The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) continues to have flaws. If not fixed prior to implementation, the amount of money our school district receives per student will be significant reduced over the coming years. We need to tell the Governor that it is important that identified flaws be fixed prior to implementation of the LCFF.

Our continued advocacy is necessary. This past week, Governor Brown released the May Revise of his state 2013-14 budget. We are concerned because the Governor has not made adequate adjustments to his Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Our local legislators tell us that it looks like LCFF is going to go through this July, so our efforts are better spent advocating for critical fixes than continuing to advocate for more thorough policy vetting and/or an increase to the base grant.

Before that happens, these three critical flaws in LCFF need to be fixed:

1. Funding for Growing Districts: While the current version of LCFF improves the calculation for growing districts, it still doesn't properly fund growth because it results in less funding per Average Daily Attendance (ADA) if ADA increases.   
2. Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): In the current formula, districts only realize a fraction of the established COLA.

3. K-3 Class-size Reduction (CSR): The penalties, in the current proposal, for failing to meet the CSR targets are unnecessarily severe -- districts risk losing all CSR funding if they miss the target at even one school site.

Our local legislators as well as key leaders in both the State Senate and Assembly understand the need to correct these flaws, but we need to reach the Governor.  Please help by downloading the letter, link below, adding your name and complete address, and printing, signing and returning it to the PTA Legislative Box in any school site office by Thursday, May 23rd.  

Questions? Contact your school’s PTA Leg. Rep. or President,  or Robin Klau, SRVC PTA VP of Legislative Advocacy at srvpta.vplegadvocacy@gmail.com.

Marilyn Lucey and Stacey Vorous of Greenbrook Elementary received a CA State PTA Environmental Spotlight Award at the CAPTA Convention in San Jose.