Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $308 billion 2022-2023 Fiscal Year state budget provides what the administration called a “historic” $170 billion to continue “our transformation of education in California.” Covering what the Governor’s Office called “pre-K-16” education (extending into college), that includes $7.9 billion for learning recovery and more money for higher education; $2 billion for affordable student housing in addition to $2 billion last year; and $3.5 billion for arts, music and related programs.
Detail on California’s enacted 2023-2024 budget reveals that the Legislature and governor approved total funding of $128.6 billion for K-12 education including $78.6 billion from the General Fund and $50 billion from other funds. At the California Department of Education, some of that will undoubtedly bolster work by its Equity and Information and Technology branches — and assist it in furthering the major goal of “providing statewide leadership that promotes effective use of technology to improve teaching and learning.” Among the takeaways:
- A funding source isn’t listed, but there are nine positions shown this fiscal year for Cradle-to-Career Data System Support. That is to pay for three education research and evaluation consultants; one each of an associate governmental program analyst; an educational research and evaluation administrator I; an IT associate, a manager I and a specialist I; and a research data specialist II. The system received $200,000 from the General Fund in FY 2021-2022 for “planning funds.”
- There’s $575,000 from “Other Funds” for a Child Nutrition Technology Innovation Grant (TIG).
- There’s $350,000 from the General Fund to pay for “Early Education Information Technology Business Analysts Augmentation,” specifically for two positions. This comes in the area of Workload Budget Adjustments/Workload Budget Change Proposals for this fiscal year.
- In the area of “Early Education Information Technology (IT) Business Analysts Augmentation,” CDE earmarks $223,000 in FY 2023-2024 to fill two information technology specialist I positions.
- There’s $106,000 from “Other Funds” to adjust funding for the “Clearinghouse for Specialized Media and Technology Warehouse.”
- In the area of “Establishment of Staff and Resources to Support California State Preschool Program Policy and Guidance Updates,” there’s $76,000 for a research data analyst II.
- It’s not funded in this fiscal year, but CDE continues to make use of $192,000 from “Other Funds” in FY 2021-2022 for “TIG Funding for Updates to the Food Distribution Program.”
