LCFF Implementation

The adoption of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) in 2013 marked a radical change in direction in California’s public school finance and governance system, guided by the principles of subsidiarity, equity, and continuous improvement. The members of the LCFF Research Collaborative have been working to track and analyze implementation of the LCFF over time. In this seminar members of the Collaborative will present key findings from field research during the third year of LCFF implementation. The first two years of Collaborative research looked broadly at LCFF implementation in districts and County Offices of Education.

This third year has focused on three issues that emerged from the earlier research: 1) Resource allocation—How are districts using their new-found resource flexibility, to what purposes are they putting the dollars and on what bases are they making these decisions?, 2) Common Core implementation and the LCFF—How are these two major state policies interacting and to what effect? What impact is implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards having?, and, 3) Stakeholder Engagement—How are districts engaging parents in the LCAP development process? What role are local school boards playing in LCAP development? How are teacher unions engaged in the LCAP process?

The seminar will include findings from this most recent round of research, discussion of promising practices in LCFF implementation, and recommendations for policy-makers about ways in which state policy and resources can help to strengthen local LCFF implementation.

Speakers include:

• Julie A. Marsh, Professor of Education Policy, University of Southern California
• Julia E. Koppich, President, J. Koppich & Associates
• Daniel C. Humphrey, Independent Education Consultant