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: Child Care and State Preschool

Mar 19, 2026 - Those programs offered by non ‑LEA providers (community ‑based organizations, county welfare departments, and cities) are funded with non ‑Proposition  98 General  Fund. Child Care Programs Must Comply With Certain Federal Requirements.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5168

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