The Facts

Bay Area school board members, including SF Board President Phil Kim, urged Sacramento to overhaul school funding, arguing that attendance-based formulas and underfunded special education are pushing districts toward cuts, strikes, and even insolvency, according to Jill Tucker at The Chronicle. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2026-27 budget includes a 2.41% cost-of-living adjustment for schools, but local officials say it does not keep up with health, pension, transportation, energy, and inflation costs.

The Context

California currently uses a daily attendance formula to calculate school funding, rather than the simpler enrollment funding formula. Other big states, with better education outcomes, use enrollment: Florida funds schools through FTE membership counted during survey windows, with an attendance check; Illinois uses average student enrollment from October 1 and March 1; and Washington funds most programs using annual average FTE reported monthly.

California’s Legislative Analyst has warned that a full shift to enrollment-based funding would cost billions. Which... is exactly of the point school leaders are making.

California’s rules were supposed to help boost attendance numbers, but they are still weak. The current rules punish the kids who show up for the truancy of those who don't.

The GrowSF Take

Sacramento should stop acting like California is uniquely incapable of doing what other big states already do. If those states can manage a more enrollment-based approach, California should stop pretending the idea is unworkable. A more realistic formula, especially for special education and enrollment stability, is overdue.