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SDLA Compliance Resource

County Superintendent Approves Qualifying School-District LCAPs

An operational guide to the approval decision step in the 2026–27 LCAP accountability cycle.

  • LCAP
  • Approval decision
  • 2026–27
Date(s)October 8, 2026
Applies toCalifornia school districts and the reviewing authorities or partners responsible for this step; confirm charter and COE pathways separately

In Plain Language: Complete the statutory review and approve a district LCAP when the budget is approvable and the plan satisfies expenditure, template, and increased-or-improved-services approval criteria.

Why this matters

Approval is a reasoned oversight decision, not a ceremonial receipt. The record should show how the county resolved material program and fiscal questions.

Primary ownership

Primary owner: county superintendent and LCAP/fiscal review team. Partners: district superintendent, LCAP and business leads, county counsel, and records staff.

From a reviewed LCAP to a county approval decision: the SDLA ITO workflow

Approval follows closed clarification items and a completed approval-criteria checklist. This SDLA ITO (Input, Transformation, Output) graphic shows how the final reviewed LCAP, the district budget, and the issue matrix become the closed issue matrix, the checklist, and the signed approval with proof of delivery.

SDLA ITO: eleven steps from the final reviewed LCAP, the district budget, and the issue matrix, through reconciliation, closing every item, the criteria checklist, and supervisory review, to the closed issue matrix, the checklist, and the signed approval with proof of delivery.
Read down each column, then move to the next: Input identifies what to collect; Transformation covers reconciliation, closing every item, the criteria checklist, and supervisory review; Output covers the closed issue matrix, the checklist, and the signed approval with proof of delivery. Issue and transmit the approval decision by October 8, 2026.

Open the full-size workflow graphic

Operational workflow

  1. Reconcile the final reviewed LCAP with the district budget and amendments.
  2. Close or document every clarification and recommendation item.
  3. Complete the formal approval-criteria checklist and supervisory review.
  4. Issue and transmit the approval decision by October 8.
  5. Archive the review record and hand continuing issues to monitoring/technical assistance.

Implementation pathway

Calendar
Reconcile
Review
Act
Retain

Evidence to retain

  • Final reviewed LCAP and budget
  • Closed issue matrix
  • Approval-criteria checklist
  • Signed approval and delivery proof
  • Technical-assistance/monitoring handoff

Official guidance and help

Source review completed August 30, 2026. Verify the current CDE template, instructions, statutory dates, reviewing-authority procedures, and local meeting calendar before acting.