The new year is ushering in some big changes in public education, from a revamp of school funding to unchartered territory in student testing and new educational standards. Here’s a glance at issues to watch this year that will define California education in 2014.
Gov. Jerry Brown will present next year’s state budget on Friday, with a first glimpse at how he’ll be looking to divvy up revenues from the state’s continuing economic recovery. If his numbers mesh with the Legislative Analyst’s projections, K-12 schools can expect a whopper of a funding increase: upward of 14 percent, depending on how Brown’s budgeters do the math on Proposition 98, the main source of education funding.
After a half-decade of budget cuts, education groups and legislators will be hungry to lay claim to an additional $8 billion to $12 billion. Brown’s biggest dilemma will be how to divvy up the increase for school districts between one-time appropriations and ongoing operating budgets committing future spending. Since 2014-15 will be the first year in which districts must comply with new regulations under the Local Control Funding Formula, Brown might be inclined to give a big boost in per pupil spending. That might ease some of the tensions between districts and advocates for high-needs students who have different priorities for the new money.
But there are also legitimate demands for one-time spending:
- Brown’s preference: Paying off past debts, including deferrals, the billions in late payments to districts;
- Teacher pensions: The state and districts must contribute more to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System to keep the defined benefit
Now for the hard part on school reform: from legislation to implementation - by Louis Freedberg
The past year witnessed the passage of legislation presaging historic changes in California’s struggling public school system that could place the state in a leadership position nationally on education reform. The focus will now be on be on implementation, which will be far more challenging. Almost exactly a year ago, Gov. Jerry ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today webs
