ILN Newsletter

The 2026 Budget Act provides $5 billion in one-time funding through the Student Support and Professional Development Discretionary Block Grant (SSPDBG). The grant provides LEAs with discretionary fiscal support to address statewide priorities, rising costs, and local needs. Funding is based on 2025–26 Second Principal Apportionment ADA, with approximately 75% of funding scheduled for distribution in October 2026 and the remaining 25% in February 2027.

• The funds include two required conditions. Districts and charter schools experiencing current or projected declining enrollment within five years must hold a public hearing, in conjunction with the LCAP public hearing, to address the impacts of declining enrollment. In addition, employees may not be charged for professional services, including induction and professional development, during the grant period.

• Funds are available for expenditure through June 30, 2032, with a final expenditure report due on or before September 30, 2032.

As LEAs continue implementing the 2026–27 LCAP, now is also the time to begin preparing for development of the 2027–30 LCAP cycle. The LCAP Planning Timeline outlines key work from fall monitoring and data review through educational partner engagement, action development, refinement, and final adoption.

• KCSOS is also offering professional learning opportunities aligned to this work, including the Comprehensive Needs Assessment for Continuous Improvement and the LCAP Development Series 2027–28.

Countywide Enrollment

Countywide enrollment is projected to decline in 2026-27 and in future years. The data shows that students are not necessarily leaving for charter schools, but rather shows students leaving the State and shows the impact of declining birth rates overall. Click the link to view the County Enrollment Trend.

Addressing Declining Enrollment

Declining enrollment will continue to be a reality for many school districts in Kern County for the foreseeable future. Before going right into expenditure reductions, districts should make all efforts to maximize revenue. To maximize revenue, districts can look at their unduplicated pupil percentages (UPP) and average daily attendance (ADA).

Using existing residential data and universal benefits application/alternative income forms, districts should ensure that all students are accounted for and that their UPP is accurate. Districts should also focus on maximizing ADA. Independent study can be used proactively to capture attendance for absences that are planned. Attendance recovery programs can help districts recover ADA for absences that are not planned.

Once revenue opportunities have been addressed, Districts should assess the impact of the declining enrollment on overall operations. School site enrollments, school site boundaries, staffing, and operating expenditures should all be reassessed.

AB 2555, signed into law September 27, 2026, changes California's English learner reclassification process. Beginning with the 2025–26 and 2026–27 summative assessment administrations, students who meet the state-established proficiency score—an overall 4 on the Summative ELPAC or an overall 3 on the Alternative ELPAC—shall be reclassified as English proficient.

For students who met the reclassification score during the 2025–26 administration, LEAs must identify and reclassify eligible students by January 31, 2027. LEAs can use the TOMS Reclassification Criteria 1 Report and cross-reference student information with their KiDS/ SIS/CALPADS data.

What LEAs should focus on now: Identify students who met Criteria 1 during 2025–26, complete the required reclassification documentation, update student records, and communicate with appropriate staff and families. Parent or teacher approval is not required for these reclassifications. Updated parent letters and translations are in development.

CDE is continuing to develop guidance and resources to support implementation. LEAs should monitor the CDE AB 2555 FAQs and related resources for additional clarification and future changes to the reclassification process.

The October ILN meeting included updates on federal and state economic conditions, California revenue trends, and recent education legislation. Key highlights included:

• SB 1067: Requires annual K–2 math assessments beginning in the 2028–29 school year.

• AB 2440: Provides greater flexibility for pooling Proposition 28 arts funding across school sites and clarifies "supplement not supplant" requirements.

• AB 2555: Updates English Learner reclassification requirements based on ELPAC scores, with a January 31, 2027 deadline for eligible students.

• AB 1381 and SB 1083: Address employment history reviews and disclosures related to egregious misconduct.

• AB 1763 and AB 2017: Address student absences for religious observances and recognition of religious holidays.

• AB 2498: Removes the February 28 deadline for the LCAP midyear update and addresses reporting requirements.

Additional legislation covered student safety, instructional content, substitute teaching permits, and support for inclusive practices.