California’s New Local Control and Accountability Program

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California’s 2013-14 State Budget includes significant changes to education funding and policy, and allocates over $2 billion to purposes which explicitly support college and career readiness.  How this funding impacts your classroom will entirely depend on local education agencies discretion and action. Teachers and local program advocates must engage at the local level to influence program support.

Funding sources that support college and career readiness include:

  • $1.2 billion for Common Core Implementation
  • $384 million for Regional Occupation Centers & Programs
  • $381 million for Clean Energy Job Creation Fund
  • $250 million for competitive grants for Career Pathways Programs

 Local Control Funding

The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) now offers an opportunity for local education agencies to implement locally tailored approaches, while being held accountable for student outcomes aligned with state priorities. School districts will decide which strategies to use to reach those goals: for example, summer learning programs, collaboration time for teachers to reflect on student data and work, early childhood education programs or any number of other possible approaches.

The State Board of Education, the California Department of Education, the Department of Finance and the State Controller’s Office will be developing and disseminating rules and guidelines on the implementation of the new funding system to help local school districts fully and effectively implement LCFF:

January 2014 – The State Board of Education (SBE) must approve rules regarding how districts must allocate resources to ensure the supplemental and concentration funding is spent to benefit high need students. The SBE must also adopt regulations to guide districts to develop their budgets.

March 2014 – The SBE must adopt the template for counties, districts and charter schools to utilize as they develop their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) (See below for additional information on LCAPs).

July  2014 – Districts, county offices and charter schools must develop and adopt a LCAP which is reviewed and revised each year.  To accomplish this, school leaders will need to engage their local communities, starting now, to explore state and local priorities, develop strategies to meet those priorities based on student outcome goals, and ultimately develop a local budget to implement the plans.

October 2015 – The SBE must adopt the LCAP evaluation rubric. This rubric will outline performance expectations for districts and school sites, and can be used for self-review, as well as for determining technical assistance and intervention needs.

Accountability Shift

At the core of local implementation of LCFF are the new Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs). The LCAP program provides a base funding increase to most school districts, and significant one-time funds to plan and prepare for the shift from state to local accountability.  Districts use the LCAP to provide a narrative for the district’s overall vision and strategy for achieving specific outcomes for students, and showcases how that vision and strategy relates to the district’s entire budget. A core component in the new plan is that it provides greater transparency by demonstrating how resources are being used, with the goal of improving public trust and supporting engagement in local decision making. 

Locally developed LCAPs are organized around several key state priorities that districts and schools must consider as they devise local strategies and approaches, including:

  • Improving student achievement and outcomes along multiple measures, including college and career readiness.
  • Providing all students access to fully credentialed teachers, instructional materials that align with state standards and safe facilities;
  • Implementing academic content and performance standards;
  • Promoting parental involvement and participation; and
  • Supporting student engagement, promoting positive school climate and providing access to a broad course of study.

County offices of education will retain an important role around oversight, but each community will have the liberty and responsibility to map their own course of action through the LCAPs. Schools and districts will be held accountable for meeting the state’s priorities, such as access to credentialed teachers, implementation of the new Common Core standards, and improving student achievement.

Here are questions that can help inform the local planning process: Initial LCAP Questions to Consider