Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/166026
Advocacy tricts will instead receive grants based on enrollment, with amounts increasing by grade level spans. Additional supplemental and concentration grants for English learners and low-income students could boost spending per eligible pupil by up to 70 percent. Responding to concerns voiced by members, CTA was able to get the base grant amount increased so no district would receive less than last year, and ensured that over time districts would be made whole compared to pre-recession funding levels. A major victory for CTA members was the elimination of proposed county office oversight that would have severely curtailed the influence of local educators on how the new funds are used. Instead, districts will adopt Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) based on templates to be developed by the State Board of Education. The infusion of new money and the elimination of most categorical restrictions historically tied to much of school funding mean CTA members now have the opportunity to make their voice count as districts determine how best to use funds and restore programs that have been lost over the last several years. CTA is advising local chapters to use their consultation and bargaining rights to guide the best use of the new funds. How does LCFF work? CONCENTRATION GRANT • o school district will receive less money this N year than last year. Most will receive more. • istricts receive base per-pupil funding, with D amounts gradually increasing for students enrolled in grades K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12. • upplemental and concentration funding S does not follow the student; it follows the school district. • he budget includes $1.2 billion to assist T in implementation of the new Common Core State Standards. That money can be used for professional development, instructional materials, and integration of standards through technology. • upplemental and concentration funding S for low-income students and English learners will generate significant additional funding per pupil. • ost categorical funding for programs is elimM inated. It will be up to local school districts to allocate funds to programs that best meet the needs of students traditionally served by those programs. Districts with more than 55 percent English learner, low-income, and foster youth receive additional money. SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT • nder the LCFF class size reduction (CSR) U funding formula, districts that show progress in achieving a 24:1 ratio in K-3 classrooms receive funding. After eight years, districts must have collectively bargained CSR language in place to receive funding. Districts receive additional money for English learner, low-income, and foster youth. BASE GRANT Districts receive base level student funding, with amounts gradually increasing for students enrolled in grades K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12. est needs — low-income students, English learners, and foster youth — will benefit from the largest increases. Simplifying the school funding formula and enhancing local control allows those closest to our students to decide how to best invest resources to support student success. Here's how the LCFF impacts your school district. • harter schools will face new accountability C and require consultation with teachers and parents over annual updates to the charter plan. They will also be funded under the LCFF, with concentration grant funding tied to the district in which they reside. At the end of the day, what do you hope will be the most significant accomplishment of the LCFF? The Local Control Funding Formula's goal is an ambitious one, a critical goal for the future of our state — to ensure all students in California have the opportunity to succeed. • ommunity colleges will receive a 1.57 C percent COLA this year, enrollment growth funding, $88 million to augment categorical programs, and deferral payments for money owed from previous years. The CSU and UC systems will each get a 5 percent funding increase. SEP TEMBER 201 3 Educator 09 Sep 2013 v3.7 int.indd 37 www.cta.org 37 9/5/13 9:05 AM