State Programs

The state funds a number of programs that are distributed to school districts through the Consolidated Application, including Economic Impact Aid (EIA), Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE), School Safety and Cal-SAFE, and Peer Assistance and Review (PAR). These programs, along with the School and Library Improvement Block Grant, are historically of the most interest to School Site Councils.

Consolidated Application
The Consolidated Application (ConApp) is used by the California Department of Education (CDE) to distribute categorical funds from various state and federal programs to county offices, school districts, and direct-funded charter schools throughout California. Data is collected three times annually and reported in the Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS) to document participation in categorial programs and provide assurances that district participation complies with legal requirements.

The data collection and reporting cycles are indicated below. Funding entitlements are determined by programmatic formulas established by law.

Federal Program Monitoring (FPM)
The California Department of Education has implemented a compliance monitoring process that includes self-evaluation tools for local educational agencies (LEAs). The goal is to ensure that categorical program funds are being spent in accordance with the law. State oversight is accomplished by annually monitoring one quarter of all LEAs. Schools may be monitored through a CDE visit once every four years.

School Plan for Student Achievement
California Education Code 64001 and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires schools that receive federal funds through the ConApp to consolidate all school planning requirements into the SPSA. In order to realign the SPSA to ESSA and the LCAP, the CDE is providing an updated SPSA template. The new SPSA template is to assist LEAs and schools in meeting the content requirements for consolidating all school plans.