BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: ACR 54
AUTHOR: Brownley
AMENDED: May 11, 2009
FISCAL COMM: No HEARING DATE: July 8, 2009
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Nancy Anton
SUBJECT : K-12 Education Finance
SUMMARY
This Concurrent Resolution resolves that it is the
Legislature's intent that California generate and allocate
sufficient funds to bring the per pupil spending up to or
into the top half of the national average and to a level
that accounts for the actual cost of educating California
pupils.
BACKGROUND
Under existing law, there are several components that
determine the level of funding provided to a local school
district including:
1) Revenue limits (base revenue funding) . Revenue limit
funding for school districts is, in part, based on
average daily attendance (ADA), where ADA is
calculated by dividing the number of days of
attendance for all pupils enrolled in the district by
the number of instructional days in the district; a
day of attendance is generally defined as a minimum
number of instructional minutes (specific to grade
level) in a classroom setting with a certificated
employee of school district present. This funding
computation uses the annual ADA reported by each
district in the last attendance year, or the current
or prior fiscal year, whichever is greatest. Total
Revenue Limit (local property taxes plus state General
Fund) funding for a district is then calculated by
multiplying the district's set (per pupil) revenue
limit by ADA.
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2) Equalization funding . This is a mechanism for
equalizing school district revenue limit funding by
increasing the base revenue limit for some set of low
revenue limit districts.
3) Categorical funding . This is "targeted" funding that
focus resources and/or compliance requirement on
specified classes of students, schools or programs as
specified by the Legislature.
4) Other funding . In addition, local districts are
authorized to raise funds locally (e.g. local voter
approved tax increases). They may also receive
federal funds, private grants and/or other specialized
sources of funding (loans, bail-outs, legal
settlements, etc.).
ANALYSIS
This concurrent resolution :
1) States Legislative intent that California generate and
allocate sufficient funds to education so that per
pupil spending:
a) Is brought up to or beyond the national
average.
b) Accounts for the actual cost of educating
California's diverse pupil population so that all
pupils are prepared for college, careers and
successful participation in our democratic
institutions.
2) Includes a variety of findings and declarations
regarding California's current education finance
system.
STAFF COMMENTS
Education Week published a ranking that showed California
47th among the states and District of Columbia in per pupil
expenditures on K-12 education when cost-of-living
differences across the states are taken into account. The
National Education Association ranks California 34th among
the 50 states and District of Columbia in per pupil
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expenditures in 2007-08. The US Census Bureau reported in
2008, that California was 29th among the 50 states and
District of Columbia in per pupil expenditures by public
schools in 2005-06, with per pupil spending on education
approximately 8% below the national average.
SUPPORT
Association of California School Administrators
California Association of School Business Officials
California Federation of Teachers
California School Boards Association
California Teachers Association
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers
Riverside County Schools Advocacy Association
San Francisco Community College Faculty Union-AFT Local 21
Small School Districts' Association
OPPOSITION
California Taxpayers' Association
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association