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Principal Apportionment

Distribution of funds for local educational agencies (LEAs) in support of the public school system. Includes elementary school, high school and unified school districts; charter schools; and county offices of education.
Overview | Fiscal Year | Education Protection Account | PASE Listserv | Resources | District Reorganizations

Overview

The Principal Apportionment includes funding for the Local Control Funding Formula, which is the primary source of an LEA's general purpose funding; Special Education (AB 602); Expanded Learning Opportunities Program; and funding for several other programs. The Principal Apportionment is a series of apportionment calculations that adjust the flow of state funds throughout the fiscal year as information becomes known.

  • The Advance Principal Apportionment, certified by July 20, is based primarily on prior fiscal year funding and establishes each LEA’s monthly state aid payment amount for July through January.
  • The First Principal Apportionment (P-1), certified by February 20, is based on the first period data that LEAs report to the California Department of Education (CDE) in November through January. P-1 supersedes the Advance Apportionment calculations and establishes each LEA’s monthly state aid payment for February through May.
  • The Second Principal Apportionment (P-2), certified by June 25, is based on the second period data that LEAs report to CDE in April and May. P-2 supersedes the P-1 Apportionment calculations and is the final state aid payment for the fiscal year ending in June.
  • The Annual Apportionment, certified by February 20 in the following year, is based on annual data that LEAs report to CDE. After the Annual Apportionment certification, which supersedes the P-2 calculations, Annual is recertified three times, known as Annual R1, R2, and R3, with LEAs reporting corrected data at specific times. Any data corrections are reflected with the subsequent years’ certifications.

LEAs receive Principal Apportionment funds through a combination of local property taxes and state funds, with state funding composed of funds from the State School Fund and Education Protection Account (EPA). See the Principal Apportionment Payment Schedule for more information relating to the payments from the State School Fund. Local property tax revenues flow to LEAs at different times of the year based on statutory timelines and formulas. EPA payments are made quarterly at the end of September, December, March, and June (more information about EPA is available on the EPA web page).

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Fiscal Year

Education Protection Account

The Education Protection Account (EPA) web page provides information on LEA's EPA entitlements, the resulting impact to state funding, and frequently asked questions.

Principal Apportionment Section (PASE) Listserv

The purpose of the California Department of Education PASE contacts listserv is to provide LEAs and other interested parties important information, such as notifications regarding software releases, key deadlines, reminders of due dates for submission of data, and any other pertinent topics related to the Principal Apportionment.

To Subscribe:

If you would like to subscribe to the PASE listserv, send a blank message to
join-pase-contacts@mlist.cde.ca.gov
.

To Unsubscribe:

If you would like to unsubscribe from the PASE listserv, send a blank message to
unsubscribe-pase-contacts@mlist.cde.ca.gov
.

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Resources

District Reorganizations

A tool is available to assist LEAs with calculating blended LCFF funding rates for reorganizing school districts. To request a copy of the instructions and Excel file please contact PASE@cde.ca.gov. For more information about district reorganizations, see the District Organization web page.

Questions: Principal Apportionment Section | pase@cde.ca.gov | 916-324-4541 
Last Reviewed: Friday, February 24, 2023
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