LCFF AND LCAP-CALIFORNIA STATE PTA: YOUR VOICE MATTERS

The Local Control Funding Formula is a huge opportunity for parents to shape the vision for your children’s education and make it happen!

California’s new school funding law, called the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is a new way for schools to focus on student success.

The LCFF requires school districts to involve parents in planning and decision making as well as in developing Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). It also:

  • Requires your school district to focus on the eight key areas that help all students succeed.
  • Provides extra funding for students with greater challenges.
  • Gives your district more flexibility for how to spend its money to improve local schools.

Learn more about how the LCFF and the LCAPs work in this “Special LCFF Edition” of PTA in California – available in English and Spanish.

You can also take a deeper look at each of the eight state priority areas in our LCAP Quick Guides. These latest resources show how progress is measured, key questions to ask and links to more resources. Use these great tools as you review your district’s proposed LCAP.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

The new LCFF requires school districts to involve parents in developing Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). By now, your school leaders should have gathered community input and outlined district goals and metrics for meeting the eight key areas of student success in the LCAP.

  • Have you seen your draft LCAP?
  • Are community-defined needs reflected in the draft LCAP?
  • How were you and other parents engaged in the process?
  • How can you still make an impact?

Download and watch the latest California State PTA special webinar to find out more about what you can do locally as we head into the homestretch with the first year of LCAP adoptions.

Listen to a discussion from panel of experts about the key issues in California education and the important ways that parents and PTA members can engage to support all students.

KNOW THE BASICS – GET THE FACTS

Get the basic facts about the LCFF and the LCAP. California State PTA offers a variety of resources to share with parents, teachers and your school community. Click to download and share.

Fliers 

Presentations

  • Informational PowerPoint Presentation (Detailed Version) [English]
  • Visual PowerPoint Presentation (Short Version) to share at your next PTA or community meeting. [English]
  • LCAP – It’s an Opportunity! [PDF]

Videos

Webinars

  • LCFF/LCAP Homestretch – Why your voice matters now! [English]
  • Train-the-Trainer – How to educate your members and parents [English]

MORE ABOUT THE LCAP

As a critical component of the new LCFF law, every school district must engage parents and the community to create a Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). The LCAP is intended to be a comprehensive planning tool.

Each school district’s LCAP must focus on eight priority areas that help all students succeed. These eight priority areas reflect PTA’s belief that many factors – both inside and outside the classroom – positively impact student success.

Get familiar with the LCAP, how progress will be measured and key questions to ask. Learn more. Learn more.

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT – MAKE IT HAPPEN

To support school districts and parents in the development of family engagement goals and activities as part of their newly required Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs), California State PTA together with National PTA released an updated version of the PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships Assessment Guide.

The PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships Assessment Guide is based on extensive research over the past 20 years. It was developed with the guidance and support of prominent education leaders and practitioners in the field of family engagement across the country. It provides specific goals for each of six accepted family engagement standards, as well as indicators for measuring whether those goals are being met.

PTA recommends that every school district’s LCAP seek to address each of the standards and that the various indicators be used to facilitate local conversations among parents and educators about how best to build stronger family-school partnerships and measure progress based on the priorities and needs of the community.

LEARN MORE – USE RESOURCES

This a huge opportunity for us as parents to shape the vision for our children’s education and make it happen.

Here are a number of great resources to learn more and to get engaged:

  • Your local school district’s website – A good place to start to learn about your school district’s LCFF and LCAP timeline and process as well as programs and services at your school. Be sure to look at the School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) that must be posted for each school to understand where your students and district stands now.
  • EdSource.org – Offers a guide to the LCFF along with news and information about California K-12 finance system. EdSource also offers an LCFF Tracker to investigate the implementation of the LCFF at various school districts across California.

More great resources, videos, comprehensive information and tools are available at:

See examples of programs and interventions that meet LCFF goals and LCAP priority areas:

IN THE NEWS

Informing and educating parents about the new LCFF and LCAP is a top priority for California State PTA. Take a look at the recent media surrounding our efforts on the new LCFF and LCAP.

Listen to our recent Radio Disney broadcast with Children Now President Ted Lempert and Vallejo City Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Ramona Bishop.

 

CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS: STILL CHRONICALLY UNDERFUNDED

While the new LCFF and LCAP represent a major positive reform, it does not change the fact that California’s schools remain chronically underfunded.

The 2014 Education Week Quality Counts report ranked California 50th among states in adjusted per-student expenditures. Learn more about school finance.

Download and share information about the need for adequate funding for our schools.