2024-25 State Budget Almost Settled:
No Proposed Cuts to Expanded Learning
We’re grateful that the Governor and the Legislature are protecting critical programs that support the whole child, including expanded learning and community schools.
ELO-P: The Governor’s May Revise Proposal to the 2024-25 State Budget:
Maintain $4 billion in ongoing funding for the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P);
Require any fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 and FY 2022-23 ELO-P funds that are not spent by September 30, 2024 to be returned to the state;
Going forward, require local educational agencies (LEAs) to spend ELO-P funding within 2 years of receiving it; unspent funds would go back to the state;
School districts and charter schools will be required to annually declare their “operational intent” to run ELO-P programs or have their remaining funding go back to the state.
Takeaway / recommendations:
If ELO-P funds are returned to the state, we strongly recommend re-allocating those funds to high-need LEAs that receive Tier 2 funding, and those that only receive the minimum apportionment of $50,000. Many LEAs serve a significantly high percentage of unduplicated students but do not qualify for a higher rate per unduplicated student (Tier 1) because their district in total does not reach the 75% unduplicated threshold. Compounding implementation challenges, LEAs with Tier 2 funding saw their rate decline by more than 12% between 2022-23 and 2023-24.
We want schools to utilize ELO-P funding to its fullest potential now; we support proposals to incentivize LEAs to do so, such as requiring LEAs to declare their intent to run ELO-P programs annually. This is a step in the right direction toward better school-day and afterschool alignment and provides greater accountability for families and communities. We recommend that the state require LEAs to begin declaring their intent starting with FY 2024-25.
ELO-P: The Legislature’s proposal for PreK-12:
Maintains $4 billion in ongoing funding for ELO-P;
Provides more support for Tier 2 districts in order to stabilize the rate;
Opposes an extension to use FY 2021-22 and FY 2022-23 funds, meaning that any remaining funds as of June 30, 2024 will be returned to the state;
Rejects the requirement that LEAs must declare their intent to operate ELO-P annually; however, LEAs are currently prohibited from opting out of funding.
Takeaway / recommendations:
We’re grateful for their continued support for ELO-P and their action to help stabilize Tier 2 rates.
Attendance Recovery Program: Governor’s May Revise proposals:
Reminder: In January, Governor Newsom proposed allowing LEAs the option to use ELO-P funds to provide attendance recovery programs for students, before and after school, on weekends, and intersessions to recover learning, increase instructional time, offset absences/absenteeism, and recoup attendance-based funding for schools. LEAs that choose to run attendance recovery programs with ELO-P funds must still meet their requirements to provide access to expanded learning opportunities, prioritizing TK-6 students first.
Postpones implementation to July 1, 2025. CDE will be required to create guidance for LEAs on how to run attendance recovery programs in conjunction with expanded learning programs before that date;
Specifies that 1:1 or small group tutoring, under the “immediate supervision and control of a certificated employee” of the LEA, count as student activities that are “substantially equivalent in quality and content to those offered” in the school day.
Takeaway / recommendations:
We support the intent of attendance recovery programs and the recognition that learning happens outside of the classroom.
Attendance recovery and instructional continuity proposals should align with and address the root causes of chronic absence.
Delaying this proposal is the right approach, as it gives CDE time to create guidance on implementation before LEAs run them.
We are pleased to see this proposal expanded to allow certificated employees, not just teachers, to supervise programs. However, this proposal would be stronger if community partners—many of whom have extensive experience in tutoring—could support students in attendance recovery programs overseen by certificated teachers and other employees.
We believe the goal of this proposal should be better school connectedness, engagement, and enrichment for students rather than just “increasing instructional time.”
Attendance Recovery: The Legislative proposal:
Rejects the Governor’s Attendance Recovery proposal entirely.
The Legislature is holding its last budget subcommittee and full budget hearings this week, and negotiations between the Assembly, Senate, and the Governor’s office will continue behind closed doors. The Legislature must pass a budget bill by June 15th and the Governor has until July 1st to approve the budget.
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ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA AFTERSCHOOL ADVOCACY ALLIANCE
California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3) is the statewide voice for expanded learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs. CA3 is a coalition of over 35 expanded learning providers and intermediaries from across the state representing the interests of hundreds of thousands of children, youth, and families who rely on publicly funded expanded learning programs throughout California, as well as the vibrant and dynamic workforce that makes these programs so special. ca3advocacy.com
CALIFORNIA AFTERSCHOOL ADVOCACY ALLIANCE MEMBERS
A World Fit for Kids; After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles; arc; BASE Programs; Bay Area Community Resources; California AfterSchool Network; California Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs; California School-Age Consortium; California State Alliance of YMCAs; California Teaching Fellows Foundation; Center for Creative Youth Development; Children Now; Clare Rose Foundation; Community Youth Ministries; EDMO; EduCare Foundation; Elevo; Envisioneers; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Heart of Los Angeles; Innovate Public Schools; InPlay; Keep Youth Doing Something; LA Boys and Girls Clubs Collaborative; LA Conservation Corps; LA STEM Collective; LA's BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program; Mission: Readiness; Para Los Niños; Partnership for Children & Youth; Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center; STAR Inc.; Team Prime Time; The Children's Initiative; Think Together; Woodcraft Rangers; YMCA of San Diego County
Contact
For more information on where and how ELO-P is having an impact in communities around the state and CA3’s budget priorities, contact Stephanie Pollick: stephanie@partnerforchildren.org, (510) 830-4200 x1616