EdSource Forum on California Education Policy

New Research and Candid Conversations About School Finance Thursday, April 19, 2007 Southern California Friday, April 20, 2007 Northern California Information from the Forum, including video clips, will be available on this site later today.

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30th Annual EdSource Forum on California Education Policy

Do California's K-12 schools have the resources they need to help students meet the state's challenging academic standards?

Is funding currently allocated to districts and schools in the fairest and most effective way?

Do districts and schools spend their funds efficiently? Is student performance their highest priority?

These questions were a central part of the first public forum EdSource sponsored 30 years ago. They are still at the heart of California's continuing conversation about its school finance system. And for the last year, they have been the focus for a group of education researchers working on the Getting Down to Facts studies requested by top state policymakers.

In the spring of 2007, the results of this research will be presented to California policymakers, then released to the public for the first time.

Join us at EdSource's 30th Annual Forum as we explore these questions. Consider how much, or how little, the state of school finance has changed since 1977. Hear about the answers unearthed through this comprehensive and landmark research project. Listen to candid reactions from experts with diverse points of view about the politics of school finance. And explore the possibilities for new answers to these important questions.

Forum check in begins at 8 a.m.
Forum program: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Speakers:

Keynote Presentation (9:30 a.m.)
How We Got Where We Are: California School Finance Since 1970
John Mockler, President, John Mockler & Associates, school finance state policy advisor and chief architect of Proposition 98; formerly Executive Director of the State Board of Education and Interim Secretary for Education.

Second Presentation (10:45 a.m.)
New Research Key Findings: Getting Down to Facts School Finance Project
Susanna Loeb, Associate Professor specializing in economics of education and Director of the new Institute for Research on Education Policy and Practice, Stanford University; Coordinator for the Getting Down to Facts project. Professor Loeb will discuss the results and major themes coming out of the biggest single portfolio of studies on school finance reform needs in California ever conducted, scheduled to be released in March 2007.

Afternoon Presentation and Panel (1:00 p.m.)
What Do Californians Want? Results from a Collaborative Interview Project
Scott Plotkin, Executive Director, California School Boards Association and former Chief Consultant to the Senate Education Committee, will kick off the afternoon by presenting the results of more than 100 interviews reflecting different perspectives about what's wrong and right with California's school funding system. Scott will then join the following panelists for thoughtful discussion and questions from the audience.

Candid Conversation: The Politics and Possibilities for School Finance Reform in California
Christopher Cabaldon, President, EdVoice
Lynne Faulks, Legislative Manager, California Teachers Association (Friday only)
Lawrence O. Picus, Professor, USC Rossier School of Education and national school finance consultant
Richard Simpson, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Speaker of the Assembly, State of California
Dom Summa, Assistant Executive Director, Negotiations and Organizational Development, California Teachers Association (Thursday only)

Forum and Panel Moderator
Christopher Cross, Chairman, Cross & Joftus, LLC, an education consulting firm; a specialist in K-12 federal policy; and formerly a senior fellow with the Center for Education Policy, CEO of the Council for Basic Education, and Director of the Education Initiative for the Business Roundtable.


Get Informed!
Newcomers to California school finance will get more out of our Forum if they understand the basics of our state's complex system. Learn more about school funding issues by visiting EdSource's new website Californiaschoolfinance.org

When & Where:

• Southern California: April 19, 2007 at the Sheraton Suites Fairplex in Pomona

• Northern California: April 20, 2007 at the Crowne Plaza Cabana in Palo Alto

Registration Closed

We will be posting video footage of the speakers and discussions from the Pomona Forum on our website. Please stay tuned.

2007 Forum Supporters

Premier Leadership Circle
Leadership Circle
Investor Circle
California Casualty Group
Walter & Elise Haas Fund
Next Ten
Sponsor Circle
Virco Mfg. Corporation

EdSource would like to thank the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Divisions of Communications/KETN and Technology Support Services for videotaping the Thursday Forum and providing these video clips so our web audience can view them; and Joel Montero at the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) for funding KETN’s technical services to EdSource.