Agitating for Equity-Oriented Change: Grassroots Organizing and the Local Control Funding Formula

• In Event: The Role of Grassroots Organizers, Federal Policy Makers, Intermediary Organizations, and Policy Making Toward Educational Equity

Abstract

California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is an equity-oriented reform that has shifted billions to districts serving marginalized students and provided them with flexibility to develop spending plans aligned to local priorities. The law also established multiple measures of success to guide local decision-making and included groundbreaking community engagement provisions that require districts to engage local stakeholders as they develop plans and evaluate progress. With this bold approach to equitable funding, a holistic vision of education, and community engagement, California defined a new era in its educational history—one that emphasizes democratic participation, resource redistribution, and the importance of local expertise.

Since its passage, many researchers have examined if the law is living up to its promise. Studies have elucidated if school funding has increased and equalized (Chen & Hahnel, 2017; Krausen & Willis, 2018), if local control has generated changes and innovations in budgetary and pedagogical practices (Koppich & Humprehy, 2018; Murphy, 2017; Roza et al., 2017), and if LCFF has spurred deep democratic engagement (London, 2016; Marsh et al., 2018). While there are numerous studies on the law’s implementation, less is known about the mobilization around LCFF’s passage. Scholars in the politics of education field have demonstrated the importance of coalitions in rousing political will for policy development and sustainability (Honig, 2009; Shipps, 2003). The presence of broad-based coalitions that substantively include community groups has been particularly noted when seeking equity-oriented reforms like those embodied in LCFF, which not only require transformation in local and state practice but also the sustained commitment of communities to see practices thrive.

This paper investigates the political efforts that surrounded the passage of LCFF and the role of grassroots organizations in influencing the law’s intent, content, and implementation. To investigate these dynamics, this study draws upon 34 interviews with decision makers (e.g., state policymakers, district officials) and representatives of grassroots organizations with deep knowledge of LCFF’s passage and implementation. Through qualitative data analysis that aimed to elicit the groups agitating for LCFF and their political strategies, researchers found that grassroots organizations played a distinct role in the passage of LCFF, including sustained engagement with legislators to advance an equitable funding formula and participation in a finance equity lawsuit to elevate the broken system. In engaging in these efforts, leaders from grassroots organizations indicated a strong sense of ownership of the reform and a commitment to its implementation.

Findings from this study point to the impact of elevating the voices of grassroots organizations, who often advocate for marginalized groups, in policymaking and speak to the impact that a more inclusive policymaking process can have on local implementation. With the resurgence of education organizing comes an opportunity to fashion local and state policy that is broadly owned. As the California example shows, tapping into the commitment and knowledge of students, families, and community members creates the conditions necessary to not only pass equity-focused policies, but to sustain the long and difficult work of implementation.

Authors

• Roberta Carmel Furger, Learning Policy Institute

• Laura Elena Hernandez, Learning Policy Institute