Gov. Jerry Brown signs 2018–19 budget
Published: June 27, 2018
Click here to view full 2018–19 budget summary (see page 25 of PDF for K-12 education)
Click here for registration information on statewide 2018–19 Budget Perspectives Workshops
The 2018–19 budget signed today by Gov. Jerry Brown — a total spending package of $200 billion that puts a high premium on maxing out the state’s Rainy Day Fund and investing in housing — includes a final enacted Proposition 98 guarantee of $78.4 billion and hits the initial funding targets for the Local Control Funding Formula two years ahead of schedule. The issue of Assembly Bill 195, pertaining to ballot label requirements for local bonds, is not addressed in the budget (see below for further details).
Proposition 98:
2018–19: $78.4 billion
2017–18: $75.6 billion (adjusted upward $1.1 billion from prior year enacted budget)
2016–17: $71.6 billion (adjusted upward $200 million from prior year enacted budget)
2015–16: $69.1 billion (rebenched to reflect the inclusion of additional childcare wraparound services that were funded within the guarantee beginning in 2015–16)
LCFF: Total investment of $3.67 billion, with $676 million added above the 2.71 percent statutory cost-of-living adjustment; the statutory COLA plus the additional $676 million brings the total increase to LCFF funding to about 3.71 percent, according to the Department of Finance. The budget does not include language that would increase the LCFF base grant targets, as is the intent of CSBA co-sponsored Assembly Bill 2808 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance), which continues to move through the Legislature after passing the Senate Education Committee today.
Wildfires (see note below on AB 2228 – Wood): A third hold-harmless year for school districts impacted by the 2017 wildfires is included.
Janus v. AFSCME: In anticipation of today’s highly anticipated Supreme Court decision prohibiting the collection of “fair share” union fees, trailer bill Senate Bill 866 was signed as part of the 2018–19 budget. Read more in today’s email from CSBA.
Proposition 51/School facilities: $640 million in Proposition 51 bond authority for school facilities is included; CSBA continues to advocate for the expedited release of the full $7 billion in bond authority approved by California voters in 2016.
Lowest-performing students: $300 million in one-time money (to be allocated by a competitive grant program) is allocated for the lowest-performing students. These funds are intended to address the general intent of AB 2635 (Weber, D-San Diego), supported by CSBA, but is not allocated as ongoing support to the lowest-performing student subgroups, as AB 2635 is currently drafted.
Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program Fund: $50 million; Local educational agencies would be authorized, but not required, to elect to participate in a new program to provide matching money for classified employees who elect to set aside a portion of their checks to cover the 1–3 month period they aren’t working if their positions are 9-, 10- or 11-month positions.
Willful defiance: The budget deletes the sunset date on provisions that prohibit students in grades K-3 from being suspended or expelled for willful defiance.
Update on AB 195
Budget trailer bill SB 863 — which would provide a two-year delay of the AB 195 provisions requiring ballot labeling requirements for local bond measures — was not signed by Gov. Brown as part of the 2018–19 budget package. However, as SB 863 is a standalone trailer bill and not directly tied to the signed budget act, the bill can still be taken up by the Legislature.
CSBA Member Action: If you are represented by a member of the Democratic Caucus in the Senate and or Assembly, please call the Capitol office of your Democrat representative to urge his/her support for SB 863.
Click here to find your legislator
List of Senate Democrats | List of Assembly Democrats
AB 276 clears Senate Judiciary Committee; now has broad support
CSBA co-sponsored charter school transparency bill AB 276 (Medina, D-Riverside) continues to move forward after passing the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tues., June 26 (after passing the Senate Education Committee on June 20), and will advance to the Senate Floor for a vote; if passed by the Senate on the floor and concurred in the Assembly, the bill will go to Gov. Brown for his signature.
AB 276 would require charter school adherence to the Ralph M. Brown Act (or the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, if applicable), the California Public Records Act, the Political Reform Act of 1974 and Government Code 1090. As co-sponsors with the California Teachers Association, CSBA has been working closely with Asm. Medina’s office and the California Charter Schools Association on the bill’s language; CCSA is now supportive of the bill.
Accessory dwelling units bill SB 831 held in Assembly
SB 831 (Wieckowski, D-Fremont), which would have put a cap on school impact fees for the development of accessory dwelling units (i.e. “granny flats” or “in-law units”) at $3,000 per ADU, was held in the Assembly Local Government Committee today after the bill did not receive a motion for a vote. While the language that set the $3,000 cap was removed after the bill was heard and passed last week in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, the author had indicated that those provisions would be added back into the bill. CSBA has helped lead a coalition effort in opposition to the bill, as it would have significantly reduced a critical source of revenue that LEAs rely on to meet their school facilities needs. With the deadline for policy committees to hear fiscal bills coming this Friday, June 29, it is unlikely that SB 831 will advance in 2018.
Status of CSBA sponsored/co-sponsored bills:
AB 2808 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance), Local Control Funding Formula base grant target increase: Unanimously passed the Senate Education Committee today (Wednesday, June 27) and will next be heard in Senate Appropriations (hearing date TBD).
AB 2228 (Wood, D-Healdsburg), Wildfire mitigation: Currently resides in Senate Education Committee.
NOTE ON AB 2228: As noted above, language to provide a third hold-harmless year for school districts impacted by the 2017 wildfires is included in 2018–19 budget, signed today by Gov. Brown. This is the provision CSBA has been seeking with AB 2228. As this provision has been included in the enacted budget, AB 2228 is no longer a necessary bill and would be duplicative — as such, AB 2228 will not advance in the Legislature in its current form.
AB 276 (Medina, D-Riverside), Charter school transparency: Passed Senate Judiciary Committee on Tues., June 26, and sent to the Senate Floor (see details above).
AB 1951 (O’Donnell, D-Long Beach), Pathways to College Act: Passed Senate Education Committee Wednesday, June 20, and will next be heard in Senate Appropriations Committee (hearing date TBD).
AB 2285 (O’Donnell, D-Long Beach), Out-of-state prepared teachers: Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on consent on June 25 and sent to the Senate Floor.
AB 3149 (Limón, D-Santa Barbara), Substitute teacher service and permits: Passed the Senate Education Committee today (Wednesday, June 27) on consent and sent to Senate Appropriations Committee (hearing date TBD).
AB 3192 (O’Donnell, D-Long Beach), Medi-Cal Billing Option; audit guide: Passed the Senate Health Committee June 6 and Senate Education Committee on June 13 (on consent in both committees) and is in Senate Appropriations, where it awaits hearing.
SCA 22 (Allen, Ben, D-Santa Monica), Parcel taxes: Resides in Senate Appropriations Committee and is awaiting hearing.
View info sheet on CSBA’s 2018 sponsored bill package
New CSBA positions on 2018 legislation
CSBA’s Legislative Committee met on June 22, adopting positions on a handful of 2018 bills, including AB 3091 (Weber, D-San Diego), which renews the effort to add up to three years of probation (increased from the current limit of two years) for probationary teachers. Asm. Weber has authored similar legislation in recent years, including AB 1220 from 2017.