2018/19 - Where to Find CA NGSS Implementation and Professional Development Funds
2018/19 will be a big year for the implementation of the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS). This November 2018 the State Board of Education will adopt a recommended list of instructional materials for K-8 science. In the spring of 2019, fifth-grade, eighth-grade, and some high school students will participate in the first operational administration of the California Science Test (CAST) aligned to the CA NGSS. With these two significant events in the 2018/19 school year, CSTA anticipates that schools and districts will either initiate or ramp up their investments in implementation activities including planning, professional learning, and purchasing of instructional materials and supplies. Funding for these activities may come from a variety of sources. The information that follows focuses only on funds allocated as part of the state and federal budgets. As the majority of expenditure decisions are now made at the local education agency (LEA) and site-level, CSTA encourages you to connect with your LEA and review your LEAs budget and LCAP for information on how your district is planning to invest in CA NGSS implementation this year. If you do not see that investment, CSTA encourages you to engage at the local level to advocate for funding.
State Budget
The 2018/19 California State Budget includes $6.16 billion more in K-12 funding than last year's budget. The total budget includes $60.1 billion in LCFF funding and $1.1 billion in discretionary funds.
Discretionary funds are distributed on an ADA basis. As in years past, the funds are flagged in the state budget as applying towards the backlog of unpaid mandate claims. The funds are discretionary and can be used to fund local priorities. These funds combined with funds similarly distributed in the past few years represent a total of $4.5 billion in discretionary funds. Many LEAs have previously elected to invest these funds in standards implementation activities, technology, professional development, beginning teacher induction programs, deferred maintenance, and employee benefits.
The investment of LCFF funds is connected with your LEA's Local Control & Accountability Plan (LCAP). Review both the LCAP and budget for potential sources of funds for CA NGSS implementation activities.
For more information about funds in the 18/19 budget that target STEM education see EdSource's coverage of this topic in State budget has nearly $400 million for science, math education — but not teacher training.
Federal Funds
Several sources of funds from the federal government may also be available for supporting CA NGSS implementation activities. For more information, visit Achieve's website. As more information that is specific to California becomes available, this page will be updated.
LCFF and LCAP: Tools to Help Move Science Education Forward
As part of LCFF, districts must submit their Local Control & Accountability Plans and annual updates. Good news for science education! LCAPs must address plans to implement CA NGSS as part of addressing State Priority #2. Check your school and district LCAP for funds earmarked for teacher professional development. These funds can be found in several priority areas depending on the plan, so don't limit your search to Priority #2.
Resources:
- Will Your District Fund NGSS? It’s Up To You!
- LCAP Toolkit
- District Implementation Planning Tools
- Not finding support for CA NGSS implementation or professional development in your school or district LCAP? Read this article in EdSource from California State Board of Education Member Trish Williams encouraging districts to include NGSS in their LCAP.
Past Years NGSS Implementation Funding:
2017-18 State Budget - Where to Find CA NGSS Implementation and PD Funds
2017/18 California State Budget includes $876.6 milling in discretionary funds (estimated $146 per ADA) that will be distributed to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in 2017-18. As in the past four years, the budget includes legislative intent language that these funds are to be used for investing in the implementation of state-adopted academic content standards, upgrading technology infrastructure, providing professional development, supporting beginning teacher induction, and addressing deferred maintenance projects.
If your LEA has not yet spent all of its SB 77 Educator Effectiveness Grant Funding (the $490 million provided to LEAs in 2015/2016) your LEA can spend those funds this year, and must spend it all by the end of 2017/2018.
2016-17 State Budget
At first glance it may appear that support for standards implementation, California Next Generation Science Standards (CA-NGSS) or any others, may seem scarce to non-existent in the 2016-17 state budget. Taking a closer look reveals that while not dedicated, there is a great deal of potential funding available for implementing the state standards for science.
The first bit of funding comes in the form of $55.8 billion in LCFF funding. LCFF funding CAN be used for standards implementation activities IF your district/local education agency (LEA) has designated funds for these activities in their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). If you are not sure what is in your LEA's LCAP, visit their website where you will find it posted (some are easier to find than others). Do a quick keyword search of the document for "science", "NGSS," "PD," "STEM," "Professional Development," and "Professional Learning." If you don't see funding allocated to implementation of CA-NGSS specifically, there might be funding for implementation of Common Core-ELA and Common Core-Math. If this is the case, you may find that you can advocate that these funds can also be used to support your work as you are delving into the connections between the Common Core standards and the CA-NGSS. See See Time to begin implementing new science standards in our schools [EdSource, May 3, 2016].
The second source of potential funding is in the form of $1.3 billion in discretionary funding that LEAs will receive. These funds are being provided to all LEAs and are to pay down the backlog of funds owed to LEAs for unpaid mandate reimbursement claims. However, not every LEA has an equal amount of unpaid mandates, and the funds are desginated in the state budget as discretionary, with intent that it be used to support standards implementation, among other activities.
For more information on the state education budget read EdSource's: State budget heads to Gov. Brown: How education fared.
2015/2016 State Budget
The 2015/2016 California State Budget signed by Governor Brown on June 24, 2015 includes billons of dollars more to support K-12 public education than has been seen in years. Much of this funding is earmarked for funding the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) - - and some of these funds may be used to support teacher professional development and other implementation activities under state priority #2. CSTA encourages you to check you district Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) to see if your district has budgeted for the implementation of NGSS under this state priority. If not, engage in your LEA's LCAP planning process so that this may be included in future years. For information and tips on how to do this, click here.
Just over $3 billion will be distributed to school districts for the purpose of reimbursement of state-mandated local program costs. This payment is a pay down of the debt that the state owes to LEAs. These funds are discretionary in the 2015/16 budget - meaning “the governing board of a school district or community college district may expend the one-time funds received [...] for any purpose, as determined by the governing board.” The budget goes on to state “It is the intent of the Legislature that school districts shall prioritize the use of these one-time funds for professional development, induction for beginning teachers [...], technology infrastructure, and any other investments necessary to support implementation of the common core standards in English language arts and mathematics, the [...] English language development standards, and the [...] Next Generation Science Standards.” (Link to budget language)
Another “bucket” of funds is also at your LEA's disposal - this one has a few more restrictions, however these may be helpful in securing funding for conference participation. $490 million has been allocated to “teacher effectiveness” and LEAs may spend these funds on “professional development for teachers and administrators that is aligned” to the Next Generation Science Standards, common core state standards, and other state aopted standards. Expenditure of these funds must be outlined in a plan that is adopted at a public meeting of the LEA. For more information, click here.
2014/2015 State Budget
The deal struck between Governor Brown and the California Legislature includes $400.5 million that the legislature intends for use on Common Core, NGSS, and ELD implementation (including PD for teachers, instructional materials, and technology supports). However, the use of these funds for this purpose is not mandatory in the budget trailer bill language. In addition to this funding, $4 million is being allocated for NGSS assessment, $493,000 in one-time Federal Title III funds are appropriated for the purpose of linking English language development standards with academic content standards for mathematics and science, and finally $270,000 is appropriated to the IQC to review and revise, as necessary, the history-social science framework and develop a revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for instructional materials in science based on NGSS.2013/2014 State Budget
Click here to view a calendar of upcoming NGSS PD Events in California. At the end of June 2013, Governor Brown included $1.25 billion in one-time funding to help districts implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The language of the trailer bill (a legislative vehicle that accompanies the state budget that describes how budget funds are to be spent) allows for these "Common Core Grant" funds to also be spent in support of the implementation of the NGSS for California. According to the California Department of Education and per the language of AB 86, Section 85 the funds are to be spent in 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 and can be used for any of three purposes (specific bill language below for reference):
- Professional development that is aligned to the CCSS, NGSS for California, and/or ELD Standards. This can be provided for teachers, administrators, paraprofessional educators, or other classified employees directly involved in instruction.
- Instructional materials aligned to the CCSS, NGSS for California, and/or ELD Standards.
- Integrating the CCSS/NGSS through technology-based instruction, such as expenses relating to support of computer-based assessment (e.g. high-speed internet connection, etc.)
While it is anticipated that most school districts will focus their funding primarily on Common Core implementation rather than NGSS, that does not mean that you as a science teacher need be left out in the cold. Talk to your administrators about including your professional development needs around both Common Core and NGSS in their plans. For example the upcoming December 2014 NSTA Long Beach Area Conference in Collaboration with CSTA will feature professional development strands on NGSS implementation and "Science: The Gateway to Common Core State Standards." For more information, click here.
Trailer bill language:
- Professional development for teachers, administrators, and paraprofessional educators or other classified employees involved in the direct instruction of pupils that is aligned to the academic content standards adopted pursuant to California Education Code (EC) sections 60605.8 (Common Core), 60605.11 (Common Core), 60605.85 (NGSS for CA), and 60811.3 (ELD Standards).
- Instructional materials aligned to the academic content standards adopted pursuant to EC sections 60605.8, 60605.85, 60605.11, and 60811.3 including, but not limited to, supplemental instructional materials as provided in sections 60605.86, 60605.87, and 60605.88.
- Integration of these academic content standards through technology-based instruction for purposes of improving the academic performance of pupils, including, but not necessarily limited to, expenditures necessary to support the administration of computer-based assessments and provide high-speed, high-bandwidth Internet connectivity for the purpose of administration of computer-based assessments.