SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:
LAO calls for Title I-like compliance on extra state money for disadvantaged
To better ensure school districts spend billions of dollars in support of disadvantaged students – as proposed by the governor – lawmakers should adopt compliance requirements similar to the federal Title I program, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst recommended late last week.The suggestion is one of many contained in an overall favorable review of Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to replace the state’s existing system for funding K-12 schools with a formula that is far less complex and convoluted.
Brown’s proposal, which failed to win support last year, is aimed at streamlining the system by removing spending restrictions on some $6.1 billion in categorical money and bundling it with general revenue and local property tax dollars now going to schools.
Currently, districts receive varying amounts of money through the categorical programs – but under Brown’s plan all districts and charter schools would receive the same per-pupil rates, adjusted by grade level.
Additional money would be given to districts based on the number of disadvantaged students they serve – that is, English learners, students eligible for subsidized meals and foster youth.
Brown’s proposal for supporting disadvantaged students would provide supplemental funding equal to 35 percent of the base grant.
And, for districts with 50 percent or more of their student populations designated disadvantaged, the state would