The new school funding formula proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown is a thoughtful approach, more logical and democratic than its predecessor, and a good start on reforming a broken system.
Naturally, the response from leaders of many cash-starved local school districts has been: What's in it for us?
Districts' concerns are not unreasonable. But as negotiations intensify in Sacramento, it seems clear that lawmakers can deal with them while preserving what's right with the plan, such as districts' new freedom to manage their own money. This makes the weeks before California's budget deadline on June 30 a pivotal time for K-12 education.
Basically, under the Brown funding approach known as the Local Control Funding Formula, school districts with more poor children, foster children and students learning English would get more state money to give those kids