Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed his solution to a long-running, contentious dispute over the Local Control Funding Formula, the equity-based formula for distributing the bulk of money that school districts get from the state.
At issue is whether school districts can use leftover, year-end funding intended for “high-needs students” however they want. Newsom’s answer is, no, they can’t; the money must be committed to those students who generally are the farthest behind academically and face the challenges of poverty and districts must document that.
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Some of those who have been calling for reform for years say the governor’s approach is a big step forward but not fully right.
California Public Schools Suffer Record Enrollment Drop Tuesday, January 26, 2021 | Sacramento, CA
Students at Pinewood Elementary in Pollock Pines have been attending school in-person since Oct. 6. They come to school in shifts, belong to the same cohorts, and sit six feet apart in the classroom.
Courtesy of Pollock Pines Superintendent Steve Martinez
California’s K-12 public-school enrollment has precipitously declined during the pandemic, dropping by a record 155,000 students, according to new state projections.
That drop-off is about five times greater than California’s annual rate of enrollment decline in recent years. The state, which boasts the largest student enrollment in the country, has seen a steady decline of between 20,000 and 30,000 students in its public schools in the two years prior partly due to declining birth rate
Governor outlines the framework to continue and expand safe in-person instruction in early spring, including a $2 billion early action proposal to support school safety measures
Governor’s plan is built on four pillars: Funding to Support Safe Reopening; Safety & Mitigation Measures for Classrooms; Hands-on Oversight & Assistance for Schools; and Transparency & Accountability for Families & School Staff
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom released the State Safe Schools for All plan on Dec. 30. This plan was created for California’s framework to support schools to continue operating safely in-person and expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction.
Informed by growing evidence of the decreased risks and increased benefits of in-person instruction – especially for our youngest students – Governor Newsom is advancing a strategy that will help create safe learning environments for students and safe workplaces for educators and other school staff.