Frequently Asked Questions about the AG’s Draft Sample Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)

The Attorney General believes that attendance is a critical foundational aspect of ensuring student achievement, and crafted the sample LCAP in order to provide user-friendly suggestions of how a district might include this information in its LCAP. The sample LCAP is intended to be a starting point for conversation. It is not intended to establish minimum requirements regarding attendance or chronic absence, nor is it intended to address required components of a district’s LCAP unrelated to attendance or chronic absence. Rather, the sample LCAP is intended to provide information that the Attorney General’s Office believes could be helpful in the preparation of the portion of the LCAP related to attendance and chronic absence. Each district’s final LCAP will, of course, be based on the district’s own assessment of its students’ needs and the best ways to address those needs.

The Attorney General’s Office does not have an official role in the LCFF rulemaking process or in reviewing LCAPs. However, the Attorney General is interested in supporting districts and counties in their efforts to successfully implement LCFF because she understands that there is a direct connection between public education and public safety, and that an important factor in improving educational outcomes is increasing student attendance. Extensive research establishes the link between truancy and dropout rates, and between dropout rates and crime, with students who fail to complete their compulsory education more likely to be both victims and perpetrators of crime. The new LCFF process presents an exciting opportunity to break this vicious cycle and improve education for all of California’s children.

The following websites provide comprehensive information from the California Department of Education, the State Board of Education and WestEd regarding the LCFF and LCAPs: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/ and http://lcff.wested.org/. If you have questions after reviewing the materials, both sites provide contact information.