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Brown’s New Funding Formula Sets Student Limit for K-3 Classes

Brianna Sacks | July 31, 2013



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RB BudgetGovernor Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula increases funding for grades K-3 by about 10.4 percent, but districts could lose all that additional funding if one school exceeds the required average class size of 24 students.

A new report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office says that districts have to maintain an average class size to get about $712 more per average daily attendance, according to the SI&A Cabinet Report.

However, school officials can negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with their teachers’ union that sets class sizes at another level and still receive the funding boost.

Along with early childhood students, high schoolers will also get a funding
boost. The plan’s high school adjustment increases the grades 9–12 base rate by 2.6 percent to about $8,505 to provide more services and resources to older students.

Because so much of a district’s funding will be tied to demographics with the new funding formula,there will be a new process for identifying educationally disadvantaged students.

The report also said that if the Local Control Funding Formula was fully enacted by 2014, it would require the state to spend $18 billion more on K-12 services.

Luck for the state, it has eight years to make that happen.

Read the rest at SI&A Cabinet Report

Previous posts: More Praise For Gov. Brown’s Funding Formula, Districts to Get First Payment Under Brown’s New Formula, LA Unified Wins Big Under State Budget Compromise

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