Hundreds Descend on Sacramento for Crucial Meeting on Historic Education Reform Regulations

SACRAMENTO — A racially, ethnically and socio-economically diverse mix of nearly 400 students and parents from across the state began arriving at 5:30am for today’s State Board of Education (SBE) meeting. Wearing identical t-shirts and green arm bands, they came to testify and witness; rally and march, chant, wave banners and signs.
They’re here again, students and parents in unprecedented numbers, as SBE considers “emergency regulations” that will guide how local districts implement Governor Jerry Brown’s new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) law that dramatically reforms the way California funds school districts by basing funding on student-need. They’re here to push for assurances that LCFF will deliver on its promise.
In their testimony, they acknowledge that the state board has come a long way since its November meeting in balancing flexibility with equity. They say they appreciate the state board’s inclusiveness in working with a broad range of stakeholders and being open to and responsive to their concerns.
But, they point out, while the LCFF legislation clearly states that additional educational funding is to be used to “increase or improve” services for high-need students, a loophole in the regulations might allow funding to be used district wide for any purpose. They want board members to clarify existing law and close this loophole to make sure funds designated for English language learners, foster youth and low income students are specifically used to help them. Only then, they say, should the board approve the emergency regulations.
This testimony echoes a letter submitted Friday to SBE (with the Governor and other state leaders copied) on behalf of more than two dozen organizations.
Harkening back to Governor Brown’s quote when introducing LCFF that “equal treatment for children in unequal situations is not justice,” advocates hope their messages of #ClosetheLoophole and #ImproveThenApprove #LCFF fall on receptive ears.
Once the Board ensures the promise of LCFF, advocates say their attention will shift to make sure local districts follow through to begin making this promise a reality. They also plan to closely monitor how the emergency regulations work in practice so they can propose appropriate improvements to the permanent regulations later this summer or fall.

March Route
March leaves Westminster Church, 1300 N St., heads along north and south sides of N St, ends on both sides of N and 15th streets, then moves onto capitol grounds at 14th and N streets.

Contact:
Eric Wagner: (323) 683-9295
ewagner@edtrustwest.org