Berkeley Adult School blog

A COMPARISON OF THE EDUCATION FINANCE REFORMS

PROVISIONS OF AB 18 (BROWNLEY) AND

GOVERNOR’S WEIGHTED STUDENT FORMULA &

WHY AB 18 SHOULD BE SUPPORTED BY ADULT EDUCATORS

Major school finance reform will receive attention and potential action during this 2012 state legislative session. Adult educators need to focus on two specific funding proposals. The Governor’s Weighted Student Formula proposal eliminates Adult Education while AB 18 exempts it from categorical program block granting.

BACKGROUND

Assembly Bill 18: Assembly Bill 18 by Julia Brownley was introduced in 2011 as a major education finance reform proposal. AB 18 seeks to accomplish the following:

·         Consolidates most categorical programs into three block grants to provide funding as follows: (1) Basic Funding, (2) Targeted and Equity Funding, and (3) Quality Instruction Funding.

·         Provides school districts with greater flexibility in addressing local needs without the constraints of categorical programs aimed at specific student populations.

Of critical interest, AB 18 presently exempts Adult Education from inclusion in the block grants. As introduced in 2011, Adult Education was included in AB 18’s Basic Funding group. Opposition by Adult educators led to its removal from the block grant.

Weighted Student Formula: Governor Brown’s 2012-13 state budget includes a major policy proposal to change how the state funds K-12 education. The provision proposes to change funding from revenue limits and categorical programs to a weighted formula that provides a set base funding statewide, and adds fiscal support based on English learners and low income students served.

The proposal’s funding would be achieved by combining present base revenue limit funds and categorical programs into one pool, and distributing to all school districts

·         A base per pupil funding statewide

·         An additional 37 percent per pupil identified as English learner or low income.

Of critical importance, Adult Education would be included in the combined pool. Adult Education, thereby, would cease to exist as a categorical program.

Bottom Line: Adult Educators need to advocate for AB 18 in its present form, while also seeking Adult Education’s removal from the Governor’s formula pool.