Charter schools are part of their regional SELPAs (Special Education Local Plan Areas), which will see some changes in how special education is funded under Governor Newsom’s budget proposal.

The Governor’s budget plan would increase ongoing funding of special education by $500 million in the Proposition 98 General Fund, which would raise per student funding from $715 to $820, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO). Base funding accounts for the bulk of special education funding in California. In 2021-22, the LAO reports that base funding was 84 percent of the state’s allocation to special education.

The governor’s budget would also change the formula for base funding. It’s currently calculated based on the highest student attendance levels in SELPAs over three years. The budget proposal would instead calculate the rate based on the highest attendance level for each Local Education Agency (LEA) over three years.

The LAO supports the move as a way to “reduce the need for LEAs to rely on local general purpose funding to cover growing costs.” The LAO says by knowing the attendance projections, LEAs could more accurately project their funding allocations.

If approved, the change wouldn’t directly affect authorizers. However, it’s good information to know in order to ensure that the charter schools you oversee are aware of how this might impact their special education budgets.