California's Education Funding Law is Designed to Redistribute Wealth - Not Educate Students

California's new education funding law is simple- it is black and white - and it has been designed to redistribute wealth rather than provide a quality education to every student.

California's Local Control Funding Formula limits per pupil funding to 2007-08 levels + inflation, not to be reached until 2021.

In Dec 2006, the State of California commissioned a study to determine the actual cost to educate a student in 2007-08: "Efficiency And Adequacy in California School Finance: A Professional Judgement Approach To Determine The Cost To Adequately Educate A Student". Source: https://cepa.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/19-AIR-PJP-Report(3-07).pdf at page xii

Results of that study (2007-08) concluded that per pupil costs with special needs weightings were found to be:

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

The Base Funding Grant should not be less than $9,000. The State set the base grant at $6,500 with the expectation that it would increase to $8,500 by 2021.

To provide students with the minimum core education CUSD should be receiving $10,726 - $12,077.

CUSD currently receives $7,763 per pupil- no wonder we have to rely on fundraising and donations to pay for core educational programs like art, music, science.

In 2007-08 State tax revenues were $103 billion - today they are $123 billion.

The State has sufficient revenue to fund a quality education for every student, but is choosing not to adequately all students who live in wealthy areas with a low percentage of English Language Learners, Foster Kids, and who receive free and reduced lunch.

The State Average Per Pupil Funding is $10,500.

The National Average Per Pupil Funding is $12,400

Our kids are being punished because they live in what our government considers to be a "wealthy" area. If you don't believe that our Government would do that to our kids then read this article from the Office of the President of the United States who mentions CUSD by name-

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/02/13/school-districts-you-dont-see-map-are-telling-ones-you-do-see

and http://peopleforstudentrights.com/index.php/complaint/count-7

How Does The Local Control Funding Formula Calculate Per Pupil Funding?

The Base Grant is universal for all students. Some Districts are funded solely by the Base Grant; therefore the Base Grant should be an amount that is sufficient provide EVERY student; irrespective of their individual wealth, race and ethnicity, of a quality education.

A "quality education" has been defined by the courts to be:

"...opportunity to obtain high quality staff, program expansion and variety, beneficial teacher-pupil ratios and class sizes, modern equipment and materials, and high-quality buildings."

The Supplemental Grant provides additional funding to districts based on the percentage of students in the district that are English Language Learners, Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, and/or are in Foster Care. This is extra money to take care of these high needs students.

The Concentration Grant provides even more funding for districts that have large concentrations of students that are English Language Learners, Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, and/or are in Foster Care. This is even more funding for schools that are predominantly students who are English Language Learners, poor and have a high percentage of students who are in Foster Care.

Those districts with a low percentage of students who are English Language Learners, Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, and/or are in Foster Care are funded solely by the Base Grant. As such, the Base Grant needs to be sufficient enough to provide every K-12 student in the State with an equal opportunity to achieve a quality education.

When the State of California intentionally sets the Base Grant below what it costs to provide a quality education to students, the State is intentionally depriving all students that happen to live in Districts with a low percentage of students who are English Language Learners, Poor and are in Foster Care of their fundamental right to a quality education.