CA Intentionally Underfunds Wealthy Suburban School Districts

For the Full Storey Read: Local Control Funding Formula - A Parents Perspective: http://disclosurecusd.blogspot.com/2014_11_01_archive.html

As part of the 2013-14 Budget, the State of California enacted a new system for funding education called the “Local Control Funding Formula”. The formula replaces revenue limits and most categorical programs with a universal “Base Grant”, and then provides significantly more funding for English learners and low-income students.
LCFF Base Grant Amount: 2013-14: $6,500 per student 2014-15: $7,643 per student 2021: $8,500 Projected by 2021

While the stated funding formula sounds like an improvement over California’s old system of education funding; it cannot meet its constitutional obligation to provide a basic education for EVERY student if the Base Funding Grant is set so low that it fails to cover the cost of an adequate education for EVERY student, irrespective of an individual students wealth, race or ethnicity.

Calculated Per Pupil Costs, including Base Costs with Special Needs Weightings are as follows:

• Average: $11,094 - $12,365
• Urban: $11,508 - $12,718
• Suburban: $10,726 - $12,077
• Towns: $ 8,932 - $ 9,896
• Rural: $10,615 - $11,881

Source: http://www.schoolfunding.info/states/ca/CA-AIR-3-07.pdf at xiii

To use Capistrano Unified School District as an example:

CUSD Funding Under the LCFF 2012-13

Base Grant: $ 6,500 per student (equal for every student in the State).

Supplemental Grant: $273.00

Additional funding that is based on the percentage of students in the District that are English Language Learners, Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, or are in Foster Care.
English Language Learners in CUSD
10% of all Students in CUSD are English Language Learners. 81.7% of English Language Learners are socioeconomically disadvantaged:

• Asian: 279 or 5.3%
• Black or African American: 15 or .37%
• Hispanic: 4,466 or 85%
• White not Hispanic: 150 or 2.9%
• Special Education: 15.6% or 816
• Socioeconomically Disadvantaged: 4,265 or 81.7%

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students
24.1% (12,793 students) are Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students

Source:http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1229223560406/1218998864154/1463621950735616281.pdf Board Agenda #4, Exhibit 4, Slide 3 and 8

Concentration Grant: -0-

The Concentration Grant provides additional money for Districts that have “targeted” students that exceed 55% of a Districts student population. Targeted students are: English Language Learners, receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, or are in Foster Care.

• CUSD % English Language Learners 10%
• CUSD % Socioeconomically Disadvantaged: 24.1% < than 55% so CUSD does not qualify for any Concentration Grant funds.

Districts with low percentages of English Language Learners and poor are being funding by the Base Grant alone, therefore the Base Grant has to be increased to a level that is sufficient to provide an adequate education for all students as required by the California Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The law cannot discriminate against students simply because they happen to live in a wealthy suburban school district.

Under the Local Control Funding Formula, total Per Pupil Funding in the Capistrano Unified School District was $6,773 in 2012-13 and is currently $7,002 per student with the expectation that funding will grow to $8,973 by 2021.

To put that number into perspective CUSD is currently receiving $2,499 per student less then California’s current average per pupil spending of $9,501 and $4,224 per student less than the current national average of $11,226.

CUSD has a student population of 52,985 students.

If CUSD were to be funded at the California State Average, CUSD would receive an additional $132 million dollars per year in revenue.

If CUSD were funded at the National average, CUSD would receive an additional $224 million dollars per year in revenue.

Sources:http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/lcffoverview.asphttp://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/cms/page_view?d=x&piid=&vpid=1392894044236http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/fd/ec/currentexpense.asp Per Pupil Spending by District California as of Feb 18, 2014 http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1229223560406/1218998864154/1331468026996732138.pdf Capistrano Unified School District Financial Report- Governor’s 2014-15 Proposed Budget and May Revise UpdateEducation Week Research Center http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2014/shr/16shr.ca.h33.pdf

The State of California is Steeling $200 million per year from the Capistrano Unified School District per year and choosing to spend that tax money on other things such as:

• HIGH SPEED RAIL
• DRIVERS LICENSES FOR PEOPLE WHO REMAIN IN THIS COUNTRY ILLEGALLY
• A 14TH YEAR OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
• TO APPEAL The VEGARA RULING (Teacher Tenure Case)

The State of California uses its students to generate tax revenue for education then chooses to spend that money on everything but students. Parents if you are not a voice for your children at School Board Meeting,s and you are not a voice for your children during elections then expect more tax increases and your child to fail in school. $7,002 is not sufficient to educate our students. CUSD currently does not have a contract with teachers - so parents can expect to see 3 furlough days - more combo classes and increased class sizes in order to give teachers what they want. And- did anyone tell you we have 200 “New Comers?” These “New Comers are now #1 in the LCAP and tonights Board Agenda is full of contracts to provide one on one tutoring for students. HUMMMM Please write and let me know if your student gets a free tutor at $60 - 80 per hour.

If you want documentation of my statements: http://disclosurecusd.blogspot.com/2014_11_01_archive.html

and

http://www.acsa.org/MainMenuCategories/Advocacy/LCFF/LCFF-All-Districts....

http://www.schoolfunding.info/states/ca/CA-AIR-3-07.pdf at xiii