Flexibility for School Budgets
Assemblywoman Lynn Daucher
January 31, 2006
When it comes to providing our children with a top-notch education, who knows best what a school needs most than the people who work there? Parents, teachers and school board members live and work with schools every day, and they know exactly the unique challenges and opportunities facing their students. They also know what their students need to achieve success.
Unfortunately, almost every dollar schools receive from the state is tied to some specific purpose or program. Rules governing how school budgets are spent are constantly changing and extremely confusing. Bureaucrats and politicians in Sacramento spend too much time micromanaging California’s 9,000 public schools, and school administrators spend more time navigating the state’s regulations than they do educating our children.
It is time for the Legislature to take a hard look at its penchant to busy itself in every aspect of our local schools. This constant and unwanted attention further detracts from the primary responsibility of school boards to ensure that their young charges are taught the basic core educational curriculum necessary for them to develop into productive members of the community.
I have introduced Assembly Bill 1874, which will establish the Categorical Education Block Grant Consolidation Program. Schools participating in this program will receive all of their state categorical education funding as one block grant, with very few restrictions on the use of that funding.
Qualifying schools will have more flexibility in the use of school funds, allowing for a more efficient distribution of resources. Once a plan is developed by the principal and teachers, and adopted by the governing board of the school district with input from parents, schools will be freed from the spending requirements that come with accepting categorical funds. They will have the freedom to use their resources to provide for the unique needs of their students.
California’s current assessment and accountability requirements will be untouched by AB 1874. Student achievement will continue to be the top priority. This measure will give local officials more control and, therefore, greater accountability to the students they serve.
Unfortunately, almost every dollar schools receive from the state is tied to some specific purpose or program. Rules governing how school budgets are spent are constantly changing and extremely confusing. Bureaucrats and politicians in Sacramento spend too much time micromanaging California’s 9,000 public schools, and school administrators spend more time navigating the state’s regulations than they do educating our children.
It is time for the Legislature to take a hard look at its penchant to busy itself in every aspect of our local schools. This constant and unwanted attention further detracts from the primary responsibility of school boards to ensure that their young charges are taught the basic core educational curriculum necessary for them to develop into productive members of the community.
I have introduced Assembly Bill 1874, which will establish the Categorical Education Block Grant Consolidation Program. Schools participating in this program will receive all of their state categorical education funding as one block grant, with very few restrictions on the use of that funding.
Qualifying schools will have more flexibility in the use of school funds, allowing for a more efficient distribution of resources. Once a plan is developed by the principal and teachers, and adopted by the governing board of the school district with input from parents, schools will be freed from the spending requirements that come with accepting categorical funds. They will have the freedom to use their resources to provide for the unique needs of their students.
California’s current assessment and accountability requirements will be untouched by AB 1874. Student achievement will continue to be the top priority. This measure will give local officials more control and, therefore, greater accountability to the students they serve.
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