California School Board Association

Local Control Funding Formula

Today more than one in five children in California live in poverty and one quarter of California’s K-12 students are English learners. Poor students, African-Americans and Latinos, and English learners are over-represented among students scoring at the lowest levels and under-represented among the highest scoring. These achievement gaps between poor and non-poor and among various ethnic groups have over several decades been the catalyst for many laws and education reforms.

School board members have long been urging the state to let them use resources in a way that best fits local needs to help improve student outcomes. In June 2013, the California Legislature approved and Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a historic reform of public K-12 education finance. Based on equity, transparency, accountability and local governing board authority, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) transformed the distribution of funding to school districts, charter schools and county offices of education in a manner that grants local communities greater autonomy to customize education program offerings in purposeful ways for the entire student population generally, yet specifically for those students who are English learners, from low-income families, and those who are foster youth.

School Board Role in LCAP Understanding the LCFF

Developing the LCAP

Understanding the Dashboard

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Resources

School Board Role in the LCAP

🔗 CSBA Brief: Six Essential School Board Roles in LCAP Implementation and Development (5/19)

This guidance developed by CSBA's members outlines the recommended role of board members in developing LCAPs and supporting LCAP implementation.

Understanding the LCFF

🔗 CDE Local Control Funding Formula Overview

This page provides an overview of LCFF from the California Department of Education (CDE).

🔗 LCFF Frequently Asked Questions (CDE)

This CDE page covers some of the most important questions related to the LCFF, including which students are counted as the unduplicated pupils in calculating an LEA's LCFF allocation, the LCFF auditing process, Local Control Accountability Plans, and more.

🔗 CDE LCFF Resources Page

The main LCFF resources page for the California Department of Education

🔗 LAO Brief: The Local Control Funding Formula for School Districts and Charter Schools

In this brief, the Legislative Analyst's Office provise some historical background on the implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), describe how the formula works for school districts and charter schools, describe how the formula was phased in, and explain requirements for districts to adopt plans that describe how LCFF funding will be spent.

🔗 LCFF Priorities - Whole Child Resource Map

This webpage provides an overview and resources for each of the 10 LCFF Priorities. This also includes continuous improvement resources such as links to the California Dashboard, data and statistics, and professional learning opportunities.

Developing the LCAP

🔗 Planning for the LCAP and School Plan

This CDE guide provides an integrated approach for LCAP planning at the local level, including strategies for community engagement, identifying needs, setting goals, and more.

🔗 LCFF and LCAP Template Documents

Current LCAP Templates are available here.

🔗 LCFF Resources by Priority

This CDE page links to resources for LEAs to address each of the state's LCFF priorities.

🔗 Sample Governance Calendar

Provides a sense of the timeline for LCAP development throughout the year.

Understanding the Dashboard

🔗 The California Dashboard

Link to the California Dashboard.

🔗 Dashboard Communication Toolkit

An overview of communications resources for LEAs as they communicate the information published on the California Dashboard