Senator Portantino’s K-12 Funding Bill Passes Senate, Heads to Governor
For Immediate Release: August 28, 2024
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
Senator Portantino’s K-12 Funding Bill Passes Senate, Heads to Governor
Sacramento, California – Senate Bill 98, authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank), passed the Senate Floor and is headed to the Governor’s office for signature. The measure addresses the importance of enrollment-based school funding.
“Enrollment-based funding ensures that California schools are funded more equitably and have greater financial stability and predictability,” stated Senator Portantino. “The current outdated system for determining budgets for K-12 schools is based solely on student attendance and negatively impacts too many districts across the state. Many children lack reliable transportation, housing, and suffer from health-related issues that contribute to school absences. This study is an important advancement and I look forward to the Governor’s signature.”
California is one of six states that does not consider student enrollment figures for determining state aid to school districts. While districts plan their budgets and expend funds based on the number of students enrolled, they receive funds based on their average daily attendance.
“School funding based on student attendance is an outdated mechanism that fails to consider the efforts schools expend to counter absenteeism, or the fixed costs that schools face whether a student shows up or not,” said Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho. “When students are absent, we do not pay school staff less, nor do the cost of utilities or building maintenance decrease. When attendance counselors, mental health professionals, and transportation coordinators provide necessary supports, those services also incur significant costs to districts. While Los Angeles Unified and other school districts continue to address chronic absenteeism in the aftermath of the pandemic, California’s attendance-based funding system is out of touch with the real costs incurred by modern school districts. The proposed study in Senate Bill 98 will address important questions with the promise of demonstrating enrollment-based funding and promotes equity by recognizing the true cost of serving all students, including those who face challenges to attend school.”
SB 98 would direct the Legislative Analyst’s Office, on or before January 1, 2026, to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on the effects of changing the student count methodology of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) from average daily attendance to student enrollment. The research would include the fiscal, programmatic, and administrative impacts of changing the student count methodology, and phase-in approaches to implement the cost of an enrollment-based funding model over several years.
"Our current attendance-based funding system is a disservice to students, especially those in underserved communities,” stated California School Employees Association President Adam Weinberger. “Penalizing schools with higher absentee rates unfairly diverts resources away from those who need them most. Our members know firsthand the hidden costs of absenteeism—from tracking down missing students to preparing make-up assignments. We are thankful for Senator Portantino’s leadership in authoring Senate Bill 98, which passed out of the Assembly today. We urge Governor Newsom to sign this important legislation, which will shed light on the inequities of our current system and provide lawmakers with the data necessary to create a more equitable and sustainable school funding model."
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