Have you had a chance yet to check out the Budgeting for Educational Equity podcast? We're sharing the latest episode here because it delves into a subject near and dear to anyone interested in California education funding: the Local Control Funding Formula, or LCFF, which was adopted in 2013.

The LCFF is regarded by many as the most significant resource equity reform the state has ever enacted. It definitely ushered in a new era of school funding for school districts. But how has the LCFF actually worked? Has it accomplished what it was intended to? And how are some of the inherent tensions between local and state decision making authority, oversight and accountability being navigated?

In this episode, series host Jason Willis and special guests explore key elements of the LCFF:

Mike Kirst, former State Board of Education President, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, and chief architect of the LCFF under Gov. Jerry Brown, offers a remarkable glimpse into the development of the formula, including some of the difficult choices, innovative thinking and pragmatic considerations that went into creating the new law.

Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez provides a review of the law, based on her unique perspective both as a locally elected school board member in Azusa USD and as Deputy Director for Californians Together, a statewide group that advocates on behalf of English Learner students. Xilonin also serves as immediate past president of the California School Boards Association.

And Richard De Nava, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, shares insights about the policy and practical implications of the LCFF. Richard also serves as president of CASBO.

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More resources

• NEW: "What's Next for the LCFF," report by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), November 2021
• NEW: "Targeted K-12 Funding and Student Outcomes," PPIC Policy Brief, October 2021
• "Why the LCFF? California's Landmark Move to an Equity-Based School Funding Formula," from the Adventures in Ed Funding CASBO podcast, March, 2020.
• "Here's How LCFF Works," Ed100.org lesson on the Local Control Funding Formula.

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Subscribe to the Budgeting for Educational Equity series at:

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Follow the Budgeting for Ed Equity podcast on Twitter at: @budget4edequity

Budgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. The series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music, mixing and sound by Tommy Dunbar. John Diaz at WestEd develops the written briefs that go along with each episode.

We're excited to share with you this first episode of a new limited series podcast presented in collaboration by WestEd and CASBO. It's called Budgeting for Educational Equity.

About this new series
How can dedicated teams of educators, administrators, school business officials and entire school communities allocate resources to better meet the needs of all their students -- especially at this watershed moment when student needs have never been greater due to the pandemic and an influx of additional federal and state dollars available to support transformative change? That's the story we're here to share.

In this first "introductory" episode, host Jason Willis, director of strategic resource planning and implementation for WestEd and a former chief business official in several California school districts, invites guest experts, advocates and school district leaders to share how they think about and define resource equity in education as a way to help us get our "resource equity bearings."

Subscribe to the new episode at:

• Apple podcasts
• Spotify
• Google
• More...
  

Guests in this episode include:

• Christopher Edley, Jr., J.D., interim dean, U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Education; co-founder and president emeritus of The Opportunity Institute; professor and dean emeritus, U.C. Berkeley School of Law; former professor, Harvard Law School; and co-chair, National Commission on K-12 Excellence & Equity
• Maria Echaveste, J.D., president and CEO, The Opportunity Institute; and former White House deputy chief of staff
• Jayne Christakos, former chief business officer, San Bernardino City Unified School District
• Marguerite Williams, Ed.D., former assistant superintendent of educational services, Adelanto Elementary School District; and former senior director of equity and diversity, Association of California School Administrators
• Adela Madrigal Jones, superintendent, Sanger Unified School District
• Michael Kirst, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University; and past president, California State Board of Education

Budgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO), the premier resource for professional development and best practices for more than 24,000 California school business leaders, in partnership with WestEd, a national nonprofit research development and service agency that works to promote excellence and equity in education.

Join the conversation on Twitter at @Budget4EdEquity

Budgeting for Educational Equity is written and produced by Paul Richman (your trusty guide on "Adventures in Ed Funding") and Jason Willis.

It has been exactly a year since we launched the Adventures in Ed Funding series. And what a year it was! In addition to our focus on school finance, we also produced additional episodes with timely information and stories to help schools and communities navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. In total, our first season included 36 shows. Here's a quick look back at just a few of the highlights during a difficult time when we've all learned so much.

Note: We’re currently taking a break from production. We'll be back soon with an update on some exciting developments for the next season.

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For the latest information about education and school business, be sure to check out CASBO Connect, the new podcast series hosted by chief business officials and CASBO leaders Eric Dill and Tina Douglas.
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Guests featured in this episode include:

Samantha Tran, Managing Director of Education, Children Now
Episode 1, February 7: “California schools: Where the adults aren’t.”

Elizabeth Esquivel, Senior Director of Policy and Governance for CASBO
Episode 9, March 20: “School Closures Due to Covid-19: What you should know.”

Paulo Azevedo, Director of Maintenance. Operations, Transportation and Facilities, San Ysidro School District, San Diego County
Episode 16, May 7: “A Clean Restart for California's Schools.”

Amy Rovai Gregory, Principal, Greer Elementary in San Juan USD, Sacramento County
Episode 25, July 27: "A Back to School Like None Before."

Linda Darling-Hammond, President, California Board of Education
Episode 26, August 2: “Checking in with Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond.”

Diane Deshler, CASBO Vice-President and Chief Business Official, Lafayette School District in Contra Costa County
Episode 27, August 9: "Back to School Safety and Planning: A View From the CBO’s Chair."

Paul Gothold, San Diego County Superintendent of Schools
Episode 34, November 3: “California Schools Put to the Test.”

ABOUT the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIALS

CASBO is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. Be sure to visit CASBO.org for the latest budget news and more information about the many valuable professional development programs. Follow on Twitter at @CASBO

ABOUT YOUR GUIDE

Your series guide Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. Follow on Twitter at @pjr100.

Contact us at EdfundingCA@gmail.com

What has it been like for school district human resources departments during these many months of pandemic? What are key challenges faced and lessons learned from recruiting, hiring and negotiating in a virtual environment? In this episode, special guest Norma Gonzales, Assistant Superintendent of HR and Interim Associate Superintendent of Business Services in Washington Unified School District in West Sacramento, helps us explore HR topics essential to school district operations.

Human Resources, as Norma says, is all about people. But at a time when we are so often physically distanced, it's more vital than ever to try to carry out the various HR functions in ways that maintain personal connections with those around us.

Norma is an HR expert who has served in leadership positions for several school districts and a county office of education during the past two decades. She joined Washington USD in April 2019. The district, which is situated in Yolo County just across the river from the state's capital, has more than 7,000 students spread across elementary, middle and high school campuses and nearly 800 employees.

Norma offers insight into:

• How HR operations in her district have changed since March;
• The issue staff has been bringing up most often to the HR team;
• How recruiting and hiring new staff is happening remotely;
• Early lessons learned from conducting collective bargaining negotiations virtually; and
• Meeting the potential need for substitute teachers during this time.

Plus, Norma shares some tips about virtual interviews for those who may be seeking a new position -- and she describes what she's most looking forward to once we are all past this pandemic.

Norma also served as one of the presenters for the recent CASBO Human Resources Summit and discussed tips for conducting investigations during the pandemic. Find more information about that and all of the latest professional development offerings at www.casbo.org/learn.

Follow on Twitter: @NormaVGonzales1
Contact at: ngonzales@wusd.k12.ca.us

ABOUT the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIALS

CASBO is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. Be sure to visit CASBO.org for the latest budget news and more information about the many valuable professional development programs, including the new CASBO Work Wise Webinar Series. Follow on Twitter at @CASBO

ABOUT YOUR GUIDE

Your series guide Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. Follow on Twitter at @pjr100.

Contact us at edfundingca@gmail.com

The latest state budget outlook. Fiscal implications for schools. Safely reopening campuses. Tips for successful negotiations. These topics and more were on the table when school business leaders and state fiscal experts gathered remotely the week before Thanksgiving for CASBO's CBO Symposium.

We can't possibly convey all the insights and information packed into those two days. But in this episode we do bring you highlights, key takeaways and a flavor for this year’s event.

The Symposium coincided with release of the State Legislative Analyst Office's latest Budget Fiscal Outlook, which projects a dramatic rebound in overall state revenues in the current budget year, and a $13.7 billion increase in funds available to schools and community colleges. That's cause for much optimism, though budget experts recommend a healthy amount of caution as well, since the outlook in future years remains cloudy with potential deficits.

Hear highlights as Symposium presenters including Edgar Cabral, Deputy for K-12 Education at the Legislative Analyst's Office, Michael Fine, CEO of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), Sara Bachez, CASBO Chief Governmental Relations Officer, Kevin Gordon, President of Capitol Advisors Group, John Gray, President of School Services of California, and nationally regarded economist Robert Kleinhenz shed light on key economic indicators, budget projections, payment deferrals, other vital aspects of the state budget deal -- and they explore how school districts might approach planning.

We also listen in as CBOs and other school business leaders share how their different districts are navigating the pandemic and related fiscal challenges.

For even more information on safely reopening schools, also check out this recent webinar hosted by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, COVID-19 Updates and Public Schools: A Conversation with State Public Health Leaders.

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIALS

CASBO is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. Be sure to visit CASBO.org for the latest budget news and more information about the many valuable professional development programs, including the new CASBO Work Wise Webinar Series. Follow on Twitter at @CASBO

Your series guide Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. Follow on Twitter at @pjr100.

Contact us at edfundingca@gmail.com

Despite the pandemic, California students are beginning to return to campuses for in-person instruction. In this episode, we connect with education leaders in San Diego and Napa counties to explore how schools in their regions are addressing key guidelines for reopening safely, including partnering with their county health departments to test employees for the COVID-19 virus.

OUR GUESTS:

• Dr. Paul Gothold, San Diego County Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Gothold was appointed County Superintendent in 2017, after four years leading Lynwood USD in Los Angeles County. He has more than 25 years of experience in K-12 education with a focus on building school systems with equity at the core.
• Josh Schultz, Deputy Superintendent and Chief Business Official for the Napa County Office of Education. Josh has served in the Napa COE for the past 12 years. Prior to that he served as a director in the office of research at Sonoma State University. He also taught high school for seven years in Napa County.

When and how best to safely reopen our schools for in-person instruction remains top of mind for students, families, educators, communities, and the whole state. It has also become highly politicized. Under California's color-tiered monitoring system, schools in many counties across the state are now eligible to resume in-person classes, as long as they follow guidelines for safety and physical distancing -- and many students are indeed back on campuses. Josh and Paul share challenges to reopening in their counties, strategies being utilized to address them, and protocols in place for when positive cases occur.

Also, series host Paul Richman shares a few highlights from recent informational hearings in the state legislature.

• Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2 On Education Finance, Tuesday, October 27th, 2020
• Senate Joint Hearing Education and Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response Committees

JUST OUT: To help organizations, including schools, increase COVID-19 testing capacity, on Nov. 4 the California Department of Public Health issued a letter to school leaders and a Playbook regarding the new Valencia Laboratory state partnership.

MORE RESOURCES

• California’s COVID-19 website – COVID-19.ca.gov
• California Department of Education Coronavirus Response and School Reopening Guidance – CDE.CA.gov

ABOUT the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIALS

CASBO is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. Be sure to visit CASBO.org and check the “Learn” tab for more information about our many valuable professional development programs; @CASBO

Your series guide Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant; @pjr100.

Contact us at edfundingca@gmail.com

How do education stakeholders, political leaders and policy experts view California’s school funding system and what would it take to come together around a comprehensive, coordinated effort to increase funding in California?

In this new episode, we explore these and other timely topics with Jason Willis and Carrie Hahnel, two co-authors of “Securing and protecting education funding in California,” a new study from Policy Analysis in California Education (PACE).

The report includes a great primer on California's education finance system -- and it provides an excellent frame for thinking about and addressing California’s school funding challenges.

New Resource: CA School Funding Crisis Explained in 12 Charts

We discuss several of the study’s key findings and recommendations – and we use the study as a springboard to engage Carrie and Jason in some “big-picture” conversation about the future of funding in California. Topics include:

• The political choices and will that drive funding policies
• Why is a new master plan for education funding needed and what would it do?
• The value of “cross-segment” planning
• Transparency and accountability in school funding, and more.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Carrie Hahnel is an independent researcher and consultant and a fellow with The Opportunity Institute. Her work focuses on education policy, including school finance, accountability, and ways in which policies and systems can mitigate racial and socioeconomic inequities. Previously, Carrie served nine years at The Education Trust-West, where she led research and policy work. carrie@theopportunityinstitute.org

Jason Willis is Director of Strategy & Performance in the Comprehensive School Assistance Program at WestEd, a nonprofit research, development and service agency, where he oversees and guides performance and accountability practice to support state and school district efforts. Previously, he served as budget director, chief financial officer and assistant superintendent in the Oakland, Stockton and San Jose unified school districts, respectively. jwillis@wested.org

Your series guide, Paul Richman, is a public education advocate and consultant. edfundingca@gmail.com; follow at @pjr100

Policy Analysis in California Education (PACE) is an independent, nonpartisan research partnership among five CA higher education institutions that seeks to make research accessible and bring evidence to bear on the most critical issues facing our state.

MORE RESOURCES

• "Silent Recession: Why California School Districts are Underwater Despite Increases in Funding," 2018, WestEd
• Why Investing in Public Education is Crucial to California's COVID-19 Recovery, Episode 15

ABOUT CASBO

The California Association of School Business Officials is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. CASBO is dedicated to promoting excellence and professionalism in all aspects of school business. Learn more at CASBO.org; follow at @CASBO

Economic development and public policy trailblazer Lenny Mendonca -- who most recently served as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Chief Economic and Business Advisor -- takes us inside the administration’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz) and shares insights on a range of vital topics, including:

• the shape of California’s economic recovery
• the future of work
• K-12 and higher education alignment
• school funding
• the importance of leaders making space to openly discuss mental health, and of course
• the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on just about everything.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Lenny Mendonca grew up in Turlock in California’s Central Valley. He received his MBA and certificate in public management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he now serves as a lecturer. He holds an AB, magna cum laude, in economics from Harvard College.

As a senior partner emeritus with the global consulting firm McKinsey and Company, he has worked with public sector, nonprofit and corporate clients, and developed expertise in areas such as globalization, economic development, regulation and education. Lenny has chaired and served on numerous statewide, national and regional nonprofit boards and coalitions, such as California Forward, New America, Bay Area Council and Children Now (to name just a few) to help advance ambitious budget, education and governance reforms. Soon after being elected in November 2018, Gavin Newsom appointed Lenny as Chief Economic and Business Advisor to the Governor, a position he served in until April of this year, when he stepped down for health reasons. Lenny lives on the Half Moon Bay coast with his wife, Christine. They raised their two daughters, Allie and Rebecca, there and are the founders and owners of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company and the Mavericks Beer Company.

LEARN MORE

• Governor’s Future of Work Commission
• Regions Rise Together initiative
• “I faced a challenge one out of every three people in America has: depression and anxiety,” guest commentary by Lenny Mendonca, July 2020 CalMatters

QUOTABLE

“California is a state with radically different economies, radically different industries, radically different challenges. It was true before the environment that we're in today and this pandemic accelerates it: We need to have a closer integration between understanding what the future of work looks like, what jobs will be available and how to ensure that everyone in the state has the educational experience to succeed."

ABOUT CASBO

The California Association of School Business Officials is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. CASBO is dedicated to promoting excellence and professionalism in all aspects of school business.Follow at @CASBO

ABOUT YOUR SERIES GUIDE

Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. Contact him at edfundingca@gmail.com. Follow at @pjr100