Goal: Rebuild and extend the connection between each school and the community it serves.
4.1) EMPOWER LOCAL FUNDING: ALLOW COMMUNITIES TO SUPPORT LOCAL SCHOOLS.
a. Expand the authority of each community to levy local taxes for its local schools.
The political will to invest in education is strongest at the local level. Accountability for effective use of tax resources is also strongest at the local level. Yet today there is an almost total disconnect between communities and the funding of schools. The best way to address California's education funding gap and spur innovation is to re-enlist communities in some of the responsibility for funding and overseeing schools. A plan for a limited property surtax that could accomplish this goal was prepared as part of the work of the Governor's Committee on Education Excellence. This plan or one like it should be implemented. b. Establish a state matching fund to ensure local funding equity.
Empowering local funding would not be helpful if it worsened existinginequities. To mitigate this possibility, local funding empowerment must be paired with the creation of a state matching fund that augments local taxes raised for education in lower-wealth communities. A plan for such a matching fund was prepared as part of the work of the Governor's Committee on Education Excellence.
4.2) EMPOWER MOMENTUM: REWARD EDUCATIONAL GROWTH AND PROGRESS.
a. Create a statewide award fund that catalyzes progress.
Too often, California education policy only directs money toward crisis interventions. Districts that have demonstrated their capacity to turn resources into educational success are, perversely, expected to get by without such help. California should create a statewide "educational momentum" fund that directs multi-year, unrestricted, incremental resources to high-need districts and schools that distinguish themselves over time by improving the educational results of their students.
4.3) EMPOWER COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION: ENCOURAGE INPUT AND DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS.
a. Develop tools for districts to communicate with parents and communities.
Districts and schools need better tools for communication and to engage parents, teachers, school site councils, and community members to help develop their budgets and long-term plans. The expense of creating these tools is too large for districts to bear alone, and districts generally lack the expertise to oversee development of such assets. To encourage rational decisions based on student learning outcomes, the State should develop or ensure development of a visible, flexible toolset built on the foundation of the longitudinal data system. As an early step, districts should have access to tools that will provide transparent funding information to all of their stakeholders. These tools need to map dollars invested to long-term plans that address student learning needs and district priorities. b. Coordinate services and identify efficiencies at the local level.
Ask communities to identify ways to integrate multiple strands of child services to support educational outcomes for the neediest students in the community. Building on models like the Harlem Children's Zone, the State should encourage collaboration between P-16 and other youth, health, and social service agencies to leverage assets and provide a seamless pipeline to the most vulnerable populations of students, including access to counselors, health and wellness centers, and family support agencies to ensure the socio-emotional well being of each student.
4.4) EMPOWER IMPROVEMENT: FOSTER TRANSPARENCY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
a. Do more of what works and less of what does not.
Using the longitudinal data system, the state needs to model a culture of continuous improvement. To start, existing programs must justify their continuation by demonstrating impact on student learning. It would help to create a framework for new policies that incorporates review and evaluation as a matter of course.
Report
EACH: A Vision for California's Future Full Circle Fund, January 2010
Read and learn more about the EACH Approach
