AAV of SBE Item W-16 Attachment 3

This page is the Accessible Alternative Version (AAV) of Item 1 Attachment 4 from the November 9-10, 2011 State Board of Education (SBE) meeting. The scanned Item W-16 Attachment 3 (PDF; 801KB; 2pp.) version is considered to be the official version of the document.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

JACK O'CONNELL
State Superintendent of Public Instruction

June 16, 2009

Ramon C. Cortines, Superintendent
Los Angeles Unified School District
333 South Beaudry Avenue, 24th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Dear Superintendent Cortines:

Subject: Quality Education Investment Act Funding

This letter is in response to your recent correspondence requesting additional funding for the nine Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools recently added as participants in the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) program through technical approval of the waiver request initially considered by the State Board of Education (SBE) at its March 2009 meeting.

In a recent phone conversation with Mr. John Ralles, Director of the SB1X Office, the California Department of Education (CDE) has agreed with LAUSD's proposal in your letter dated March 27, 2009, which essentially waives specific program requirements and related monitoring for these schools in 2008-09 and establishes adjusted interim targets for 2009-10. Given the late date in the current school year that these nine new schools are being recognized as QEIA schools, it is only reasonable that these schools are held to QEIA program requirements beginning with the 2009-10 school year, and your proposed interim program requirements for them are appropriate and reflect the intent of the waiver.

Concerning your recent request for additional funding for QEIA schools involved in the waiver; funding for these new schools and the schools from which many of their students have been transferred will be provided for the 2009-10 school year as established in the QEIA statute, capped at the initial funding level provided to the original nine schools, $20,079,400 annually. However, both the new schools and the previously existing QEIA schools that had enrollments affected by transferred students will not have their 2008-09 funding (or that for prior years) adjusted as a result of the waiver. Such adjustments would not be in keeping with the implementation of program requirements beginning in 2009-10, and would not reflect LAUSD's stated intent concerning funding outcomes from waiver approval. Please note that in supplemental information the LAUSD provided with its initial waiver request, the district stated:

The LAUSD acknowledges the finite funds for QEIA and is not asking for an increase in funded students at the schools in question. The LAUSD has made a commitment that local funds would be used to ensure that all
QEIA schools are able to satisfy QEIA requirements.

This statement was repeated in information submitted for the SBE's reconsideration of the waiver request at its March 2009 meeting, and was also stated in the LAUSD's verbal presentation at the January and March 2009 SBE meetings. The LAUSD made clear to both the SBE and CDE staff that it did not intend to request additional funding. This funding restriction was reiterated in the enclosed letter from Ted Mitchell, President, SBE, dated April 27, 2009. LAUSD's stated intent, as well as the circumstances described above, makes a request for additional funding unsupportable.

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Jim Alford, Education Programs Consultant, Regional Coordination and Support Office, at 916-319-0226 or by e-mail at jalford@cde.ca.qov.

Sincerely,

JACK O'CONNELL

JO:ja
Enclosure

cc: Henry Mothner, Director, Division of School Improvement, Los Angeles County Office of Education
Bo Vitolo, Regional Director, Quality Education Investment Act, Los Angeles County Office of Education
John Ralles, Director, SB-1X Office, Los Angeles Unified School District