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

Mar 18, 2026 - Regarding the SPI, we recommend authorizing the position to undertake three main activities: (1)  representing the interests of the public, (2)  reporting on the condition of education and recommending improvements, and (3)  evaluating laws and programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

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

Feb 4, 2026 - The Proposition  98 reserve is particularly powerful because it (1)  can be accessed relatively quickly, (2)  can support any school or community college activities, and (3)  avoids disrupting district cash flow (unlike payment deferrals).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - The state provides families with subsidized child care through various child care and development programs ( Figure  1 ). Most  of the state ’s subsidized child care is administered by DSS through three programs: (1)  California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) child care, (2)  the California Alternative Payment Program (CAPP), and (3)  the General Child Care program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

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

Nov 10, 2025 - Of this amount, $145  million is to be used for (1)  kitchen upgrades, such as cooking equipment and refrigeration, to increase capacity for freshly prepared onsite meals; (2)  staffing and training costs related to implementing universal school meals; or (3)  procuring California-grown food.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5087

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding Share of Increase Coming From Base 80% — 36% Alternatives 2 and 3 Provide More Targeted Funding to Support High ‑Needs Students. As Figure   18 shows, compared to enrollment ‑based funding and alternative 1, alternatives 2  and  3 provide more of the funding increases through grants targeted for English learners, low ‑income students, and foster youth.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100

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

Nov 20, 2024 - Each test takes into account certain inputs, including General Fund revenue, per capita personal income, and student attendance ( Figure  1 ). Whereas Test 2 and Test  3 build upon the amount of funding provided the previous year, Test 1 links school funding to a minimum share of General Fund revenue.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4940

The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - (The funding increases also covered the costs of lowering the Tier 1 threshold and increasing minimum grant amounts.) Figure 6 ELOP Funding Tiers and Rates Over Time Tier 1 EL/LI Threshold Tier 1 Rate Per EL/LI Student Tier 2 Rate Per EL/LI Student 2021 ‑22
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

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

Feb 13, 2025 - Most of these proposals revolve around four programmatic areas: (1)  TK, (2)  literacy and math initiatives, (3)  teacher training and recruitment, and (4)  expanded learning (after school programs and summer programs).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4963

The 2026-27 Budget: Fiscal Outlook for Schools and Community Colleges

Nov 19, 2025 - During budget deliberations, the Legislature will likely want to consider (1)  how much to allocate for budget resiliency versus new one ‑time programs, (2)  whether additional one ‑time funding could complement any existing initiatives or programs, and (3)  how these funds could improve student outcomes or local budgets beyond the upcoming year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5093

The 2025-26 Budget: Transitional Kindergarten Multilingual Learner Screeners

Feb 26, 2025 - The proposal specifies that the screener must be (1)  developmentally appropriate for TK students; (2)  deemed adequate by technical experts; (3)  capable of administration by classroom teachers or aides to students; and (4)  capable of administration to any student, regardless of their primary language.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4990