Governor Brown Proposes Elimination of Foster Youth Services

Governor Brown's proposed budget, released on January 10th, proposed to eliminate categorical funding for Foster Youth Services, a program of the California Department of Education that provides academic and social supportive services to more than 14,000 foster youth, ages four to twenty-one. If the proposed budget is enacted, it will redistribute approximately $15 million from 57 county-wide FYS programs and 6 school district FYS programs to over 1,000 school districts. The proposed budget does not include any requirement that school districts spend these funds on foster children. This likely means the end of most FYS programs because districts will have no obligation to focus their funding or resources on foster youth. Under the governor’s proposed “local control funding formula,” districts will receive at least 35 percent more dollars (more than $2,000 per child) for educating their share of the state’s English learners, low-income children, and foster students. However, since all foster youth are categorically eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program, their status as a foster youth would not bring the districts any additional funding.