Tom Torlakson

Local educational agencies can now see the highly anticipated first official calculations of $42 billion in school funding they will receive under the Local Control Funding Formula, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today. The calculations for school districts and charter schools are displayed in the traditional funding exhibits, plus a new “LCFF Funding Snapshot.”

“California’s new funding formula puts more decisions about education funding where they belong—in the hands of schools, parents, and teachers—and dedicates more resources to students most in need,” Torlakson said. “The information we are providing today will help administrators, teachers, and parents as they work together to help all students succeed.”

The LCFF was enacted as part of the 2013 Budget Act and provides a new method of funding local educational agencies (LEAs). LEAs now receive base funding for all students and additional funding if they serve students who are learning English, in foster care, or are low income.

For most of this current year, LEAs have been receiving funds based on estimates by California Department of Education staff, while the state agency reprogrammed its systems and LEAs gathered and reported the data required to do the new LCFF calculations. Until the LCFF is fully phased-in in eight years, LEAs will receive a transitional amount based on how much they received under the old formula and how much they would have received if LCFF were fully phased-in. The state Legislature appropriated $2.1 billion toward the LCFF transition effort, which is included in the $42 billion in LCFF calculations released today. An additional $4.75 billion is slated for LCFF transition in the 2014-15 school year, which represents a significant investment in California public schools.

The LCFF Funding Snapshot provides people a “one-stop shop” to find information and is a significant step toward transparency and accountability. Instead of visiting several different Web pages, people may download the new LCFF Funding Snapshot from one Web page. The document provides a concise two-page summary of the main components of the LCFF transitional funding. The report provides information on each LEA’s attendance, LCFF entitlements, and funding sources. The data are also translated graphically in color-coded charts. The LCFF Funding Snapshot may be downloaded as a Portable Document Format or exported into an Excel spreadsheet.

The California Department of Education completed the reprogramming of its systems and developed the LCFF Funding Snapshot through existing staff and resources. To access these reports for school districts and charter schools, visit the LCFF Funding Snapshot Web page. Detailed exhibits are also available on the Principal Apportionment, Fiscal Year 2013-14 Web page.