Funding Facilities and Special Education in California

Public school funding is a complex but vital area of interest in California. In this seminar, the challenges of financing public education are highlighted in two areas: funding for facility maintenance and modernization, and special education for students with disabilities. California’s vast inventory of current public school facilities vary widely in age and condition, and estimates for California’s public school facility maintenance and modernization over the next ten years top $100 billion. Additionally, with the advent of the LCFF, there has been increased focus on helping students with disabilities succeed in school but many districts lack the necessary funding to do so. In this seminar, Jeff Vincent and Paul Warren will present key findings about financial structures and the difficult fiscal decisions California’s public school finance and governance systems face, pulling from studies that focus on funding for physical facilities and special education.