CHOOL BUDGETS A nearby school district’s Superintendent, Dr. David Roth, wrote the following commentary about state funding for school districts. It’s time to raise base funding for California schools David Roth ~ EdSource
California took an important step toward equity in school finance by implementing the Local Control Funding Formula. But more than a decade later, inflationary pressures, coupled with extreme funding disparities between districts, have created financial vulnerabilities that are leading to a climate of fiscal crisis in our public schools.
Credit: Doug Shupe / Buckeye Union
A growing number of headlines tell the story: Revenues are not keeping pace with costs, and cuts are on the way. Districts are experiencing ballooning deficits, and in districts such as the Buckeye Union School District, we are increasingly reliant on one-time funds to pay for ongoing programs. In the coming year, our elementary P.E. program will be cut in half, and the currently projected revenues will fall short of us maintaining library and counseling services past next year. Mind you, class sizes remain historically high, with as many as 28- 34 students in elementary classrooms. We are more vulnerable to an economic decline than before the Great Recession, when K-3 class sizes were 20:1. Continuing reading the article by clicking here... Dr. Roth has put together data on California school funding trends. In looking at the data, it is pretty eye-opening and compelling, and it’s a story that needs more support at the local, county, and state levels. You can get a very quick analysis of your District being underfunded here: District Funding Gap Tracker Bottom line, a lot of districts have watched Revenue Per ADA slide further and further below the statewide median over the last decade. When you layer that on top of declining enrollment, inflation, pensions, insurance, tech costs, and growing special education needs, it’s becoming an unsustainable situation for districts on the low end of the funding distribution. Dr. Roth has built a set of tools at: Raisethebase.org
Tracking the Underfunded Gap District Funding Trend Tracker District Revenue Comparison Report Methodology and Technical Analysis
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator