California State Education Funding
California school districts are funded by a combination of local property taxes and state aid under a calculation process known as Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), created via the 2013-2014 State Budget Act. The LCFF guarantees a base level of funding differentiated by grade, and additional supplemental and concentration grants based on the number of low-income and English learner students. This funding method is intended to correct historical funding inequities, increase flexibility and transparency, and simplify education funding. The LCFF process also introduced the annual Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) requirement, which emphasizes community engagement and student achievement goals when districts plan their budgets. The District Advisory Committee is a team of staff and parents that works on the LCAP every year.
California has two types of districts as described by their funding: community-funded (also known as Basic Aid) and state funded (formerly known as Revenue Limit). PVSD is a community-funded district, and as such receives the majority of its funding from local property taxes because local property taxes exceed the state’s guaranteed per-student funding amount. Community-funded districts are allowed to retain all their allotted property tax revenue. State contributions to a community-funded district’s budgets are minimal.
Community-funded districts face a unique challenge because funding is unrelated to enrollment. While community-funded districts typically have relatively higher property tax bases, districts do not know what their estimated property tax revenue will be until well into the fiscal year, and future year projections are subject to volatility. This is the main reason why community-funded districts typically maintain a reserve level higher than the state required minimum (3%, or 4% for small districts such as PVSD) of expenditures. PVSD has a board policy to maintain reserves of at least 12% of annual expenditures.
Community-funded districts often rely on parcel taxes to supplement their budgets, since they cannot rely on state funding and cannot predict property tax revenues.
Community-funded districts face a unique challenge because funding is unrelated to enrollment. While community-funded districts typically have relatively higher property tax bases, districts do not know what their estimated property tax revenue will be until well into the fiscal year, and future year projections are subject to volatility. This is the main reason why community-funded districts typically maintain a reserve level higher than the state required minimum (3%, or 4% for small districts such as PVSD) of expenditures. PVSD has a board policy to maintain reserves of at least 12% of annual expenditures.
Community-funded districts often rely on parcel taxes to supplement their budgets, since they cannot rely on state funding and cannot predict property tax revenues.
In November, 2012, California voters approved state Proposition 30, Temporary Taxes to Fund Education as a means to guarantee benefit to all schools. Proposition 30’s Education Protection Act (EPA) provided that no school district shall receive less than $200 per Average Daily Attendance (ADA). This was a direct benefit for community-funded districts. Proposition 30’s EPA dollars expired in December, 2016, but were extended in 2016 on high income earners via Proposition 55. Now, districts receive no less than $200 per ADA through the end of 2030. For PVSD, this is equal to about $100,000 (out of the district’s $15M budget).
State funded districts make up approximately 90% of California’s districts. In state funded districts, local property taxes are less than the state’s per-student funding obligation and the state makes up the difference (state aid). State-funded districts have little concern about local property tax levels because the state back-fills their funding up to the LCFF amount. State funded districts receive money based on enrollment, or average daily attendance, in their schools; for state funded districts, the more students they have, the more funding they receive.
State funded districts make up approximately 90% of California’s districts. In state funded districts, local property taxes are less than the state’s per-student funding obligation and the state makes up the difference (state aid). State-funded districts have little concern about local property tax levels because the state back-fills their funding up to the LCFF amount. State funded districts receive money based on enrollment, or average daily attendance, in their schools; for state funded districts, the more students they have, the more funding they receive.