The budget year beginning July 1 significantly expands child care, adds universal transitional kindergarten for 4-year-olds over the next five years and creates the nation’s first free breakfast and lunch for all students, starting in 2022-23.
For higher education, the budget adds $173 million in ongoing funding for the University of California, $186 million for the California State University and $371 million for community colleges. It eliminates the age cutoff for Cal Grants, and it expands the Middle-Class Scholarship program to cover the total cost of attendance for lower- and middle-class UC and CSU students starting in 2022-23. (Go here for more on budgets for higher education.)
The budget also takes K-12 funding to new heights, while establishing “unprecedented state reserves” of $25 billion, Laird said. That will include, for the first time, $4.5 billion in a rainy day fund for K-12 schools and community colleges.
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