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

Mar 18, 2026 - Governance becomes even more blurred in areas where the SPI shares authority with one of the smaller agencies. As Policy Analysis for California Education explained in 2025, “this fragmented, disjointed structure reflects the complexity of California ’s TK ‑12 system, where multiple entities operate independently, often with overlapping responsibilities. ” Muddled Direction to Schools.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5165

The 2026-27 Budget: K-12 Proposals

Feb 19, 2026 - The R ‑TACs have provided a wide range of technical assistance to schools, including assisting in conducting asset mapping and community needs assessments and offering communities of practice, where groups of schools implementing the model can share best practices.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5131

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

Feb 4, 2026 - Given the significant risks to state revenue estimates, we recommend the Legislature begin preparing for scenarios where the guarantee falls short of the Governor ’s budget estimates. For example, our November General Fund revenue estimates for 2026 ‑27 were about $20  billion lower than the administration ’s estimates for that year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5110

Assessing a Shift to Enrollment-Based School Funding

Jan 6, 2026 - The  Legislature also could consider maintaining the existing reporting time lines, where districts must submit data three times a year. Consistent with current practices related to ADA, we recommend any new enrollment count be subject to annual  audits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5100

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

Nov 10, 2025 - This new funding is to provide one-time grants of up to $10,000 to students in teacher preparation programs who commit to working at a priority school (a school where at least 55  percent of students are EL/LI).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5087

The 2025-26 Budget: Educator Workforce

Mar 7, 2025 - LEAs are eligible to apply for funding if they have schools where at least 90  percent of students are EL/LI, or rural schools where at least 75  percent of students are EL/LI. Unlike the LCRS program, LEAs must apply for these grants.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5012

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

Feb 13, 2025 - Districts are eligible to receive funding for schools where at least 90  percent of students are EL/LI (rural schools qualify if at least 75  percent of students are EL/LI). In addition, the Governor proposes $235  million to support literacy programs, coaches, and interventions at schools where at least 94  percent of students are EL/LI.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4963

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - Two key areas where these savings have eroded are in the managed care organization (MCO) tax package and reductions to state operations. These are described in the box below. The forthcoming Appendix 1 will also provide a full list of the solutions from the 2024 ‑25 budget package that generate savings in 2025 ‑26.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

Review of the Funding Determination Process for Nonclassroom-Based Charter Schools

Feb 29, 2024 - Over the past decade, there have been a few cases where fraudulent activity or misuse of public funds were found in nonclassroom ‑based charter schools. One  notable recent case is related to the A3 charter school network, where the schools were found to have fabricated attendance data that resulted in generating roughly $400  million in state funding through attendance fraud.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4870

The 2025-26 Budget: California State University

Feb 25, 2025 - All Fellows are paid the same salary, regardless of where they are based. Fellows also receive medical, dental and vision benefits; a $875 one ‑time moving allowance; and student loan deferment. Fellows Participate in Two Graduate Seminars During the Fellowship.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4989