1. California's Local Control Funding Formula
California's new education funding law: AB- 97 School Finance - Local Control Funding Formula aka "LCFF" distributes K- 12 per pupil funding using the following formula:
The "Base Grant" is universal for all students.
The "Supplemental Grant" provides additional funding to districts based on the percentage of students in the district that are English Language Learners, Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, and/or are in Foster Care.
The "Concentration Grant" provides even more funding for districts that have large concentrations of students that are English Language Learners, Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, and/or are in Foster Care.
Districts with a low percentage of students who are English Language Learners, Receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, and/or are in Foster Care, are funded primarily by the Base Grant.
The Capistrano Unified School District is funded primarily by the Base Grant with a very small portion of Supplemental Grant money.
The Capistrano Unified School District 2015-16:
- Base Grant Funding: $383,769,680
- Supplemental Grant Funding: $18,021,824
- Concentration Grant Funding -0-
Source: http://ias.cde.ca.gov/lcffsnapshot/lcff.aspx
When the State of California enacted the LCFF law it set the Base Grant at $6,500 per pupil, and limited K-12 per pupil funding to 2007-08 levels + inflation; not to be reach until 2021.
(Latest National Data as of 2013)
The National Average Spending Per Pupil is $11,841
The California Average Spending Per Pupil is $8,339
The Capistrano Unified School District Spending Per Pupil is reported as $6,736 (Laguna Beach is reported as $13,513 per pupil)
Source: http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-how-per-pupil-spending-compares-across-us.html
2. CUSD Per Pupil Funding 2007-08 To The Present < $8,000 Per Child. CUSD Is And Will Remain A Severely Underfunded School District Into The Forceable Future.
(Latest Data from the California Department of Education)
Source: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/fd/ec/currentexpense.asp CUSD is Code 30
The reality is that CUSD will have flat funding for 14 years straight by 2021, at levels well below what it actually costs to educate a student in a suburban school district.
3. The Capistrano Unified School District Should Be Receiving Between $10,726 - $12,077 Per Pupil.
In December 2006, the State of California Commissioned a study to determine the cost to "adequately" educate a student in California with special needs weightings. The 2007-08 Calculated per pupil costs with special needs weightings determined that no child in the state of California could be educated for less than $8,932 per pupil. CUSD, a suburban school district should receive $10,726 - $12,077 per pupil to be adequately funded.
Source: Efficiency and Adequacy in California School Finance: A Professional Judgment Approach
https://cepa.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/19-AIR-PJP-Report(3-07).pdf at page Xiii
4. The State Of California Set The Base Grant Intentionally Low
By setting the base grant so low; the State is by design, intentionally underfunding any District that has a low percentage of students who are English Language Learners, receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, and/or are in Foster Care. The State is denying all students that live in districts with a low percentage of students who are English Language Learners, receiving Free and Reduced Lunch, and/or are in Foster Care of their fundamental right to achieve equality of educational opportunity. Basing per pupil funding on the wealth, race, and ethnicity of a district is a violation of the equal protection laws of the State of California and the US Constitution. Denying a student sufficient funding to achieve a quality education simply because of where they happen to live, and irrespective of their individual wealth, race or ethnicity constitutes invidious discrimination.
The State is using California's public education system to continually raise new revenues. Rather than use those new revenues to fund a basic education for every student, the State chooses instead, to create new programs and entitlements that are not constitutionally mandated. California classrooms remain on life support with no forceable change for students going forward.
CUSD, it's employees, the Board of Trustees, the PTA (as a voice of the children), and CUSD Foundations must come together and demand the per pupil funding that CUSD is entitled to. It is not possible to fundraise enough to make up for the funds that are being stolen from students. Advocating for the funding that CUSD students are constitutionally entitled to is the only solution. A poorly planned school facilities bond; and increased fundraising and donations, will not begin to address the needs of CUSD students, who have been denied adequate funding since 2007-08.
Taxpayers must demand adequate funding from the State of California.
5. The State Of California Has Sufficient Revenues To Adequately Fund Every K-12 Student But Is "CHOOSING" Not To Spend The Money On K-12 Public Education.
In 2007-08 State General Fund Revenues were $102,258,193 billion. Today the State has record high revenues of $122,468,243. Why is the State limiting K-12 per pupil funding to 2007-08 levels + inflation?
Source: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/home.php?selectedYear=2016-17
6. The State Has A Constitutional Obligation To Fund K-12 School Facilities; But Is "CHOOSING" Not To, Forcing Local Governments To Increase Taxes And Take On Large Debt.
California's $55 billion dollar 5-year Infrastructure Plan does not allocate a single penny to K-12 Facilities. It does allocate $51 of the $55 billion to Transportation aka "High Speed Rail".
Source: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2016-Infrastructure-Plan.pdf at page 3 (K-12 Facilities plan is found on pages 50 - 53.)
According to the California School Bonds Clearinghouse, the November election resulted in 187 of 206 school bond measures passing- representing $50 billion in future property taxes. 162 of those were Prop 39 bonds. Taxpayers within CUSD successfully voted against Measure M, CUSD's $889 million dollar school facilities bond. Informed voters knew that this particular bond was not the appropriate way to address CUSD's aging facilities issues. Taxpayers must now look for solutions to provide CUSD students with adequate facilities.
7. The State of California In Collusion With Public Employee Unions Crated A Common Message "Road to Recovery"
The plan was to protect public employee compensation during the great recession, and restore compensation to maximum highs by 2015.
The student road to recover is not guaranteed, and is dependent on finding continual new revenue streams by 2021:
This election cycle:
Prop 51 - $9 billion dollar State School Facilities Bond
Prop 55 - the extension of Prop 30 taxes on incomes over $250,000.
Measure M - CUSD's $889 million dollar Local School Facilities Bond.
8. 80% of Prop 30 Taxes Went To Employee Compensation And To Backfill The State's Unfunded Pension Liabilities
http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2016-17/pdf/Enacted/GovernorsBudget/6000/6300.pdf
General Fund expenditures on pensions and benefits have gone from $1,486,004 in 2014-15 to $2,472,993 in 2016-17
CUSD's state mandated increase in contributions to CalSTRS and CalPERSwill represent over 10% of CUSD's total budget by 2021. With employee compensation at 89% of CUSD's current budget, there will be no money for anything except employee compensation by 2021.
9. How Much More Can CUSD Taxpayers Afford To Pay For Education?
10. Just As The State Colludes With Public Employee Unions To Siphon Funding From Public Education, CUSD Colludes With It's Unions to Siphon CUSD Funds Away From The Classroom To Maintain Maximum Employee Compensation In A Perpetually Underfunded School District
The CUSD Board of Trustees is a union elected board, that has approved four consecutive years of across the board compensation increases for employees totaling over $120 million dollars. They did so while allowing students to attend class in substandard facilities, with staff to student ratios that are no longer safe. CUSD has the highest class sizes in the State and in the Nation. Cuts to core educational programs like Art, Music, and Science have never been restored; only those students who's parents can afford to fundraise receive instruction in core educational programs that are taught by an appropriately credentialed teacher with instruction that aligns with minimum State Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks.
In CUSD voters rejected the Board approved $889 million dollar school facilities bond. But, voters were not able to replace a single Trustee on the Board because CUEA/CTA and the PTA bought the election.
This is a Union controlled Board of Trustees. There is no one sitting at the collective bargaining table that represents the interests of students and taxpayers.
The Continued Lack Of Adequate Funding Has Resulted In A Notable Decline In The Academic Performance Of Students Across All Demographics.
(Latest Data 2014-15)
A-G Completion Rates: 53%
Mathematics - Ready for College Level Coursework by the end of Grade 11: 24%
English- Ready for College Level Coursework by the end of Grade 11: 41%
Source Math/English: http://caaspp.cde.ca.gov/SB2016/ViewReport?ps=true&lstTestYear=2016&lstTestType=B&lstCounty=30&lstDistrict=66464&lstSchool=&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1
These three indicators alone mean that 76% of students graduating from CUSD will have no option but to attend Community College or find a job after High School. CUSD is not preparing 2/3 of its students for a 4- year college or the Military.
The continual lack of adequate funding is preventing CUSD students from reaching their academic potential.
