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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Democratically Governing School Districts: How Four California School Districts Responded to the Local Control Funding Formula A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science by Peter Wright Committee in charge: Professor M. Kent Jennings Professor Michael Gottfried Professor Lorraine M. McDonnell, Chair June 2017 The dissertation of Peter Wright is approved. ____________________________________________ Lorraine M. McDonnell, Chair ____________________________________________ M. Kent Jennings ____________________________________________ Michael Gottfried April 2017 Acknowledgments I now know that writing a dissertation is hard, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. This project required a colossal amount of support and was only possible because of the determined coaching of Lorraine McDonnell, Kent Jennings, and Michael Gottfried, and especially the unwavering encouragement of family and friends. I am grateful to Lorraine McDonnell and Kent Jennings for doggedly working to focus my excitement for education policy and politics and the democratic process into a meaningful endeavor. Many hours were spent in both scholars’ offices and much ink was spilt refining my ideas and guiding me towards grammatical competency. Whether it was discussing reading that Professor McDonnell handpicked for me, or discovering new methodological approaches in one of Professor Jennings’s seminars, I grew more than I ever expected because of their dedication to the field of political science and the search for the truth. I thank Professors McDonnell, Jennings, and Gottfried for all their support. My forever home will be Occidental College where Anne Bloom, Roger Boesche, Larry Caldwell, and Derek Shearer gave me the room and guidance to discover and appreciate questions about democracy and the men and women we elect to public office. Ted Mitchell guided my first research project on the ideals and values that motivate candidates to seek public office. Ted will always be my role model for a college president and public servant – while being a great father at the same time. iii At the University of Southern California, Chet Newland’s passion for the search for reasonableness and human dignity and Rich Callahan’s instruction in reflection and creative problem solving affirmed my commitment to a career in the academy. I am blessed to have a gang of loyal friends who were always encouraging during my research and writing. Shumway Marshall, Jay Hansen, Ryan and Katie Arba, Ryan Murphy, Megan Reeves, Paul Danczyk, Teri Burns, Ruben and Amerika Sanchez, Matt and Catherine Pollock, Strada and Michael Jennaro, and the Sprague Family have always been interested listeners, picked me up off the mat when I fell, and poured me a much- appreciated glass of wine. My family was my rock during my seven years as a Ph.D. student. My wife, Shira, was not only patient when I would wake-up early to write or come home late after attending a school district board meeting, she always pushed me to take the next step. My mother, Laurie, and father, George, encouraged me daily. My grandparents, Elizabeth and Melvin, who have been here themselves, were constant sources of motivation. My sister, Stephanie, and brother-in-laws, Andrew and Hal, sister-in-law, Lauren, and father-in-law, Cary, gave me many much-needed pats on the back. My niece Madeline was beyond generous with her hugs and kisses. Much of this work was completed while my mother-in- law fought and beat Leukemia. Her strength was a great inspiration to make this project the best I could, and therefore, I dedicate this dissertation to Ellen. iv Abstract Democratically Governing School Districts: How Four California School Districts Responded to the Local Control Funding Formula by Peter Wright A new structure for California education governance and funding, the Local Control Funding Formula, created fresh expectations for transparency, citizen engagement, and amplifying voices that have been previously marginalized. Changing these rules of the game has the potential to profoundly affect education policy decisions and normatively inform best practices for democratic governance. Drawing upon a mixed methods approach that included a survey instrument, document analysis, observation, and semi-structured interviews around the state capital and in four California school districts, I found some variance in the implementation of the new law. This has important implications for how California educates its future citizens. I observed wide ranging skill sets among district administrators in how they facilitated meetings, responded to proposals or criticism from the public, and made their communities feel heard. The kind of engagement opportunities district administrators create combined with how the community choses to be involved contributes to a district culture, which affects the conditions for future engagement. v Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 THE LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING FORMULA ..................................................................................... 5 THE CENTRAL ARGUMENT .......................................................................................................... 7 STUDY APPROACH AND DATA SOURCES ......................................................................................... 9 FOUR CASE STUDIES ................................................................................................................ 13 ORGANIZATION OF THE DISSERTATION ........................................................................................ 19 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEMOCRACY AND SCHOOLS .................... 21 SCHOOLS AND DEMOCRACY ...................................................................................................... 21 CIVIC AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ....................................................................................... 25 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER THREE: THE LOCAL CONTROL AND ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN ......................................... 37 THE LCAP’S CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................... 38 ACCOUNTABILITY AND INCENTIVES IN THE LCAP ............................................................................ 42 A MARRIAGE BETWEEN BUDGETING AND PLANNING ...................................................................... 47 CONCLUSION: STATE OVERSIGHT AND LOCAL CONTROL WORKING IN HARMONY ................................. 49 CHAPTER FOUR: THE LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING FORMULA FINDS ITS WAY THROUGH A POLICY WINDOW AND GETS ENACTED ................................................................................................... 51 THE AGENDA SETTING MODEL .................................................................................................. 52 PROBLEMS ............................................................................................................................ 53 POLICY ................................................................................................................................. 58 POLITICS ............................................................................................................................... 65 CONCLUSION: JOINING THE STREAMS TO OPEN THE POLICY WINDOW ............................................... 76 CHAPTER FIVE: MOVING FROM ENACTMENT TO IMPLEMENTATION .......................................... 79 UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETING THE LCFF ............................................................................ 79 POLICY INSTRUMENTS .............................................................................................................. 80 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 88 CHAPTER SIX: IMPLEMENTATION IN FOUR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA DISTRICTS ........................... 89 LARGE URBAN DISTRICT 1 ........................................................................................................ 90 LARGE URBAN DISTRICT 2 ........................................................................................................ 98 AFFLUENT SUBURBAN DISTRICT ............................................................................................... 103 HIGH NEEDS SUBURBAN DISTRICT ............................................................................................ 109 CHAPTER SEVEN: A CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC START TO THE LCFF .............................................. 116 ADOPTING TO THE NEW PARADIGM .......................................................................................... 119 THE LOCAL CONTROL AND ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN ....................................................................... 122 IF YOU BUILD IT WILL THEY COME? HOW DO YOU BUILD IT? ....................................................... 126 CHOOSING AND SETTING THE STAGE FOR ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION .................................... 136 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 143 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................

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