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

Mar 18, 2026 - Many of these changes will need to occur as a new Governor and new SPI are taking office. The complexity of the transition, however, is not by itself a reason to avoid making improvements. Further Governance Changes Could Be Warranted.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - In addition, some schools that would receive funding under the Governor ’s proposal may have been able to sustain their programs without new ongoing funding. Design and Scope of Proposed New Program New Grantees Would Have Few Requirements Until 2029 ‑30.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - In 2021, the state increased rates and shifted most providers to the RMR, then began the process of developing a new child care reimbursement rate structure for all child care and State Preschool providers.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

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

Feb 4, 2026 - Overall Structure Contains Nearly $9.7   Billion in New School Spending Proposals. Of the new spending, the Governor proposes to allocate more than $5.9  billion for one ‑time activities and $3.7  billion for ongoing augmentations ( Figure  7 ).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110

The 2026-27 Budget: Re-Envisioning State Education Governance [Publication Details]

Mar 18, 2026 - In this brief, we examine the Governor’s proposal to restructure state governance. The first section explains how the current system evolved and describes the main entities and their responsibilities. The second section reviews previous governance studies and explains how governance works in other contexts.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5165

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - If the Legislature is interested in transitioning to an enrollment ‑based model, it will also want to consider changes to other existing programs and policies to ensure they are aligned with the new funding approach, as well as additional actions to mitigate potential negative effects on student  attendance.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100