Application Deadline and Submission
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What is the deadline for the Mandate Block Grant (MBG) Application?
The statutory deadline to submit the MBG Application is August 30th of each year. Local educational agencies (LEAs) that want to participate in the MBG should submit the MBG Application electronically to the California Department of Education (CDE) on or before this date.
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How can the MBG Application be submitted?
The MBG Application is web-based, therefore, local educational agencies (LEAs) will submit electronically to the CDE. Hard copy applications will not be accepted.
LEAs will receive an email notification, addressed to the contact identified on the California School Directory, containing an informational letter which includes a link to the MBG Application and other important MBG details. On California Department of Education (CDE)’s Mandate Block Grant Request for Application web page LEAs may select the link titled “MBG Application” to find logon instructions and, if necessary, request a new password. LEAs that have been issued a password for the Mandate Block Grant in previous years will be prompted to create a new password for the 2026–27 reporting period.
For technical assistance, please contact the CDE by email at mandate@cde.ca.gov. -
Who is authorized to submit the MBG Application?
It is up to each local educational agency (LEA) to determine the authorized representative who will submit the MBG Application on the LEA’s behalf. Passwords for the MBG Application will be issued to the LEA’s contact identified on the California School Directory; this is typically the County or District Superintendent or Charter School Administrator. In addition, if an LEA has established a secondary contact in the current or prior year's MBG Application, the secondary contact may also submit the application and, if necessary, request a new password. If an LEA wishes to change or remove a secondary contact, updates can be made locally after login, or an email from the contact identified in the California School Directory may be sent to mandate@cde.ca.gov.
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Does a signed MBG Application need to be submitted to the California Department of Education (CDE)?
No. Only the electronic submission of the MBG Application is required. Please note that upon successful submission of the MBG Application, local educational agencies (LEAs) will be prompted to “Print Submission." The printed document includes a signature line and it is recommended that LEAs print, sign, and retain the electronic submission for their records. The signed document does not need to be provided to the CDE.
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We did not receive instructions on how to access the MBG Application. How can we apply?
An email notification was sent to each school district, county office of education (COE), and charter school with an informational letter including a link to the MBG Request for Application web page. The email was sent to the superintendent, administrator, or contact listed in the California School Directory as well as to secondary contacts submitted through the MBG application in the prior year. Please check the junk mail or spam folder of that email address and also make sure that the email was not rejected by your server. If you cannot locate the email, please send a request to mandate@cde.ca.gov.
If the contact information on the California School Directory is incorrect, please notify the CDE of changes to ensure receipt of future correspondence. Updates to school and district information may be requested by authorized LEA personnel using the OPUS-CDS application, or the CDS forms posted on the CDE website.
Once the contact information is confirmed, LEAs may select the link for “MBG Application” to find logon instructions and, if necessary, to request a new password. LEAs that have been issued a password for Mandate Block Grant in a prior year may use the same password to access the current year application. -
How do I get the password for my local educational agency (LEA)?
As part of the CDE’s web-based application modernization efforts, all local educational agencies (LEAs) will receive a new password for the 2026–27 MBG Application. The new password will be provided in the email notification sent to the superintendent, administrator or contact listed in the California School Directory, as well as to the secondary contact submitted through the MBG application in the prior year.
If you do not have your LEA’s password, you may request a new password from the MBG Request for Application. Select your LEA information from the drop-down menus, then select “Request Password.” A new password will be emailed to the primary contact listed in the California School Directory, and the secondary contacts submitted through the MBG application in the prior year.
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How do I update the contact information for my local educational agency?
The CDE sends communications to LEAs using the information provided in the California School Directory. If the contact information on the California School Directory is incorrect, please notify the CDE of changes to ensure receipt of future correspondence. Updates to school and district information may be requested by authorized LEA personnel using the OPUS-CDS application, or the CDS forms posted on the CDE website.
To update the secondary contact information, log into the MBG Request for Application and select the link titled “Additional Contact.” The CDE cannot update secondary contact information on your behalf.
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How can we verify that the CDE has received our application?
Upon electronic submission of the MBG Application, a notification will appear on the LEA’s landing page confirming that the application has been received. LEAs may also check the Mandate Block Grant Application Participation Status web page to see an application status of Participating, Not Participating, or Not Submitted. Additionally, LEAs may log onto the MBG Request for Application during the reporting window to view and download prior year submissions.
If you have concerns, please contact the CDE by email at mandate@cde.ca.gov.
Funding
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What are the 2026–27 MBG Funding Rates?
The current MBG funding rates, as set forth in Item 6100-296-0001 of the annual Budget Act, Assembly Bill (AB) 109 (Chapter 19, Statutes of 2026), are as follows:
LEA Grade Span 2026–27 Funding Rate County Offices of Education (COE) Grades K–8 $40.41 COE Grades 9–12 $79.27 COE Countywide1 $1.35 School Districts Grades K–8 $40.41 School Districts Grades 9–12 $79.27 Charter Schools Grades K–8 $21.31 Charter Schools Grades 9–12 $60.48
K= Kindergarten1 Countywide ADA is defined as the aggregate number of units of ADA within the county attributable to all school districts for which the county superintendent of schools has jurisdiction pursuant to California Education Code Section 1253
, charter schools within the county, and the schools operated by the county superintendent of schools. -
When will funding be apportioned?
Pursuant to statute, funding for the MBG is paid in November each year to all eligible LEAs that submitted the MBG Application. The amount paid will equal 100 percent of each LEA’s entitlement.
Participation
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Does an LEA need its governing board’s approval or a board resolution to participate in the MBG?
Government Code (GC) Section 17581.6 does not specifically require governing board approval or a board resolution to participate in the MBG. However, each LEA may have its own policy for identifying items that require governing board action or approval.
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Our LEA has elected to “not participate” in the MBG. Do we need to notify the CDE of our decision?
An LEA is not required by statute to notify the CDE if it chooses not to participate in the MBG; however, it is helpful if LEAs logon to the MBG Application and elect to not participate or send an email to mandate@cde.ca.gov with the LEA name and county-district-school (CDS) code. The CDE will “follow up” via email with all LEAs that have not submitted the MBG Application; those LEAs who have submitted the MBG Application and declined to participate or sent an email to mandate@cde.ca.gov will not receive further contact.
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If we participate in the MBG in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–27, will we be required to participate in the future?
No. Participation in the MBG is an annual election. Therefore, if an LEA submits a 2026–27 MBG Application requesting funding for the MBG, it only applies to FY 2026–27.
Charter Schools
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Do all charter schools need to submit a separate application for the MBG or can locally funded charter schools be included in the application of the district?
All charter schools, both locally funded and direct-funded, must apply independent of their authorizing agency in order to receive MBG funds. Each charter school will receive notification of the MBG Application which must be completed and submitted electronically to the CDE. Charter schools are encouraged to contact their authorizing agency if there is uncertainty about who should submit the MBG Application on the charter school’s behalf.
Apportionments for locally funded charter schools will be included in the payment issued to the authorizing agency and apportionments for direct-funded charter schools will be issued to the charter school. -
Are charter schools that begin operation in FY 2026–27 eligible for the MBG?
Charter schools that begin operation in FY 2026–27 as a new school are not eligible to receive MBG funding in the first year of operation. Funding for FY 2026–27 is based on the average daily attendance (ADA) as of the 2025–26 Second Principal (P-2) Apportionment calculations. New charter schools did not have ADA funded at P-2 and therefore are not eligible to receive funds for the 2026–27 MBG.
Effective July 1, 2020, a newly numbered charter school is eligible for the MBG if it meets the criteria to be treated as continuing pursuant to Part 26.8 of the Education Code, as amended by Assembly Bill (AB) 1505 (Chapter 486, Statutes of 2019) and AB 1507 (Chapter 487, Statutes of 2019), and further defined by Senate Bill 98 (Chapter 24, Statutes of 2020). Information regarding AB 1505 and AB 1507 implementation is available Legislation Impacting Charters web page.
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In the current year, two of our district schools were converted to charter schools. How will our MBG apportionment be calculated?
For FY 2026–27 the MBG is calculated using the average daily attendance (ADA) as of the 2025–26 P-2 Principal Apportionment calculations. This means the district would receive MBG funding in FY 2026–27 based on the total ADA at P-2, including the conversion charter schools, multiplied by the applicable rates for each grade span. The two new charter schools are not eligible to receive separate funding in FY 2026–27 since those schools were not funded in the P-2 Principal Apportionment.
Conversely, if two charter schools closed at the end of FY 2025–26 and the students returned to district schools, the district would only receive funding based on the district’s 2025–26 P-2 ADA, which would not include the ADA reported by the two closed charter schools.
Compliance and Audits
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Does an LEA need to be in compliance with all of the mandates listed in the MBG in order to receive funds? If an LEA elects not to participate in the MBG, does it still have to perform the mandates?
COEs, school districts, and charter schools are all legally required to provide or perform all applicable mandated activities. Participation or non-participation in the MBG does not alter that requirement. The MBG funding is specifically intended to fund the costs of the applicable mandated activities identified in Government Code (GC) Section 17581.6(f).
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If an LEA participates in the MBG, will a compliance audit for the specific MBG mandates be performed during the annual audit? If so, what required documentation would need to be kept?
The 2026–27 Audit Guide includes audit procedures for the Comprehensive School Safety Plan, Immunizations and the School Accountability Report Card, all of which are mandated programs funded by the MBG. Although other mandated programs covered by the MBG may be subject to review in the overall annual compliance audit per California Education Code Section 41020, no additional procedures are currently included for 2026–27.
If audit procedures are added to future Audit Guides, those added procedures are required to be published prior to the start of each fiscal year. By knowing the audit procedures prior to the start of a fiscal year, an LEA has an opportunity to discuss the required documentation with its own external auditor. If an audit found an LEA to be out of compliance with a mandate requirement, the LEA would be required to take corrective action; however, the LEA would not be required to forfeit any MBG funding.
Reimbursement Claims
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May an LEA file a mandate reimbursement claim with the State Controller’s Office (SCO) for 2026–27 mandates not included in the MBG?
Yes. If the mandate program is not suspended or specifically listed in Government Code (GC) Section 17581.6(f), an eligible LEA may file a mandate reimbursement claim with the SCO for FY 2026–27. However, a mandate reimbursement claim may only be paid when the Legislature appropriates funds for it.
See FAQ #23 below for the current program available for reimbursement. -
If there are new mandate claim programs approved during the year, could a separate reimbursement claim be filed or would those programs become part of the MBG?
Legislation would be required to add any new mandates to the MBG. Unless that occurs, a mandate reimbursement claim can be filed with the SCO for any mandate program or newly approved active mandate program not specifically listed in Government Code (GC) Section 17581.6(f).
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In the past, County Offices of Education (COEs) included some of its districts’ reimbursement costs (those under $1,000) as part of the COEs’ mandate reimbursement claim. If the COE elects to participate in the MBG and participating districts do not, is there a vehicle available for those districts to still receive reimbursements for the mandates?
According to the SCO, even if a COE elects to participate in the MBG, the COE may still submit a reimbursement claim on behalf of districts that do not elect to participate in the MBG. The reimbursement claim should identify the districts included in the claim, clearly state that the COE is participating in the MBG, and state that the COE is filing on behalf of districts that did not elect to participate in the MBG.
Mandated Programs and Activities
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Which programs are included in the MBG?
Government Code (GC) Section 17581.6(f) contains a list of mandated programs and activities that the MBG is specifically intended to fund. This list of Mandates Supported by the MBG is also posted on the MBG Programs and Activities web page.
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Which programs are NOT included in the MBG?
The following school district mandate is not included in the 2026–27 MBG list and is eligible to file a reimbursement claim through the SCO for costs incurred in FY 2026–27. However, funds must be appropriated for this mandated program before any reimbursement claims can be paid.
Current Program Name Program Number Teacher Incentive Program 252
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Which state–mandated activities are suspended in the current fiscal year?
The Department of Finance provides an annual notification of mandates specifically suspended in the current year per the respective Budget Act. Please refer to the heading titled Suspended Mandates on the Mandate Block Grant web page.