The Legislative Analysis Service recommends requiring county education departments to expand reporting on spending. The LAO said in its report that the public, especially parents of students attending county schools, needs more transparency at the request of Congress. It was released on Thursday.
There are 58 county offices, one in each county, with various responsibilities. They provide a court school for juveniles in custody and a community school for expelled and troubled children. He is also responsible for overseeing financially unsound school districts and assisting school districts with groups of underperforming students designated for academic support. Their oversight role has expanded since the passage of the Local Control Funding Formula.
State funding reflects its size, from a small office serving one school district in Trinity County to Los Angeles, which has 80 school districts. In addition to the flat base subsidy, additional funding is available depending on the number of school districts and enrollment. We also operate optional programs such as career technical education, child care, immigrant education programs, and adult education.
County officials have discretion over how to spend state money. “However, this flexibility also makes state oversight of (county offices') activities more difficult,” the LAO said. For example, local management and accountability plans, which are required to detail the goals and actions of county-run schools, only cover a portion of the funding counties receive, the LAO said.
LAO's recommendations are:
- Requires county offices to produce annual reports summarizing major activities, services, and policy initiatives.
- Establish county-specific performance indicators for county-operated schools. Some state accountability metrics, such as standardized test scores and graduation rates, do not apply to county schools where students attend on a short-term basis. The LAO said alternative measures could include pre- and post-skills tests and credit for the program during enrollment.
- Require expenditure reports that include multiple sources that break down expenditures by program. LAO said this format should allow for cross-county comparisons. This kind of report, long sought by fiscal responsibility groups, would set a precedent. Government administration. Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom oppose uniform liability provisions as an encroachment on local control.
Derrick Lennox, senior director of government relations and legal affairs for the California Board of County Supervisors, said his organization accepts the report's recommendations.
“I commend the LAO for naming a way for county education departments to increase awareness and accountability to the public,” he said in a statement. “Although COE budgets and expenditures are already publicly available, the information can be very complex. Similarly, current LCAP requirements limit the services provided to students enrolled in juvenile courts and county community schools. It has become difficult to clearly explain support and support.”