Read the full article from CSLX here.
“Overall, state income tax revenue is up, and the budget proposal for Tk-12 looks good, especially for the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP). Of particular note, CCSPP is likely evolving from one-time competitive grant funding to a $1 billion annual allocation for eligible school sites (generally, with an unduplicated pupil percentage of over ~65%). This is a significant signal to districts that they should be building long-term community school systems, staffing, and partnerships.
In addition, there are opportunities for LEAs and site teams to leverage a reappropriation of CCSPP funding to get them – and their systems – ready for the upcoming accreditation process (anticipated to begin with self-accreditation ‘29-30). For example, districts can continue to strengthen partnerships with municipal agencies and with community-based organizations. It offers districts another chance to lean more fully into alignment across whole-child initiatives, especially important because the budget also includes increases for other education program priorities.
Notably, the May Revision includes a $2.4B increase to support a range of students and initiatives, including special education programs. Middle and high school redesign gets a bigger investment with explicit career pathway links. The Student Support and Professional Development Discretionary Block Grant also gets an increase, and LEAs retain flexibility over how to spend these funds, within the state’s priorities. This is all genuinely good news for California schools. But to truly understand the proposed budget’s impact through a community schools lens, we need to look both broader and closer.”