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California Governor Proposes More Funding for Education in Budget

Branché Jones

January 24, 2015

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New_City_031_lowOn January 9th Governor Jerry Brown unveiled his new budget proposal for the year.
The legislature will begin hearing the Governor’s budget in the Budget Subcommittees in the coming weeks. They will hear all of his proposed policies in advance of him releasing a May Revision to his budget once the state’s tax receipts begin to come in. The May Revision will reflect the Governor’s final changes to his January budget proposal and the Legislature’s budget committees will take action on it. Anything that both houses of the legislature do not agree on will then head to the Joint Budget Conference Committee which will take final action before voting a final product to be acted on by both houses. The legislature will then have to pass a budget by June 15th if they want to continue reciting pay checks.
In his Budget proposal the Governor did not create many new plans and only increased funding for education and some ‘safety net’ programs. He also ensured that the state’s rainy day fund has a healthy reserve; at the end of the year the fund should have $2.8 billion in it. The document he released really is a status quo budget except for the new education dollars.
For education specifically, the Governor proposes to spend $65.7 billion on Proposition 98. Total per-pupil expenditures from all sources are projected to be $13,223 in 2014-15 and $13,462 in 2015-16. Ongoing K-12 Proposition 98 per-pupil expenditures are $9,667 in 2015-16. Specific funding adjustments include:

  • Over $900 million to eliminate remaining deferrals
  • $4 billion in one time funds for further implementation of the LCFF
  • $1.1 billion in one time funds to further implement the Common Core
    • Of this amount $20 million will go to County Offices of Education
    • The balance will go to Districts and Charter Schools
    • All of the funds will be distributed on an ADA basis
  • $100 million in one time technology funds to help schools with internet infrastructure and connectivity
  • A proposal to change the threshold to be funded by the Charter School Facility Grant Program from 70% free and reduced lunch to 55%
  • $10 million for teacher preparation, teacher and administrator performance assessments
  • $500 million for an Adult Education Block Grant
  • $250 million in one time funds (for three years) for a transitional CTE Incentive Grant Program
  • Allocates $368 million of energy efficiency programs to:
    • $320.1 million and $39.6 million to K-12 schools and community colleges for energy efficiency project grants
    • $5.3 million to the California Conservation Corps for continued technical assistance to K-12 school districts
    • $3 million to the Workforce Investment Board for continued implementation of the job-training program

More details can be found in the Governor’s entire budget summary.

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