---
title: "Burbio School Tracker 7/22: LCAPs, New Jersey & Start Dates"
description: This week we profile California LCAPs, which are now being published for 2024-25, plus New Jersey state grants, phone policies in school board meetings, and school start dates for this Fall. More below.
---

[Weekly Updates](https://about.burbio.com/weekly-updates)

# [Burbio School Tracker 7/22: LCAPs, New Jersey & Start Dates](https://about.burbio.com/weekly-updates/burbio-school-tracker-7/22-lcaps-new-jersey-start-dates)

 Written by [Dennis Roche](https://about.burbio.com/weekly-updates/author/dennis-roche) | Jul 22, 2024 12:54:41 PM

**1.** [Burbio's State-Level Funding Tracker](https://about.burbio.com/state-funding-sources) features constantly updated, state-specific grants for K-12 schools, covering all state departments, as well as Federal grants where states can tailor the criteria. Burbio has identified over 1,000 grants covering over [$](https://about.burbio.com/weekly-updates/burbio-school-tracker-5/28-sizing-the-state-grant-market)[30 billion in spending](https://about.burbio.com/weekly-updates/burbio-school-tracker-5/28-sizing-the-state-grant-market). A critical element is the importance of evaluating state priorities as they often signal state grant opportunities. This week we start with a New Jersey profile that maps priorities outlined in their state education budgets to grants we have seen the state issue. 

New Jersey's [FY 2025 Budget in Brief](https://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20240227/2e/bf/bf/a2/e8a308485fac85e274171a58/FY2025_Final_BIB.pdf) and [FY 2024 Budget Recommendations](https://www.njlm.org/DocumentCenter/View/10596/FY2024-Budget-in-Brief) highlight four major spending initiatives going into FY 2024/25: 

- **Pre-K**: For FY 25, "*the Governor’s budget includes $124 million in new funding, which fully funds programs that started in FY2024, and includes an additional $20 million that can be used to expand programs into new districts or support other needs like workforce development.  . . ."*
- **Artificial Intelligence:**  From the 2025 BIB:  "*To help prepare our students for the economy of the future, the budget includes a new grant program to help schools explore generative artificial intelligence and another program to support school districts  . . . (in creating) new AI-focused career and technical education courses."*
- **Tutoring:**  Again from 2025:  **"***The Department  . . . will continue to focus on learning acceleration and literacy . . .  (announcing) a $52 million dollar grant program for high-impact tutoring, a highly effective and evidence-based intervention . . . "*
- **Climate Change: **From 2024:* "The budget (renews) the Climate Change Education Grants program, which was championed by First Lady Tammy Murphy and helps schools meet New Jersey’s first-in-the-nation climate-change standards."   *

These initiatives all manifest in grants that apply to 2024/2025: 

- **Pre-K:  **On July 3rd, New Jersey [announced the availability](https://www.nj.gov/education/news/2024/NJDOEAnnouncesAvailabilityof20MilliontoBringHighQualityPreschooltoMoreSchoolDistricts.pdf)of $20 Million for Pre-K expansion, working in partnership with local child care and head start providers. Districts have until August 14th to apply.
- **Artificial Intelligence**: [This June 3rd announcement](https://www.nj.gov/education/news/2024/MurphyAdministrationBuildsonProgressEnhancingComputerScienceEducation-AnnouncesGrantstoExpandComputerScienceProgramsinNewJersey.pdf) of $1.79 million in computer science grants declares, "Of particular note, 17 of the 27 school districts and charter schools receiving the (grant) have specifically tailored their programs to cybersecurity and/or Artificial Intelligence (AI) . . . . "
- **Tutoring:**  Tutoring grants came in two pieces, with the [first announced last July](https://www.nj.gov/education/grants/opportunities/2024/24-AB01-H02.shtml)  and running through August 2024, and a [second announced](https://drive.google.com/file/d/133ujc1hFI1HVXrfYxXxiB_ktGfzBvhcc/view) in January running through December 2024. 
- **Climate Change:**  This [climate change education grant](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lfvxsfhp0BkHp2GI1ce1F6FZrAFwkVQz/view) was due in February of last year and awarded to [34 districts across the state](https://www.nj.gov/education/news/2024/NJDOEAwardsGrantstoHelpSchoolsImproveClimateChangeInstructionintheClassroom.pdf) to be used through May 31st, 2025. 

**2**. Burbio's School Board Meeting Tracker covers school board meetings for over 2,000 school districts each month, representing over 55% of the K-12 school population. This week we look at social media and related topics and measure the percent of districts that have discussed the subject since January. Note: 

- Social Media covers the terms "social media" plus various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and Snapchat.
- Cell Phone covers the term "cell phones", as well as phone policy or phone ban related terms. "Phone Policy" covers only phone policy or phone ban related terms. 
- Bullying covers the terms bullying and cyber-bullying. 

**3.** California districts have a unique, highly detailed reporting requirement called "Local Control and Accountability Plans" (LCAPs).  LCAPs [are three-year plans updated annually, that outline](https://www.sandiegounified.org/about/local_control_and_accountability_plan/what_is_the_lcap) district strategies. The 2024-25 documents are just being posted state-wide. Burbio gathers these plans and extracts signals from them which we highlight in [our District profile](https://about.burbio.com/weekly-updates/burbio-school-tracker-03/19-47-out-of-50), based on client specific keywords. The level of detail in LCAPs is considerable; to examine just two areas in a cross section of districts locales: 

 **Tutoring:**

- [Fresno Unified](https://stafed.fresnounified.org/wp-content/uploads/FINAL-DRAFT-2024-25-LOCAL-CONTROL-AND-ACCOUNTABILITY-PLAN-LCAP-JUNE-18-2024-1.pdf), a "large city" district, provides "comprehensive" after school tutoring in literacy and mathematics, with a particular focus on English learners and newcomer students, plus on-demand tutoring. After school tutoring spending is over $70 million, on-demand tutoring is embedded in a professional development budget of over $40 million, and tutoring is also among the tools referenced in school site-based budgets totalling millions of dollars. 
- [Pleasanton Unified,](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VTtrRysexl-eDtw3b_M6k6uE7fXZjJw5/view) a "small city" district, has two targeted tutoring programs, $70,000 for the African American Family Network STEP program, and just over $100,000 for both professional development and tutoring using the AVID model.
- [Tracy Unified,](https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1719442629/tracyk12caus/ldadhqensx4usdkzp4gg/TUSDCompleteLCAP6202024.pdf) a "small suburban" district, has set aside $500,000 which includes tutoring program targeting disadvantaged, foster, English learners, and homeless youth. The program was only partially implemented this past year due to staffing challenges.

**Chronic Absenteeism: **

- [Riverside Unified](https://cdnsm5-ss12.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_580721/File/LCAP/2024/RUSD%202024-25%20DRAFT%20LCAP%206_20_24.pdf), a "Large City" district, has set aside over $9 million for Attendance Case Management, $175,000 for home visits, plus several multi-million dollar line-items related to behavioral supports. 
- [Newman Crows Landing Unified,](https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/657/Newman_Crows_Landing_USD/4528580/2024_Local_Control_and_Accountability_Plan_Newman-Crows_Landing_Unified_School_District_20240624.pdf) a "Town-Distant" district, where Chronic absenteeism dropped from 34% in 2022 to 14.7% in 2023 - after being 4.7% pre-Covid - has set aside $620,000 to develop a plan to address chronic absenteeism involving "parent education, incentives, supports for students, and clear procedures."
- [Valley Center Pauma,](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FhADrBHeebyvybF-iKLTzBvJP4dn7Zpc/view) a "Rural-Fringe" district, has set aside $870,000 for full-time counselors to provide "immediate and targeted support for students on the socio-emotional and mental health areas. . . . students will receive the services they need to re-engage in school, thus reducing student absenteeism." There are also funds set aside for attendance monitoring and outside mental health supports. 

**4.** School start dates vary widely across the country, with school starting in late July in some districts and not until after Labor Day in others. Burbio [provides school calendar data](https://about.burbio.com/school-calendar-insights) to partners that use the information to better manage forecasting and demand and to time marketing campaigns by location. Below is a chart that shows the percent of K-12 students starting by week across the U.S. Note that over half students will be in the classroom by August 16th:

 

[View full post](https://about.burbio.com/weekly-updates/burbio-school-tracker-7/22-lcaps-new-jersey-start-dates)

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