 - For any given year, the relationship between revenues and the guarantee depends on which Proposition  98 test is operative and whether another test could become operative with different inputs. In 2025 ‑26 and 2026 ‑27, Test 1 is likely to remain operative even if revenues or other inputs vary significantly from the Governor ’s budget estimates.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110

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

Mar 18, 2026 - (The Legislature considered another measure to make the SPI an appointed position in 2023, but this proposal [AC A 9 by Assembly Member McCarty] was withdrawn by its author.) Six Major Studies Have Examined Governance Over the Last 30 Years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165