LCFF & Instructional Time FAQs

1. Did the LCFF make any changes to the instructional days and time requirements?
2. When do school district calendars need to be increased to 180 days?
3. Have annual instructional minute requirements for school districts changed?
4. Did the LCFF change instructional time requirements for Charter Schools?
5. Did the LCFF change the weighted averaging methodology to meet instructional time requirements?

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1. Did the LCFF make any changes to the instructional days and time requirements?
   
   

   Yes, for school districts only. Instructional day and minute requirements have not changed for charter schools.

   The following are the significant changes for school districts:

   • For any district that participated in longer day funding:
     • Districts now only have to offer the minutes listed in statute (California Education Code [EC] Section 46201[b]).
     • There is no longer a requirement to offer the minutes offered in 1982–83 if they exceeded the minutes listed in statute.
       
       
   • For districts that did not participate in longer year funding and/or longer day funding:
     • Once the LCFF target funding is reached the required number of days is 180 and the required number of minutes is that listed in statute.
     • Once the LCFF target funding is reached districts that did not participate in longer day funding will no longer be permitted to offer the number of minutes offered in 1982–83.

   Districts and charter schools can offer five less days, and the corresponding number of minutes, in 2013–14 and 2014–15.

   Calculating instructional minutes using the weighted average by school site is no longer permitted.
   
   More details are provided in the following questions. In addition, an Instructional Time Table summarizing the annual day and minute requirements is posted to the CDE’s Web site.
   
   
2. When do school district calendars need to be increased to 180 days?
   
   

   The answer to this question depends on whether or not a school district received longer year funding previously and when a school district is expected to meet its LCFF funding targets.

   By virtue of participation in longer year funding, most districts will be required to offer 180 days or more of instruction beginning with 2015–16 due to the conclusion of the five day reduction permitted pursuant to EC Section 46201.2.

   Districts that did not participate in longer year funding will be required to offer 175 days or more of instruction beginning with 2015–16 if they do not equal or exceed their LCFF funding targets and will be required to offer 180 days or more of instruction beginning with 2015–16 if they equal or exceed their LCFF funding targets.
   
   EC Section 46208 provides for a fiscal penalty to school districts that equal or exceed their LCFF funding targets and offer less than 180 instructional days.

3. Have annual instructional minute requirements for school districts changed?
   
   Yes. How these changes affect each district depends on whether or not a school district received longer day funding and when a school district is expected to meet their LCFF funding targets. All school districts still have the option to reduce instructional minutes by the equivalent of five days pursuant to EC sections 46201.2, 46207, and 46208 through 2014–15. The three different requirements are listed below.

   1. District did not meet the LCFF funding targets and received longer day funding.
      
      

      Prior to the LCFF all school districts that participated in longer day funding were required to offer the greater of the instructional time they offered in 1982–83 or the amounts specified in EC Section 46201. All districts were also permitted to reduce instructional time by the equivalent of five days for a limited period of time.

      Beginning in 2013–14 EC Section 46201 requires districts participating in longer day funding to offer the annual instructional minute requirements listed in statute. In effect, the many districts that were previously required to exceed that amount are now only held to the following number of instructional minutes by grade span:

      Kindergarten, 36,000 minutes
      Grades 1 to 3, inclusive, 50,400 minutes
      Grades 4 to 8, inclusive, 54,000 minutes
      Grades 9 to 12, inclusive, 64,800 minutes

      All districts are still permitted through 2014–15 to reduce instructional time the equivalent of five days.
      
      
   2. District funding is below the LCFF funding target and the district did not participate in longer day funding.
      
      

      This set of circumstances applies to a very limited number of school districts. Prior to the enactment of the LCFF, school districts that were not participating in longer day funding were required to maintain instructional minutes at their 1982–83 levels.        

      These districts that have not met their LCFF funding targets and that did not participate in longer day funding are still held at their 1982–83 instructional minute offering until they meet their LCFF funding targets.
      
      All districts are still permitted through 2014–15 to reduce instructional time the equivalent of five days.

   3. District funding is at or above the LCFF funding target.
      
      

      EC Section 46207 requires that beginning in 2015–16 all school districts once funded at their LCFF target must offer at least the following number of instructional minutes by grade span:

      Kindergarten, 36,000 minutes
      Grades 1 to 3, inclusive, 50,400 minutes
      Grades 4 to 8, inclusive, 54,000 minutes
      Grades 9 to 12, inclusive, 64,800 minutes

      Through 2014–15 all districts are still permitted to reduce instructional time the equivalent of five days. This includes districts that meet their LCFF funding target.
      
      Beginning in 2015–16, EC Section 46207 provides for a fiscal penalty to school districts that equal or exceed their LCFF funding targets and offer less than the minimum instructional minutes listed in that section by grade span.
      
      
4. Did the LCFF change instructional time requirements for Charter Schools?
   
   No. Charter schools continue to have the same instructional time requirements for annual days and minutes that were in place prior to the enactment of the LCFF including the option for a five day reduction in instructional time through 2014–15.

5. Did the LCFF change the weighted averaging methodology to meet instructional time requirements?
   
   

   Yes. Weighted averaging by school site is no longer permitted. EC Section 46201 was amended and the statutory language related to school site weighted averaging was removed.

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