Report Examining the Reach of Targeted School Funding By Julien Lafortune, Joseph Herrera, Niu Gao Sep 6, 2023 Under California’s ten-year-old funding formula, districts with higher shares of high-need students receive additional dollars on top of base funding. Districts have flexibility around spending these funds, but when money is not fully directed to the intended students and schools, the impact on achievement gaps is diluted.
Report Understanding the Effects of School Funding By Julien Lafortune May 18, 2022 Funding for California’s K–12 public schools has reached record highs, but gaps in student outcomes remain. Understanding the benefits of additional funds, and how to distribute those funds, are key concerns for policymakers. This report offers insights from a robust body of research on the extent to which higher spending improves outcomes.
At Issue, Report School Finance Reform By Margaret Weston Nov 10, 2010 California’s school finance system is widely believed to be inequitable, inadequately funded, and overly complex. But the state can significantly improve the way it funds public schools by making small investments over time. This report provides an overview of the system’s current challenges, offers five straightforward principles for reform, and outlines a new direction for the state’s school finance system. This report was supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Report California’s New School Funding Flexibility By Margaret Weston May 11, 2011 To ease the pain of deep budget cuts to K–12 education in 2009, school districts were allowed to use some restricted funds for general education. The new rules, which expire in 2015, helped, but created other problems. This paper offers specific recommendations for an overhaul of the restricted funding system, balancing the needs of certain groups of students against the fiscal flexibility that school districts now enjoy. This research was supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
blog post Budget Takes Baby Steps Toward Special Education Reform By Paul Warren Jul 11, 2019 The new California state budget provides substantial new funding for special education while also making changes to the underlying funding model.
Report Special Education Finance in California: A Decade After Reform By Stephen Lipscomb Aug 12, 2009 Special education accounted for more than 16 percent—$9.3 billion—of K–12 spending in 2006–07. An extensive reform of special education financing in California about a decade ago sought to improve the way the state funds education for the disabled, who make up about 10 percent of public school students. Did reform achieve its goals? In large part, yes—but more can be done. The author suggests that to realize reform’s equity goals, policymakers could equalize base funding rates and make adjustments for local conditions such as numbers of low-income students and regional labor market wage levels. This report was funded with support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Report Remedial Education Reforms at California’s Community Colleges: Early Evidence on Placement and Curricular Reforms By Olga Rodriguez, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Hans Johnson Aug 15, 2018 California’s community colleges are in the midst of a major transformation of developmental education. Several colleges have been experimenting with placement and curricular reforms for some time. An examination of the efforts of these early implementers can shed light on the potential impact of system-wide reforms on student outcomes.
blog post Video: Understanding the Effects of School Funding By Stephanie Barton Jun 3, 2022 Flush with state and federal dollars for K–12 schools, California has surpassed the national average in school spending. Does more funding lead to better student outcomes?
blog post Early Results from Education Reforms By Linda Strean May 4, 2016 PPIC researchers analyzed the early results of two reforms in K–12 education and presented their findings at a PPIC event in Sacramento last week.
Report Funding California Schools: The Revenue Limit System By Margaret Weston Mar 1, 2010 California’s 978 school districts receive the majority of their funding through a formula known as "revenue limits.” While it is commonly believed that this funding is equitably distributed across districts, this is not the case. In 2005-2006, this funding differed across districts by as much as $3,871 per student. This report examines the components of the formula determining revenue limits, discusses the variations in funding, and considers potential reforms in school finance. This report was supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
