Gov. Jerry Brown (D)
Date of Speech: Jan. 22
Gov. Brown in his address to lawmakers praised the state’s local-control funding formula, passed last year, as a new way for schools and teachers to exercise control over instruction. The state board of education adopted new regulations on Jan. 16 governing the formula, which directs more resources to low-income and other needy students while also raising overall state K-12 funding.
In his speech, Gov. Brown said the formula would be a boon for both effective governance and much-needed local flexibility: “There is no way the state can micromanage teaching and learning.”
He said that implementing the formula, in conjunction with the Common Core State Standards in English/language arts and math, would be difficult, but he expressed confidence that schools and teachers were up to the job.