LCFF and LCAP, what does it mean for OUSD?

The increase in state funding for OUSD this year due to the increase in LCFF dollars (Local Control Funding Formula) is over $1 million.

How will those funds be allocated?

The funds will be allocated according to the Goals and Priorities in the LCAP,  the Local Control Accountability Plan. School Districts are required per Ed Code #52060 to get LOCAL input from all stakeholders in developing their LCAP Goals and Priorities, and how to allocate the LCFF funds.

Ed Code 52060(g): "A governing board of a school district shall consult with teachers, principals, administrators, other school personnel, local bargaining units of the school district, parents, and pupils in developing a local control and accountability plan."

This is separate from the CCSS Implementation Funds. OUSD is receiving $499,000 in CCSS Implementation Funds (approximately $200 per student state-wide). The CCSS Implementation Funds must be used only for 3 purposes: 1) Professional Development for Common Core, 2) Instructional Materials, 3) Technology for CCSS testing (SBAC).

Overview: The LCFF and LCAP are part of the most significant change in California public school finance in the last 40 years.  The new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) radically changed the State K-12 funding allocation method (thus, "Funding Formula"), and greatly reduced restrictions on State funds allowing local decision making and priorities  to drive district budget development ("Local Control"). 

Under the LCFF, most State funding coming to school districts and schools will have fewer restrictions.  No longer does the State direct money for some of the specific programs that had been historically funded (i.e., textbooks, counseling, deferred maintenance, safety, etc.). The use of LCFF funds now is required to be determined by local decision making. 

  

Three excellent sources of information regarding the key aspects of the LCFF are:

1. theCalifornia Department of Education (CDE), http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/lcffoverview.asp

2. theLegislative Analyst Office (LAO)

http://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/lcff/lcff-072913.aspx

3. WestEd who is working with the State Board of Education (SBE). 

http://lcff.wested.org/lcff-channel/episode-8-overview-of-the-local-control-and-accountability-plan/

One of the major requirements in LCFF requires all school districts to develop a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) that aligns the district's financial resources with its educational goals in the LCAP. 

Eight State Priority Areas were adopted  by the SBE, that all districts must address in their LCAP: 

·       Student Achievement

·       Student Engagement

·       Common Core Standards

·       School Climate

·       Parental Involvement

·       Course Access

·       Basic Services

·       Other Student Outcomes

The LCAP requires districts to solicit input from all stakeholders in the development of its goals in the priority areas. 

The LCAP is a 3 year plan which must be approved by 7/1/14, and updated every year thereafter, and is detailed in Education Code #52060-52077:

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=EDC&division=4.&title=2.&part=28.&chapter=6.1.&article=4.5.

§ 15497. Local Control and Accountability Plan and Annual Update Template: (SBE)

http://instruction.sbceo.org/pdf/Curriculum%20Council/Jan_2014/SBE-LCAP%20Draft%20Template-Jan%2016%20Item%2020%20Attachment%203.pdf

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Leg Analyst Office (LAO): An Overview of the Local Control Funding Formula, (pg 10-13 pasted in below):  http://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/lcff/lcff-072913.aspx

Transparency and Accountability Under New System

In addition to creating a new funding formula, the 2013–14 package of legislation establishes a set of new rules relating to school district transparency and accountability. Specifically, under the new rules, districts are required to adopt Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). Districts that do not meet the goals specified in their LCAPs and fail to improve educational outcomes are to receive assistance through a new system of support and intervention. We describe this new system in more detail below.

District Development and Adoption of LCAPs

Districts Must Set Annual Goals in Eight Specified Areas. Each LCAP must include a school district’s annual goals in each of the eight areas shown in Figure 7. These eight areas of specified state priorities are intended to encompass the key ingredients of high–quality educational programs. Figure 8 identifies how districts are to measure success in each of the eight areas, with districts required to include associated data in their LCAPs. The plans must include both district–wide goals and goals for each numerically significant student subgroup in the district. (To be numerically significant, a district must have at least 30 students in a subgroup, with the exception of foster youth, for which districts must have at least 15 students.) The student subgroups that must be addressed in the LCAPs are listed in Figure 9. (In addition to specified state priorities, districts’ LCAPs can include annual goals in self–selected areas of local priority.)

Districts Must Specify Actions They Will Take to Achieve Goals. A district’s LCAP must specify the actions the district plans to take to achieve its annual goals. The specified actions must be aligned with the school district’s adopted budget. For example, a school district could specify that it intends to provide tutors to all EL students reading below grade level to improve its EL reclassification rate. To ensure the LCAP and adopted budget were aligned, the school district would be required to include sufficient funding for EL tutors in its adopted budget plan.

Districts Must Use SBE–Adopted LCAP Template. In preparing their LCAP, districts are required to use a template developed by SBE. The template is intended to create consistency in LCAPs across the state and assist school districts in developing their plans. The SBE is required to adopt the LCAP template by March 31, 2014.

Districts Must Solicit Input From Various Stakeholders in Developing Plan. Figure 10 outlines the process a district must follow in adopting its LCAP. One of the main procedural requirements is that a district consults with its school employees, local bargaining units, parents, and students. As part of this consultation process, districts must present their proposed plans to a parent advisory committee and, in some cases, a separate EL parent advisory committee. (EL parent advisory committees are required only if ELs comprise at least 15 percent of the district’s enrollment and the district has at least 50 EL students.) The advisory committees can review and comment on the proposed plan. Districts must respond in writing to the comments of the advisory committees. Districts also are required to notify members of the public that they may submit written comments regarding the specific actions and expenditures proposed in the LCAP.