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SDLA Compliance Resource

Hold the Public Hearing on the Proposed 2026–27 LCAP and Annual Update

An operational guide to the public hearing step in the 2026–27 LCAP accountability cycle.

  • LCAP
  • Public hearing
  • 2026–27
Date(s)On or before July 1, 2026, before adoption
Applies toCalifornia school districts and the reviewing authorities or partners responsible for this step; confirm charter and COE pathways separately

In Plain Language: Place the complete proposed LCAP and annual update before the community at a public hearing held at the same meeting as the budget hearing, but not at the later adoption meeting.

Why this matters

The hearing is the public’s formal opportunity to respond before the governing body acts. A polished plan does not cure a missing, inaccessible, or procedurally defective hearing.

Primary ownership

Primary owner: LCAP lead and superintendent’s office. Partners: board clerk, business services, advisory committees, student and family engagement leads, language-access staff, and legal counsel.

From the proposed LCAP to a held public hearing: the SDLA ITO workflow

The hearing must happen at the same meeting as the budget hearing and before the separate adoption meeting. This SDLA ITO (Input, Transformation, Output) graphic shows how the proposed LCAP, the annual update, and the Budget Overview for Parents become the notice and agenda, the hearing record, and the revision log leading to adoption.

SDLA ITO: eleven steps from the proposed LCAP, the annual update, and the Budget Overview for Parents, through reconciliation, public notice, board briefing, and the hearing, to the notice and agenda, the hearing record, and the revision log leading to adoption.
Read down each column, then move to the next: Input identifies what to collect; Transformation covers reconciliation, public notice, board briefing, and the hearing; Output covers the notice and agenda, the hearing record, and the revision log leading to adoption. Hold the hearing on or before July 1, 2026, then notice adoption as a separate meeting.

Open the full-size workflow graphic

Operational workflow

  1. Reconcile the proposed LCAP, annual update, Budget Overview for Parents, and proposed budget.
  2. Publish compliant hearing notice, agenda, accessible materials, and translations.
  3. Brief the governing body on advisory input and written responses.
  4. Hold the LCAP and budget hearings at the same meeting and capture public comment.
  5. Document revisions and prepare a separately noticed adoption meeting.

Implementation pathway

Calendar
Reconcile
Review
Act
Retain

Evidence to retain

  • Published hearing notice and agenda
  • Proposed LCAP package and translations
  • Advisory recommendations and written responses
  • Public comments, minutes, and recording
  • Revision log and final adoption package

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.