Seeking to help schools that serve students with the most needs, California has enacted sweeping reforms to the way it funds public schools. The new system directs additional funds to schools with large numbers of disadvantaged students and gives local educators more say over how to spend the money. It represents the state’s most dramatic overhaul of school funding in 40 years.

Under the new system, all schools will receive an average base grant of $7,643 per pupil, with an extra 20 percent boost above that amount for each disadvantaged student. Schools will receive an additional grant if 55 percent or more of the student body are either low-income, English language learners or in foster care.

Local educators will decide how to use the additional money — with the caveat that the spending must benefit needy students.

“We don’t want to micromanage. We want to give wide latitude to teach and to explore,” said California Gov. Jerry Brown, who first proposed the changes in 2012 but was initially rebuffed by state lawmakers. Local decisions work better than “minute prescriptive commands from headquarters,” he said.

Los Angeles Times, Jan. 16