Pasadena Public Schools Must Make Plan for New School Funding

The state’s new school funding model gives the Pasadena Unified School District more money to help low-income students, English learners and foster children.

PUSD officials will also have more control over how they use state money under the new funding formula.

But now all PUSD shareholders from district officials to parents must work on a spending and accountability plan they must complete by July 1, 2014.

School district officials and members of the Pasadena Education Network explained to residents Monday about the Local Control Funding Formula and how it affects them.

Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation for the Local Control Funding Formula or LCFF in July. The new funding model gives school districts supplemental funding for foster children, low-income students, English learners and grants for having at least 50 percent of students who are in those targeted populations.

The state will fully fund LCFF in eight years. This year the state funded about an eighth of the difference between last year’s base funding and 2020 target amount.

Pasadena public schools received $5 million more than last year under the Local Control Funding Formula or LCFF, said John Pappalardo, the district’s chief finance officer. With that money the district hired extra teachers to provide more services and create reduce class sizes from kindergarten through third grade. The money enabled the district to bring back high school librarians after they were laid off last spring and put elementary science teachers at schools with the highest need.

“This is a year of transition,” Pappalardo said of the new funding model.

The LCFF eliminates spending restrictions on 40 to 50 categorical programs, allowing school districts more freedom in how they use the money. School districts will be required to create a 3-year Local Control and Accountability Plan LCAP to list and explain expenditures.

In order to develop this plan, school districts must consult with teachers, school personnel, unions, students and principals. District officials will present a draft of the plan to parent advisory committees and the superintendent will respond in writing to any comments from parents.

The draft spending plan will also be discussed in a public hearing where participants can submit written comments. The superintendent will also respond in writing to those too. Once the plan is adopted it will be submitted to the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Because this is the first year for the LCFF, educators must deal with ambiguity in how to carry it out, said Meg Abrahamson, the district’s director of student support programs. The State Board of Education is developing a template for the LCAP, which they will have out by March.