BLUE CARD COMMENT:

The State of California’s new education funding law AB-97 Local Control Funding Formula was designed to get rid of categorical programs, and give local school districts control over how funds were to be spent.

However, the California Department of Education has now began to use one time restricted grant funding to force the expenditure of District money on things like “Professional Development” and “Education Technology”. 

The estimated cost of Common Core implementation nation wide is $80 billion and in the State of California is $9.2 billion. Source: http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_414PMR.pdf 

CUSD has had flat funding of less than $8,300 for 14 years straight by 2021. Where is the funding for recurring technology spending going to come from? Many Districts are using Bond funds to implement Common Core. In the November elections 187 of 206 school measures passed. That represents nearly $50 BILLION in future property taxes for California residents. 162 of those measures were Prop 39 bonds. Source: California School Bonds Clearinghouse

California's public education system is used to continually raise new revenues, which then go to pay-to-play for-profit education companies and increased employee compensation, with less funding actually reaching the classroom.

Under "Local Control", the state should use new revenues to increase the Base Funding Grant and allow local districts to decide on how to spend money; rather than put new revenue into one time grant funds that are mandated to be spent on "Professional Development" and "Technology". 

Red Flag: Payments for Professional Development and Technology Conferences are made to a “foundation” (ACSA Education Foundation and the CDE Foundation). These foundations have political PACS that then advocate political positions like Prop 51, Prop 55 and Prop 58 (all passed in November) that benefit public employee unions and for-profit companies, at the expense of the quality of education students receive.

If you follow the money, this appears to be a "racketeering" scheme.

Racketeering is the act of offering of a dishonest service (a "racket") to solve a problem that wouldn't otherwise exist without the enterprise offering the service.

Professional Development is NOT a necessary expense for a school district. Especially, for a District that lacks sufficient revenue to provide a basic state mandated curriculum to every student. There are CUSD students who do not receive District funded art, music or science; that is taught by a credentialed teacher, that aligns with California State Content Standards and Curriculum frameworks. 

NO GENERAL FUND MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNTIL EVERY STUDENT RECEIVES DISTRICT FUNDED ART, MUSIC, AND SCIENCE.

CUSD now spends more on Professional Development than it does on Books and Supplies.

Learn more: Should General Fund Money Be Spent on Professional Development When CUSD Has State Mandated Grant Funding for Professional Development?  http://disclosurecusd.blogspot.com/search?q=professional+development