Gov. Gavin Newsom outlines his 2021-2022 state budget proposal during a news conference on Jan. 8, 2021.
Credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool
Gov. Gavin Newsom outlines his 2021-2022 state budget proposal during a news conference on Jan. 8, 2021.
February 18, 2021
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed cost-of-living adjustment for school districts part of his $89.2 billion 2021-2022 education budget pending before the Legislature could turn the tide for some cash-strapped districts that were bracing for budget cuts.
In 2020, when California’s Department of Finance anticipated a major tax revenue shortfall due to the pandemic, county superintendents delivered stern warnings to school districts: plan for zero cost-of-living adjustments for the foreseeable future. That would have left school districts to grapple with the added costs of distance learning but with less revenue from the state.
It remains unclear when California’s K-12 campuses will reopen for in-person instruction, but one Bay Area school district has committed to continuing distance learning in the fall and beyond at least as an option.
West Contra Costa Unified officials last week presented their early plans for a permanent district-wide, K-12 “virtual learning academy” for the 2021-2022 school year and beyond. They also introduced two additional in-person programs for high school students: a visual and performing arts academy and a career technical academy. The school board unanimously approved the concepts for all three academies, directing administrators to start work on models for each.