Join Northern California Grantmakers, San Diego Grantmakers, Southern California Grantmakers, and CalNonprofits for a statewide webinar on the Local Control Funding Formula.
The LCFF is the most significant school reform California has seen in decades—offering a historic opportunity to make school funding more equitable by setting new, locally-driven funding priorities aimed at improving outcomes for underserved students in public schools. Policymaker and stakeholder engagement will be key to ensuring that school districts increase or improve services to the students most in need.
Come Join Us
During the webinar you'll learn about:
- State-wide implementation and review the Student Need Index, used in districts across California to identify the students with the greatest needs and address the need for parent engagement.
- Opportunities for funder involvement and stakeholder engagement to help ensure LCFF dollars are spent to support the students for whom they are intended.
Target Audience
This program is free and open to current SCG, NCG, SDG and CalNonprofits members.
Speakers
- Sophie Fanelli, Director of Education at the Stuart Foundation, will moderate a discussion with LCFF policy experts from the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors:
- Jonathan Kaplan, Senior Policy Analyst, California Budget Project
- Kim Pattillo Brownson, Director of Educational Equity, Advancement Project
- Oscar Cruz, President & CEO, Families In Schools
The California Policy Forum is a series of webinars presented in partnership with CalNonprofits and California Philanthropy (a Northern California Grantmakers, San Diego Grantmakers and Southern California Grantmakers collaboration).
Speaker Bios
Sophie Fanelli
Director of Education, Stuart Foundation
Sophie Fanelli joined the Stuart Foundation in 2012. She plays a key role in advancing the Foundation’s goal to provide opportunities for students to be engaged, learn, and achieve in schools through the development of effective education systems. Previously, she served as Director of Research & Policy at Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access (IDEA) at UCLA where she oversaw public policy and legislative efforts focused on education reform, equity and access, and student and parent engagement. Fanelli also managed IDEA’s annual Educational Opportunity Report series and online database that created new opportunity and outcome indicators to examine the quality and distribution of educational opportunities across California public schools. She received her Master’s Degree in Political Science and Juris Doctorate, both from Faculte de Droit d’Aix-en-Provence in France, and a Masters in Legal History and Political Science from Universita La Sapienza, in Rome, Italy. Fanelli also conducted studies and research at the University of Texas at Austin as a Foreign Lawyer Fellow.
Jonathan Kaplan
Senior Policy Analyst, California Budget Project
Jonathan Kaplan joined the California Budget Project (CBP) as an educational policy analyst in 2006. He has authored various studies on educational policy and funding in California, including analyses of how proposed state policies would impact funding for public K-12 and postsecondary education and how California’s school funding compares to that in other states. Kaplan has also authored reports on the state’s educational funding system, district-level expenditure patterns, and related topics. Prior to joining the CBP, he taught law and U.S. history for seven years in Martinez, California, where he also served as Chair of Alhambra High School's Social Science Department. He holds a Master's Degree in Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Kim Pattillo Brownson
Director of Educational Equity, Advancement Project
Kim Pattillo Brownson is a civil rights lawyer with litigation and advocacy experience in education and constitutional law. She currently oversees management of Advancement Project's Education team, and focuses on early education, school facilities and overcrowding, and school finance. Prior to that, Pattillo Brownson was an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, where she focused upon ensuring that the state provided school children with the basic necessities of a decent education. She began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Dolores Sloviter on the Third Circuit Court of Appeal, and the Honorable Louis H. Pollak in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Kim holds a JD from Yale Law School.
Oscar Cruz
President and CEO, Families In Schools
Oscar Cruz is the President and CEO of Families In Schools (FIS), which is dedicated to involving parents in gaining the best possible education for their children. FIS works with low-income, ethnic and immigrant communities throughout Los Angeles County and brings strong experience in both engaging families in their children’s education and connecting families to school officials. Before becoming President and CEO, Cruz was FIS’ Vice President and Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy. Cruz was also Program Director for Community Partners, directing projects in community technology and civic engagement. He served as Senior Program Manager at the Center for Civic Education, where he managed an international network of civil society organizations, school districts, universities, and foundations working to implement civic engagement programs for students and youth throughout the United States and Latin America. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and Latin America studies from the University of California Los Angeles.