According to the state Dept. of Finance’s report, 19 of the 45 Los Angeles County unified school districts would be given more money each succeeding year under Gov. Brown’s proposed K-12 Local Control Funding Formula. When it is fully implemented, around 2020, the other 26 districts, including Culver City, will be receiving significantly less money in ADA funding had the system been left in place.
The following spreadsheet is limited to showing the unified school districts in Los Angeles County. The first column is the name of the district. The next column shows the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for that district. The next two columns show the percentage of low-income and English learners in the district used to allocate their new enhanced funding. The middle column is what each district received in ADA funding for 2010-11, the new base year. The next column to the right shows what the district could receive in 2019-20 school year, once the Local Control Funding Formula takes effect. The next column shows the greater amount of funding county school districts would receive per ADA if the current funding system remained in place. The next to last column shows the loss or gain difference in state ADA funding between the two systems. The last column on the right shows of the grand total of just how much the difference times the ADA figure, in the first column, the district would gain or lose in 2019-20 with the governor’s funding change.
Winners and Losers
It is inherent that within any funding system, there will be winners and losers. The biggest gain will be in the LAUSD, more than a quarter-billion dollars in shifted funding. The Long Beach Unified School District would receive $85M more, Lynwood USD and Downey USD, each $20M more.
The losers in this shifty plan are Pomona USD at $37M, Torrance USD, $25M, Montebello USD, $20M, Redondo Union, $15M, and Manhattan Beach USD, almost $11M. A dozen other county districts will be hit up for between $5M and $10M, including our own CCUSD.
Whatever Happened to Prop. 98?
Under his proposal, Gov. Brown says that no district would receive less than in the new base year of 2010-11. Didn’t he also promise to continue to repay most of the 20-plus percent in cuts that all districts have experienced since 2007-08. Despite his pledge to restore all these cuts, because of budgetary gimmickry, school districts still find themselves having to be satisfied with the state's flat-funding of education.
Gov. Brown’s new, lopsided funding formula doesn’t even take into account other revenue received by districts: Federal spending, locally raised dollars through parcel taxes and district foundations. It excludes significant programs, such as special education.
Apples to Apples
This report, showing the contrast between full funding under the Local Control Funding Formula and the status quo funding in 2019-20, offers anyone willing to wade through the data, a unique perspective in comparing apples to apples.
Our own Culver City Unified School District is one of the 26 districts that actually will lose out on some future funding.
Because of the proposed changes in the Local Control Funding Formula system, an ever-increasing amount of money will be slowly siphoned off from our District, year after year, until the final shifted amount reaches over $5M in 2019-20.
(To be continued)
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
