Jerry Brown signs school funding overhaul
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown ushered in the most sweeping changes to the way California funds its public schools in 25 years on Monday, signing into law a new funding formula that was the centerpiece of his legislative agenda for the year.
Schools that serve low-income students and non-native English speakers will receive more money under the formula, while all school districts will be given new flexibility in how they spend the funds they receive from Sacramento.
The change will be a boon for large urban districts like the Los Angeles Unified School District, where 86% of the students will qualify for additional spending. Under Brown’s plan, LAUSD would see its per-pupil funding jump from about $7,700 per student per year to $12,750 by the end of the decade.
At a Los Angeles news conference Monday morning, the governor called the plan “truly revolutionary.”
After weeks of public debate, mostly between Brown and Democratic legislative leaders over how the money should be distributed, the final proposal was embraced by lawmakers of both parties. Republican Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) was among those who joined Brown at Cahuenga Elementary School for the bill signing Monday morning.
The governor will host another signing ceremony at a Sacramento middle school on Monday afternoon.
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