State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces LCFF Workgroup to Increase Transparency in Process

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today announced that he has convened a group of educational partners to discuss ways in which the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) accountability system is providing districts with flexibility to lend support to focus areas that need extra support in order to improve student outcomes. This system was implemented to replace 40 years of categorical programs, which failed to close achievement gaps. The recently released 2019 California School Dashboard shows that LCFF, which recognizes that many factors contribute to improving student outcomes, is working: test scores are up, graduation rate is at an all-time high, and the suspension rate is at a historic low.

The workgroup, which met once in late 2019 and will meet again next week, consists of educational partners from organizations such as the California Association of School Business Officials, Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, School Services of California, California State Parent Teacher Association, Association of California School Administrators, Public Policy Institute of California, Education Trust West, California School Boards Association, members of the California State Legislature, and school district and county office superintendents. The purpose of the workgroup is to gain insight from key stakeholders on ways to improve the process and to ensure that it is truly serving the students it was intended to provide additional support to by showing improvements in student outcomes in those specific student groups.

The state already recognizes the need to improve the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) template to make it more transparent and user-friendly. The suggested improvements will be presented to the State Board of Education for consideration later this week. “Through strategic efforts and coordination with key educational partners, we are committed to continuous improvement and have adjusted our policies several times over the years as we've learned what works and what doesn't—and will continue to do so if it’s best for our students. As we move forward, we should find a way to lift up districts where gaps are narrowing and learn how to replicate that success,” said Thurmond.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100