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Greetings from Californians Together!

The May Revision is out and the marathon to meet the constitutional deadline of passing a budget by June 15th begins.The Governor’s 2023-24 proposed state budget includes a $306 billion spending plan, the budget’s shortall is greater than projected in January by $9.3 billion leaving the state with a $31.5 billion shortfall. Much like we saw in the January proposal, the May Revise includes budget shifts (that is shifting funding from one source to another), and  delayed implementation, revenue borrowing and/or reduction of funds to programs. It is clear that our budget problem is nowhere close to what we saw in 2009 given that years of cautions budgeting leading up to an economic downturn are reflected in the state’s reserves. The May Revision reflects $37.2 billion in total budgetary reserves which include: $22.3 billion in the Budget Stabilization Account, $10.7 billion in the Public School System Stabilization Account,  $450 million in the Safety Net Reserve and $3.8 billion in the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties. All of this to say, the Internal Revenue Service’s decision to delay 2023 tax filing deadlines adds an additional level of uncertainty given that we won’t have personal income tax numbers until then.

The May Revision includes a total of $127.7 billion for all K-12 education programs. We appreciate and applaud the Governor’s commitment to education, specifically the $20 million one-time appropriation for the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program which uses a “grow your own” approach to address the bilingual teacher shortage by allowing eligible local educational agencies to apply for state funds in order to provide professional learning opportunities to increase the number of bilingual authorized teachers.The Governor also keeps its January commitment to the $300 million ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund to establish an equity multiplier as an add-on to the LCFF to focus on closing opportunity gaps. We also appreciate the additional time for planning and implementation of the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program.

Read the full May revise here.

Newcomer is a term typically used to describe students who recently arrived in U.S. schools–but what recently means is not uniformly agreed upon. A new report from PACE, written by Californians Together Director of Newcomer Policy and Practice Sam Finn, highlights this as a fundamental challenge for policymakers and school leaders in supporting newcomer students. 

Districts Struggle to Educate Newcomers and Seek Support in Developing Effective Instructional Models

Terminology matters–and so does data. A lack of standardized terms contributes to a lack of data on these students. Newcomers are absent from publicly available state data and accountability systems. This means that the public, policymakers, community organizations, and those closest to students, cannot answer critical questions about how schools are serving the unique needs of newcomers. While newcomers do share some characteristics with the broader English learner population, it would be incorrect to lump their data together – but that’s exactly what is happening. Doing so obscures the specific challenges these students, who often experience interrupted education experiences and endure significant trauma, face when they arrive at school. 

Lack of Data Makes it Challenging for Newcomers to Be Seen By Practitioners, Policymakers, Researchers, and Publishers 

Fast facts about newcomers. A special data request to the California Department of Education enabled Sam to analyze 2020-2021 Title III, the only district-level data available for newcomers in California, data. Here are key findings: 

• 1 in 40 California students is a newcomer
• 1 in 8 English learners is a newcomer
• More than half of the state’s newcomers are enrolled in school in five counties (Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Alameda)
• 67% of newcomers are considered socially disadvantaged
• While California’s broader English learner population primarily speaks Spanish (80%), less than half of newcomer students speak Spanish as their first language

This data is important for understanding the landscape of newcomer students in California, but more data is needed to answer questions about effective teaching and for providing appropriate wraparound services to this group of students. 

Meeting Newcomers’ Basic Needs Requires Social Services from Partner Organizations

Additionally, partnerships between districts and community organizations, including faith-based organizations and local nonprofits, represent opportunities to connect students and families to the wraparound services they need to require challenging circumstances. The report raises Oakland Unified as an example of a district that developed and implemented a data system to gain a nuanced understanding of student needs. The report also highlights statewide programs, such as CalNEW that partner with school staff to deliver relevant services to newcomers and their families. Growing district capacity to use data to identify and sustain such partnerships is crucial for ensuring that these promising practices, and others, can be implemented to meet these critical needs. 

For more promising practices and recommendations for state leaders, please read the full report. View the executive summary here. 

Greetings from Californians Together!

On Tuesday, January 10, Governor Newsom presented his proposed 2023-24 state budget that includes a $297 billion spending plan and an expected $22.5 billion shortfall. The overall budget theme was categorized by budget shifts (that is shifting funding from one source to another), and delayed implementation and/or reduction of programs. As a big picture, it included $7.1 billion in delayed spending, $2.6 billion in spending reductions, and $4.3 billion in budget shifts. As we had seen in previous budgets, many of the commitments were one-time spending so that in case of a budget shortfall like what is projected, these commitments could be reassessed. All of this to say, the May Revision will paint a clear picture of how much funding is to be allocated to specific programs and if there will be further cuts needed. 

We appreciate the Governor’s commitment to education, specifically the $300 million ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund to establish an equity multiplier as an add-on to the LCFF to focus on closing opportunity gaps. However, we are concerned that without a requirement to set goals to close achievement gaps within district plans, the funding will not have the desired impact. We applaud the continued dedication to the educator workforce and would highlight the need for targeted funding for bilingual teacher preparation programs. It is for this reason that Californians Together is exploring legislation that would require districts to set goals for closing opportunity gaps in their LCAPs and continue to support the reauthorization of the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program (BTPDP).

With a limited budget on the horizon, we will continue to fight for our English learners and ensure that budget cuts don’t widen the already existing academic and opportunity gaps. We will highlight the need to protect and expand proven approaches to educator professional learning, like the Educator Workforce Investment Grants. 

Click here to view our full highlights.