LAO would cut money from basic aid districts, other programs Brown would protect - by John Fensterwald
The Legislative Analyst’s Office has added its endorsement of Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal for sweeping school finance reform, praising the simplicity and clarity of Brown’s funding formula and the “reasonable” amounts of extra money he’d direct to high-needs students. At the same time, in an analysis released last week, the LAO is suggesting a half-dozen changes to the plan, including two that would stir up controversies that Brown woud just as soon avoid.
This report and other budget analyses by the Legislative Analyst’s Office can be found at www.lao.ca.gov/
Both changes would cut state money going to some politically powerful districts. One pertains to how much state money should go to property-rich communities, like Irvine, Beverly Hills and Palo Alto, that fund schools mostly on their own, without significant state aid. Comprising about 10 percent of districts, they’re known as “basic aid.” Brown would grandfather the state money that the districts do get through categorical programs;
Brown’s new funding formula should be just the first step - by Seth Rosenblatt
I want to like the governor’s proposal — I really do. Governor Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula is certainly the first sign of real and meaningful education finance reform in decades. As a very active voice decrying our dysfunctional system, I should be jumping for joy right now, shouldn’t I? The governor absolutely needs to be commended for his political courage and vision...
