Education finance: local control funding formula.

(1) Existing law establishes the public school system in this state, and, among other things, provides for the establishment of county superintendents of schools, school districts, and charter schools throughout the state and for their provision of instruction at the public elementary and secondary schools these local educational agencies maintain. Existing law, before July 1, 2013, established a public school financing system that required funding for county superintendents of schools and school districts to be calculated pursuant to a revenue limit, as specified, and required funding for charter schools to be calculated pursuant to a general-purpose entitlement, except as provided, and required the revenue limit and general-purpose entitlement to be composed of, among other things, state aid and certain local revenues. Existing law also establishes various categorical education programs under which funding was provided for specific educational purposes. Existing law, commencing July 1, 2013, revised and recast the provisions related to the public financing system by requiring state funding for county superintendents of schools, school districts, and charter schools that previously received a general-purpose entitlement to be calculated pursuant to a local control funding formula, as specified. This bill would, among other things, repeal provisions requiring or authorizing many categorical education programs. The bill would repeal provisions relating to the revenue limit and would replace references to the former review limit and general-purpose entitlement calculations with the references to the current local control funding formula calculation. The bill would, commencing with the 2014–15 fiscal year, revise the authorization for a school participating in a special assistance alternative authorized under the federal National School Lunch Program to establish a base year for purposes of the local control funding formula for determining pupils eligible for free or reduced-price meals, as specified. The bill would require specified information to be included in an alternative household income data collection form for the federal National School Lunch Program for purposes of the local control funding formula. The bill would also change the funding calculations for necessary small schools. (2) Existing law requires a county superintendent of schools to annually present a report, on or before August 15, to the governing board of the school district and the Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding the fiscal solvency of a school district with a disapproved budget, qualified interim certification, or a negative interim certification, or that is determined to be in a position of fiscal uncertainty. This bill would instead require a county superintendent of schools to present the report on or before September 15. (3) Existing law specifies how funds appropriated pursuant to a specified budget item of the Budget Act of 2006 for specified county offices of education for site visits shall be allocated. This bill would delete that provision. (4) Existing law, on or before July 1 of each fiscal year, requires the county board of education to adopt an annual budget for the budget year and file the budget with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the county board of supervisors, and the county auditor. Existing law requires the Superintendent to examine the budget, as specified, and, on or before August 15, approve or disapprove the budget, as specified. If the Superintendent disapproves the budget, existing law requires the county superintendent of schools and the county board of education, on or before September 8, to review the recommendations of the Superintendent at a regularly scheduled meeting of the county board of education and respond to those recommendations, as specified. Existing law requires the Superintendent to examine a revised budget, as specified, and, on or before October 8, to approve or disapprove the revised budget. If the Superintendent disapproves the budget, existing law requires him or her to call for the formation of a budget review committee, and requires the budget review committee, on or before October 31, to review the proposed budget, as specified. If the budget review committee disapproves the budget of the county office of education, existing law requires the Superintendent to either approve or disapprove the budget, as specified. If the Superintendent disapproves the budget, existing law authorizes the Superintendent or his or her designee to do certain things for the remainder of the year, including, among others, to develop and adopt, in consultation with the county superintendent of schools and the county board of education, on or before November 30, a fiscal plan and budget for the county office of education, as specified. This bill would, among other things, extend those dates by one month to September 15, October 8, November 8, November 30, and December 31, respectively. (5) Existing law, on or before July 1 of each fiscal year, requires a school district to adopt a budget for the subsequent fiscal year and file the adopted budget with the county superintendent of schools, as specified. Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to examine the adopted budget, as specified, make certain determinations related to the adopted budget, and, on or before August 15, approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the adopted budget for each school district, as specified. If the county superintendent of schools conditionally approves or disapproves the budget, existing law requires the governing board of the school district, in conjunction with the county superintendent of schools, on or before September 8, to review and respond to the recommendations of the county superintendent of schools, as specified. Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to examine the revised budget to make certain determinations and, on or before October 8, to approve or disapprove the revised budget, as specified. If the county superintendent of schools disapproves the budget, existing law requires him or her to call for the formation of a budget review committee, and requires the budget review committee, on or before October 31, to review the proposed budget, as specified. If the budget review committee disapproves the budget of the school district, existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to either approve or disapprove the budget, as specified. If the Superintendent disapproves the budget, existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to do certain things, including, among others, on or before November 30, develop and adopt, in consultation with the governing board of the school district and the Superintendent, a fiscal plan and budget for the school district, as specified. This bill would, among other things, extend those dates by one month to September 15, October 8, November 8, November 30, and December 31, respectively. (6) This bill would appropriate $5,994,417,000 from the General Fund to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for purposes of allocating those funds to school districts and charter schools pursuant to the local control funding formula for those local educational agencies. (7) This bill also would make conforming changes, correct cross-references, delete obsolete provisions, and make other nonsubstantive changes. (8) Funds appropriated by this bill would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution. (9) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.