The California Board of Education will be implementing the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which will replace the current K-12 financial system throughout every school district in California, on July 1, 2014, after almost a year of planning. This will be the largest change of school district funding in California since the 70s, and will impact some school districts more positively than others. This new system was designed to equalize the districts financially, while creating a more academically productive and fair system for California schools.

The LCFF is being implemented for more local control over how district money is spent. It was the idea of California’s Governor Jerry Brown and the legislature to create a new formula that forces districts to listen to stakeholders, therefore increasing academic outcomes for students. However, it also increases the responsibility and accountability placed on the district for good results by providing the districts with more independence in regards to funding. This system will also provide more money for districts that have more high-needs students.

Along with the adoption of the LCFF, all California school districts are required to have created and finalized a Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which provides a basic summary of how the annual school funds are going to used and spread throughout the district, focusing on eight areas of priority that must be addressed: student achievement, student engagement, school climate, basic services, implementation of the new Common Core standards, course access, parental involvement, and other student outcomes. Community input is also a required part of developing this plan, helping to ensure that goals for all students are being met.

“The LCAP is intended to be the document that summarizes how the district will spend its funding to address both state and local priorities. So the LCAP is the accountability document for the LCFF,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Services at Claremont Unified School District Lisa Shoemaker said.

This process will be slowly implemented over the next eight years until “full funding” is reached. The time frame could change, however, based on the health of California’s economy. During this time, each district across the state will be given target levels of additional funds based on attendance, and the percentage of students who are low-income, English learners, and foster youth. K-3 class size will also be reduced to 24:1. In Claremont, community input is still being sought for the plan from all stakeholders. Make sure to visit the CUSD website to give your input.