The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - As a result of the pandemic, State Preschool enrollment experienced a significant decline of roughly 65,000 students in 2020 (Figure 3). While enrollment has increased since 2020, it remains significantly below pre‑pandemic levels.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

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 2022-23 Budget: Update on K-12 Student Attendance

May 11, 2022 - As Figure  4 shows, 55 of the 58 counties in California have experienced ADA declines during the pandemic. Of these 55  counties, 36 experienced two ‑year declines between 5  percent and 10  percent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4595

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Proposition 98 and K-12 Education

Nov 10, 2025 - The state provided non-Proposition  98 General Fund in 2023-24 ($3  million) and 2024-25 ($5  million) for this purpose. Funds Two Career Technical Education Projects. The budget provides $750,000 in non-Proposition  98 General Fund for two specific career technical education projects: $500,000 to the Career Technical Education Foundation of Sonoma County to
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5087

The 2025-26 Budget: Transitional Kindergarten

Feb 18, 2025 - Beginning in 2021 ‑22, districts can no longer collectively bargain larger class sizes for TK and must maintain average TK class sizes of 24 or less. (Charter schools receive the K ‑3 adjustment and are exempt from the class size requirement in grades K ‑3, but must comply with the requirement for TK.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4968

The 2024-25 Budget: The Governor’s Proposition 98 Funding Maneuver

Feb 15, 2024 - We estimate the administration addressed a $58  billion budget problem in the Governor ’s budget. Despite this significant deficit, there is a good chance that the administration ’s revenue projections are too low and the state will face an even larger budget problem in May.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4840

The 2024-25 Budget: Proposition 98 and K-12 Education

Feb 15, 2024 - The administration estimates lunches served will increase by 1  percent and breakfasts served will increase by 3  percent above 2022 ‑23 meals served. The Governor also proposes to backfill $12  million that was initially provided for 2023 ‑24 school meals, but was shifted to cover a shortfall in 2022 ‑23.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4839

The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Proposition 98

Oct 24, 2022 - Beginning in 2023-24, the add-on will annually increase at the same percentage as the statutory COLA. Unlike the existing K-3 add-on, districts cannot collectively bargain for higher TK staffing ratios.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4641

The 2025‑26 Budget: Fiscal Outlook for Schools and Community Colleges

Nov 20, 2024 - State Suspended the Proposition   98 Guarantee in 2023 ‑24. The June 2024 budget plan suspended the guarantee in 2023 ‑24 and approved $98.5   billion in funding for schools and community colleges. Although our estimate of General Fund revenue is up compared with the previous estimate, changes in revenue do not directly affect funding when the guarantee is suspended.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4940

The 2025-26 Budget: Proposition 98 Guarantee and K-12 Spending Plan

Feb 13, 2025 - Districts Spent $1.6   Billion Through 2023 ‑24 and Report Faster Spending in 2024 ‑25. The December 2024 interim reports show that districts spent $1.6  billion through the first two years of the program (2022 ‑23 and 2023 ‑24).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4963