With the Trump Administration threatening to dismantle the Department of Education, it can be hard to know how its actions could impact local schools. Reviewing where California public school revenue comes from and who gets to decide how that money is spent on student education seems, then, like a good idea.

Federal Level

The Federal Department of Education currently provides approximately 4.4% of Fullerton’s elementary and high school districts’ budget. Federal funds comprise $6.7 million of the Fullerton Schools District’s (FSD) $147.7 million budget and a little over $10 million of Fullerton Joint Union High School District’s (FJUHSD) $232 million budget. When a school district accepts federal money, it promises to abide by federal education laws, which mainly cover special student populations, including students with disabilities, English language learning students, and students with economic challenges.

Federal funds are funneled through programs like Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Title I, and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). States often align many of their own education codes with federal mandates to make school reporting easier; if a state does not accept federal funds, however, they are not under the mandate to follow federal regulations. On average, California public schools fund 11% of their budget using federal funding, while other states, like Texas and Kentucky, receive 18% to 20% of their public school funding from the federal government.

State Level

California taxpayers fund a majority of the state’s public education budget through the general fund and property taxes. The governor and the state legislators determine annual education budgets and changes to state education codes.

The governor-appointed State Board of Education determines the Governor’s education policy and budget agenda, while a separate California Department of Education (CDE), led by an elected State Superintendent of Public Education, determines education standards, textbook and curriculum options, implementation of the state education code, testing, and funding accountability.

County Level

The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) receives all state and federal funds before distributing them to local school districts. They approve school district spending plans (Local Control Accountability Plans) and provide legal, business, and educational services that could potentially overwhelm individual school districts. OCDE is governed by an elected board and an elected Superintendent. OCDE Board grants charter school status, oversees student expulsion appeals, and educates students whose choices make it unsafe for them to attend schools in their local school district.

Local Level

In Fullerton, the community elects two separate school boards to oversee the elementary and high school districts. Trustees are elected according to district areas but represent all district students and are answerable to all Fullerton families. School Boards approve district budgets, hire and evaluate the Superintendent, set district goals and priorities, and are responsible for district adherence to state and federal education laws. They identify community education priorities, adopt curriculum (how a subject is taught), approve union-negotiated contracts, and oversee district procedures and policies.

As part of their board powers, individual trustees may ask for information from the school administrations but, like any responsible leadership group, they recognize the district’s highest priority is to support student education and safety and that the decision to take the Superintendent’s time away from that job needs to be taken responsibly and in moderation.

Superintendents oversee the implementation of the Board’s goals, policies, and practices. They oversee all school administrators and staff, making sure the district complies with state and federal regulations. Superintendents influence spending priorities, and curriculum goals, and represent the district to the greater community.

Principals run the day-to-day operations at a school site, lead school site councils, and implement district policies and procedures. The school principal is usually the person parents contact with their concerns and issues.

Administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and older students form school site councils that develop an annual School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), which allocates individualized school funds to serve unique student needs on that campus.

Parents and community tax-payers vote to elect school board members, county and state public school superintendents, state and federal legislators, and the governor. Locally elected offices, like school board trustees, wield legitimate authority over local public education. It would be regrettable to lose federal funds that allow local tax funds to serve all students better, but the impact of the Federal Department of Education on TK-12 grade funding is less serious than it initially might appear for our local school districts.