Equity Alert - Black Students Need More from California’s Equity Multiplier

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Connor

Equity Alert examines California’s education system and argues it fails to serve Black students, citing low proficiency outcomes and weaker feelings of school connection. It analyzes a proposed “equity multiplier” added to the LCFF, including funding eligibility and accountability changes tied to the LCAP and the state System of Support. The brief evaluates expected funding impacts, describes proposed spending requirements, and summarizes LCAP and System of Support adjustments aimed at closing equity gaps.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

What is the Equity Multiplier?

Equity Multiplier funding eligibility

Additional LCFF accountability and spending requirements

LCAP and System of Support changes

LCAP changes

System of Support changes

Equity Alert Equity Alert: Black Students Need More from California’s Equity Multiplier California’s education system, like many government institutions, was not developed to serve Black students. The tough truth is that it still doesn’t: only 30.3 percent of Black students met or exceeded standards in English and only 15.9 percent met or exceeded standards in math in the 2021-22 school year.1 Moreover, Black students are less likely to report feeling connected to school than any other student group.2 Year after year, students, parents, community members, and advocates have demanded that California address Black students’ needs. Now is the time to finally take bold and effective action. The governor recently proposed what he is calling an equity multiplier to be added to California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) . The proposal was a response to Assembly Bill 2774 (AB 2774), in which advocates called for resources to close the opportunity gap for Black students by adding a new statewide “lowest performing subgroup3” to LCFF. He is also proposing changes to LCFF accountability and the Local Control and Accountability Plan requirements (LCAP) to prompt local education agencies (LEAs) to prioritize the students and schools most in need of additional support, evaluate whether their actions work, and change course when they don’t. We’re encouraged that the governor’s proposal sends more money to schools with high concentrations of poverty and uplifts accountability changes that focus on closing equity gaps for marginalized students. However, much more can be done to center Black students in these solutions. We provide four recommendations below to support focusing the funding, LCAP, and System of Support components of this governor’s proposal directly on Black student success. WHAT IS THE EQUITY MULTIPLIER? WHAT IS THE ADDITIONAL LC FF ACCOUNTABILITY? Equity Multiplier The governor’s proposed budget includes $300 million to increase funding for schools with highly concentrated poverty. Schools are eligible for this additional funding if: • 90 percent or more of students are eligible for free lunch for elementary and middle schools • 85 percent or more of students are eligible for free lunch for high schools According to Ed Trust–West estimates, about six percent of all California students attend the schools that would receive equity multiplier funds, and roughly seven percent of Black students in the state attend schools that would receive this funding. This would increase funding for students in eligible schools by an estimated $887 per student.4 Equity multiplier dollars would need to be spent directly on the school sites that generate the additional funding, unlike LCFF supplemental and concentration dollars, which can be spent on cross-district initiatives rather than being targeted to support the students who generated the additional funds. EQUITY ALERT: Black Students Need More from California’s Equity Multiplier [www.edtrustwest. org | 1 @edtrustwest](www.edtrustwest. org | 1 @edtrustwest) LCAP and System of Support Changes The governor also proposed several changes to the LCAP and the state System of Support that helps LEAs in need of improvement. These changes aim to increase the level of accountability for LEA improvement and make information more transparent to schools and communities. Below is a summary of the most notable proposed changes: LCAP Changes • LEAs must include in their LCAPs specific goals, actions, and investments for student groups and schools that are not getting the support they need to succeed. The criteria would be any group or school performing in the “very low” category in chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, English Learner progress, graduation rates, college/ career readiness, or state test scores on the California School Dashboard. For many LEAs, Black students would be one of those groups. LEAs must also do this for schools that qualify for the equity m

FAQs

Why does the brief say California’s education system does not adequately serve Black students?

It cites that only 30.3% of Black students met or exceeded standards in English and 15.9% met or exceeded standards in math in 2021-22, and notes Black students report feeling less connected to school than other groups.

What is the proposed Equity Multiplier and how would schools qualify for extra funds?

The governor proposes $300 million to increase funding for schools with highly concentrated poverty, with eligibility based on high proportions of students eligible for free lunch (90%+ for elementary/middle and 85%+ for high schools).

What changes are proposed to the LCAP and the System of Support?

The brief summarizes requirements for more specific goals and investments for underserved student groups, evaluations informed by parent/community input, mid-year outcome reporting, and action adjustments if progress is lacking after three years. It also outlines how technical assistance responsibilities shift across years and when additional support structures would be triggered.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Connor