Legislative Accomplishments
June 17, 2010
2009 Accomplishments
State
- Ensured that small districts eligible for extreme hardship funding received funds through the flexibility item.
- Worked on the budget flexibility provisions including CSR flexibility.
- Protected small school district bus replacement funds.
- Worked on state fund deferral waivers for small districts – (partial relief for some districts).
Federal
- Met with Congressional staff on SSDA recommendations for ESEA Reauthorization.
- Continued to advocate for small school district minimums in federal programs (partial success).
- Worked with CDE to ensure that new federal school facility funds (Qualified School Construction Bonds and Qualified Zone Academy Bonds) would have eligibility factors that did not discriminate against small districts.
2008 Accomplishments
State
- AB 2173 amendments to make it easier for small districts to levy level 2 developer fees and increase the fee amounts to include small district geographic adjustments and special education construction costs - Vetoed.
- Small district protections in deferral of advance apportionment.
- Protected small school district minimum grants from budget cuts.
- Accomplished increased state facility grants for fire suppression costs in rural districts.
- Assisted in passage of AB 1889 on the four-day school week, ACR 114 on school transportation costs and state audit appeals.
Federal
- Facility minimums ($5,000 per district) in the Chandler/Miller bill which passed the House of Representatives.
- Technology minimums ($2,000 per district) in Enhancing Education through Technology reauthorization bill.
- Participated in successful advocacy for Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act extension.
- Participated in successful advocacy for continued special education medical costs (administration and transportation) reimbursement.
2007 Accomplishments
State
- SSDA was the first organization to advocate using one-time funds to pay the full 4.53% COLA to avoid a revenue limit deficit.
- Protected all small school and small school district minimum grants.
- Advocated for more than $25 million for small district extreme hardship facility grants and is working for $15 million in additional funds.
Federal
- Presented testimony to the House of Representatives and United States Senate staff regarding small and rural school changes needed to the No Child Left Behind Act.
- Advocated for five-year renewal of the Secure Schools and Communities Act for forest counties and schools
- Advocated for conversion from census poverty estimates to free and reduced meal counts for allocating federal funds based on poverty.
- Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act
2006 Accomplishments
2006-07 BUDGET
ON-GOING
- COLA: 5.92%
- Deficit Reduction - Fully Paid Off
- Enrollment Growth - Fully Funded
- $350 million for School district Revenue Limit Equalization including separate equalization for very small school districts.
- $350 million for Economic Impact Aid with special small school district provision
- $105 million for Arts & Music - per pupil allocation is about $16. Has small school minimum of $2,500 for sites with 10 or fewer students and $4,000 for sites with more than 10 students
- $200 million for Middle and High School Counselors and CAHSEE Early Intervention with small school district quaranteed minimums
- $40 million for Governor's Physical Education Professional Development ($35,000 per school site)
- $50 million for Pre-School Expansion - pursuant to legislation
ONE-TIME
- $957 million for Prior Mandates
- $534 million for Discretionary Block Grant (75% school sites / 25% district) with small site and district minimums
- $500 million for One-Time Block Grant for Governor's Initiatives on Physical Education and Arts and Music Equipment with small site minimums
- $100 million for Instructional Materials/Library Materials/Education Technology
- $40 million for Career Technical Equipment (conference was $35 million) with small site minimums
- $4 million for K-12 High Speed Network
SMALL SITE MINIMUMS FOR COUNSELING FUNDS
52379. (a) Funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act for the purposes of this chapter shall be allocated to school districts based on an equal amount per unit of average daily attendance in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, with the following minimum-grant exceptions:
(1) Five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each school site that has 100 or fewer pupils enrolled in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive.
(2) Ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each school site that has between 101 and 200 pupils enrolled in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive.
(3) Thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) or an amount per unit of average daily attendance, whichever is greater, for each school site with more than 200 pupils enrolled in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive.
(b) Funds allocated pursuant to this section shall supplement, and not supplant, expenditures made by a school district for school counseling programs.
Small Site Block Grant Minimum
(G) The funds apportioned under this paragraph shall be allocated with a minimum of five thousand dollars ($5,000) for school sites of 25 or fewer pupils and ten thousand ($10,000) for school sites of more than 25 pupils.
Small District Block Grant Minimum
(D) The funds apportioned under this paragraph shall be allocated with a minimum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per school district.
Career Technical Program Minimum
A) Funds shall bee allocated on the basis of an equal amount per student enrolled in career technical education courses based on 2005-06 enrollment for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, as determined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In no event shall an eligible local educational agency receive less that three thousand two hundred and fifty dollars ($3,250), provided all other conditions of this paragraph are satisfied.
$500 Million Block Grant Site Minimum -- $2,500
(16) Five hundred million dollars ($5,000,000) for transfer to Section A of the State School Fund for allocation by the Superintendent of Public Instruction to school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education on the basis of an equal amount per unit of average daily attendance, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 42235.5 of the Education Code, and including average daily attendance used to compute funding for small school districts pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 42280) of Chapter 7 of Part 24 of the Education Code, reported for the second principal apportionment for the 2005-06 fiscal year pursuant to Section 41601 of the Education Code. However, a public school shall not receive less that two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500). That allocation shall be used solely for one or both of the following:
(A) Art and music supplies and equipment
(B) Physical education supplies and equipment
SCHOOL FACILITIES
AB 2149 (McCarthy) would have required the SAB to increase modernization funding to address the excess cost of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act access compliance. SSDA was successful in having our co-sponsored bill adopted by regulation in the State Allocation Board (SAB) and consequently did not need to continue the legislation. The regulations increased funding by almost 30% per pupil to address increase costs for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
AB 2148 (McCarthy) would have provided supplemental funding to small school districts with new construction and modernization projects funded by the state. The bill was vetoed by the Governor; however, the veto message indicated that the Governor understands the issue and is willing to consider legislation in 2007-08 to address this problem.
AB 607 (Goldberg) directs the SAB to develop a grant process of funding school districts eligible for emergency repair funds. Current law requires a reimbursement, but most small districts were unable to afford spending money now and hoping for a reimbursement later. SSDA worked with the ACLU, state agencies and other organizations to change this program from a reimbursement to grant program which will primarily benefit small school districts eligible for these funds.
2005 Accomplishments
- Full COLA for all programs
- Full enrollment growth funding for all programs
- More than 60% of the revenue limit deficit was funded, the remaining 40% will be an issue next year
- Full pass-through for federal special education funds
- Approximately $30 million in the budget for school bus replacement funding.
- Participated in the campaign to defeat the Proposition 76 repeal of Proposition 98 and other negative education propositions on the November 2005 Special Election Ballot.
2004 Accomplishments
In addition to working for equalization aid and deficit reduction, SSDA also advocated for:
- Assembly Bill 2382 (Mullin) for better declining enrollment formula.
- Allowing small districts to file mandate reimbursement claims for costs of greater than $200 rather than the current law $1,000.
- Expansion and increased funding for services to direct service school districts.
- Guaranteeing full COLA and growth for home-to-school transportation.
- Expanding funding for school bus replacement.
2003 Accomplishments
- Successfully advocated for full payment of 2002-03 categorical aid deferrals and reduction in 2003-04 deferrals.
- Co-Sponsored the enacted AB 1207 (Corbett) for new early retirement options from the State Teachers' Retirement System.
- Advocated against significant mid-year cuts and developed a plan to avoid such cuts. The SSDA plan was the one adopted by the Legislature for 2002-03 mid-year budget proposals. This plan saved school districts up to $150 per average daily attendance in 2002-03.
- Advocated and developed the plan to avoid the proposed 2003-04 revenue limit cuts. SSDA was not as successful since the Legislature adopted the Education Coalition proposal to cut $45 to $50 per ADA from the revenue limits. SSDA opposed the Education Coalition proposal.
- SSDA Opposed the final budget agreement because it did not fully fund the Proposition 98 minimum guarantee for either the 2002-03 or the 2003-04 fiscal year.
- The final budget guaranteed $20 million for small district deferred maintenance critical hardship projects. Although state funding for deferred maintenance was slashed by almost 75%, state funding for small district hardships was protected at 100% funding.
- Small school district bus replacement funding was protected although Governor Davis' initial budget proposed deletion.
- Successfully advocated for categorical aid flexibility for 2002-03 ending balances, reselection of supplemental grant allocations and supported SB 525 (Karnette) for categorical block grants.
2002 Accomplishments
- AB 2834 to correct abuses and reform school audit conducted by the State Controller and local independent auditors. This legislation protected average daily attendance funding that had been disallowed.
- The SSDA lobbyist developed the political coalition to commit through AB 3003, $406 million for full revenue limit equalization to be funded in the 2003-04 (next year) state budget.
- AB 1907 Special Education federal funds pass through. SSDA Developed the trigger for pass through and amended the language into an SSDA sponsored bill.
- Revenue Limit Equalization. SSDA was the only statewide organization that supported equalization aid as a requirement to the state budget deal. This resulted in AB 2187 including more than $100 million equalization aid.
- Participated in the management coalition to defeat AB 2160 and amend or defeat other labor sponsored legislation expanding collective bargaining.
- Participated in the education coalition efforts to maintain the PERS offset ($35 million) and equalization ($42 million) in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 budgets. Governor Davis three times proposed deletion.
2001 Accomplishments
Sponsored or Supported Enacted Legislation
- Sponsored AB 303 to provide more funding to necessary small special education local plan areas with declining enrollment. Signed by the Governor.
- AB 1295 allowed very small schools to participate in the Governor's Performance Award Program.
- SB 6 and the Budget Act provided $35 million for the PERS "buy-out."
- SB 178 and SB 273 give school districts flexibility to meet instructional time requirements and instructional materials requirements. The bills waive the penalties for errors.
- $40 million for revenue limit equalization and enactment of AB 441.
2000 Accomplishments
- $10,000 minimum site based grants.
- Relief from class size penalties for very small school districts.
- Minimum allowances for algebra summer programs.
- Continuation of over $20 million is deferred maintenance critical hardship funding as well as supplemental funding for small district new construction and modernization projects.
- Participated in the Education Coalition to full fund revenue limit deficit and increase summer school reimbursement.
1999 Accomplishments
- $7,500 application grants for each new construction project for small school districts participating in the School Facilities Program.
- $2,500 application grants for each new modernization project for small school districts participating in the School Facilities Program.
- Over $20 million for deferred maintenance critical hardship projects
- Numerous amendments to the Governor's special session bills to make the bills more effective for small school districts.
- Minimum school safety grants for school sites and school districts with any of grades 8 through 12.
1998 Accomplishments
- $10,000 minimum site-based grants
- Special Funding for single-school districts for laptop computers
- Minimum grants for the federal technology projects
- Minimum grants for after school programs
- Continued funding for small school district bus replacement and deferred maintenance critical hardship
- $42 million for unfunded 1997-98 CSR facilities
- $1 billion for school facility hardships in the state school facilities bond (Proposition 1A)
- Active participation in the successful coalition to defeat Proposition 223
1997 Accomplishments
- Deferred Maintenance Critical Hardship Funds. Approximately $13.6 million was allocated for supplemental deferred maintenance funding for small district critical hardship projects.
- Digital High School Education Technology Grants. This program provides grants to high schools for technology. The program was amended to ensure that small high schools competed against similar sized schools for the grants rather than competing against large high schools. The program was also amended to have large high schools funded at $300 per pupil while small high schools could be funded at up to $1,000 per pupil with a minimum of $25,000 per selected small high schools
- Home-to School Transportation Equalization. Assembly Bill 1346 (Olberg) was signed by Governor Wilson as Chapter 826/Statutes of 1997 and provides: a) $12.4 million for home-to-school transportation equalization; and b) the re-appropriation of any unused 1996-97 transportation equalization funds.
- Small School District Bus Replacement. The budget continued the $4 million annual appropriation to replace the oldest and most used pre-1977 small school district and county office school buses. These funds were exempted and continue for small school districts from the legislation which would have consolidated numerous categorical aid programs.
1996 Accomplishments
- $35 million for school bus replacement
- $25,000 minimum site based grants
- $50 million for deferred maintenance critical hardship projects
- AB 2808 (Bustamante) for more equitable allocation of educational technology grants
- $46 million for home-to-school transportation equalization
- Increased flexibility for implementing class size reduction
- $21,500 minimum technology grants from the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC)
- $25.000 minimum per district roofing project funds from the OPSC and Proposition 203 funds
1995 Accomplishments
- Passage of Senate Bill 120 (Costa) the first school transportation equalization legislation to be enacted in the 1990's
- Increased deferred maintenance funding and State Allocation Board recognition of the need to fund all deferred maintenance projects
- Successfully amended AB 922 (Friedman) to ensure increased funding for small school district alternative education programs
- Ensured appropriate amendments to various legislation which represented the interest of small school districts.
- Participated with the Education Coalition to stop Senate Bill 505 (Leonard)
- Assembly Bill 948 (Gallegos) which permits retirees to be hire as interim superintendents without negative effects to their retirement benefits
- Advocated with the Education Coalition for full COLA, revenue limit equalization, and categorical block grant
1994 Accomplishments
- Increased small district administrative grants for school construction and reconstruction grants
- Enactment and continuation of small school district bus replacement grants for more than $3 million for 1994-95
- Enactment and continuation of approximately $5 million in deferred maintenance hardship grants for 1994-95
- Successful amendments to legislation to either exempt small districts from penalties or protect small districts from unnecessary paperwork
1993 Accomplishments
- Enactment of Assembly Bill 1256 (Costa) to provide small school districts with planning loans for state school construction projects
- Initiation of lower cost superintendent search programs for small school districts
- legislative passage of Assembly Bill 830 (O'Connell) to provide increased educational technology funding for small school districts. However, the bill was vetoed.
- Successful support for statutory protections for attendance accounting procedures.
- Successful opposition to restructuring Chapter 1 funding which would have reallocated federal funds from rural to urban school districts.
- Introduction of major school transportation ($50 million) and school bus replacement ($100 million) funding legislation.
1992 Accomplishments
- Reserved $49 million in school construction aid for small school district school construction projects which would not have been funded otherwise.
- Sponsored AB 2368 (Chapter 236/Statutes of 1992) to allow very small districts to give first and second year probationary notice of non-reelection without having to give reason. (Same law as for larger districts)
- Protected funding for home-to-school transportation and excluded funds from a statewide block grant redistribution.
- Worked with other education organizations to: (1) protect funding for kindergarten enrollments; (2) stop new hourly attendance accounting paperwork and requirements; and, (3) supply additional funding for revenue limits
- Supported legislation AB 1446 (Chapter 90/Statutes of 1992) to reduce small school district paperwork requirements.
1991 Accomplishments
- Sponsored Assembly Bills 233 (Chapter 375/Statutes of 1991) and 1552 (Chapter/Statutes of 1991) to provide greater flexibility for small school district personnel actions.
- Supported Assembly Bill 276 (early retirement from STRS) and Senate Bill 1154 (prohibition of district employees being on the district governing board). SB 1154 was signed while AB 276 was vetoed.
- Developed an expanded small school district alternative for state school construction aid priorities for districts with year-round schools
- Developed modifications to the California Energy Commission application for school bus replacement grants to increase number of school buses to small school districts
- Participated in the education coalitions to protect Propositions 98/111 funding for enrollment growth and restore funding for mentor teacher programs and class-size reduction programs.
1990 Accomplishments
- School construction priority for very small school districts which cannot adopt year-round school schedules. Developed an expanded small school district alternative for state school construction aid priorities for districts with year-round schools.
- passage of Senate Bill 828 (Chapter 1135-90) which protects the special education service unit allocations in small and rural special education plan areas and forms the base for expanded funding
- Special small school district priority funding language in both the June and November 1990 school facilities bond proposals
- Budget language to protect necessary small schools from disproportionate cuts in regular independent study funding calculations (Assembly Bill 2875, Chapter 1263)
- Budget supplemental language directing the next budget to include provisions for small school districts with adult independent study to create new adult education programs
- Budget language to reduce paperwork through elimination of the J-380 (implementation being blocked by the Department of Finance and the Federal Department of Education)
- Support of the Golden Handshake legislation AB 2609 (Chapter 996) and AB 4048 ( Chapter 903) to make it easier to reemploy retirees as substitute teachers
1989 Accomplishments
- Provision for funding (1987) and annual cost-of-living adjustment (1989) for small districts to apply for school building aid ($5,500 per new construction project and $1,500 per rehabilitation project)
- Passage of legislation to change deferred maintenance hardship from a payback loan program to a grant program. Increased grant funding in 1988 and 1990. The 1990 increase in allowable funding for deferred maintenance hardship grants expanded available funds by $600,000 to $1,200,000 annually
- Reduction and elimination of foggy day penalties for districts with small declines in average-daily-attendance on such days
1987-1988 Accomplishments
- Fully funded small school district transportation aid and built into revenue limit to protect against subsequent governor's vetoes
- Worked on the development of Proposition 98
- Worked on successful campaign of Proposition 98 to protect school finance
- Participated in the decisions to allocate the new Proposition 98 revenue
1986 Accomplishments
- Exemption from mandated maintenance expenditures for direct service districts
- Development of coordinated statewide effort seeking restoration of Small District Transportation Aid
- Enactment of administrative cost allowance for small district capital outlay application through SB 327
- Minimum allocation for summer school grants for districts with less that 500 ADA
- Redefinition of large high school districts to more proportionally allocate federal vocation education funds to small high school districts
- Initiation of pilot project to combine separate Compliance Review and Program Review into one review
- Worked with legislative staff to reject the Analyst's recommendation which would have penalized small school district equalization
- Working to mitigate funding loss caused by material loss of ADA due to climactic conditions such as foggy days, mud days, etc.
1985 Accomplishments
- Defeated Legislative Analyst recommendation to reduce waivers of deferred maintenance hardship repayments
- Expanded waivers for deferred maintenance hardship repayments to be retroactive
- Worked on new funding method for teacher sick leave payments to reduce high one-time billings from STRS
- Additional funding for emergency classrooms, including Supplemental Budget Language requiring Office of Local Assistance to stockpile 225 units
- Full funding of school districts deficits including deficits for necessary small schools
- Requested amendments to major capital outlay legislation to reduce local match requirements for small school districts
- Efforts to increase administrative cost allowances for districts to develop state application
- Opposed Office of Local Assistance plan to implement penalty/incentive mechanism to speed application process which would cause hardship for small districts
1984 Accomplishments
- Waiver of deferred maintenance hardship repayments for small districts and increased funding for deferred maintenance hardship
- Increased funding for small district school bus replacement
- Cost-of-living adjustment for small district transportation aid
- Adjusted payments to STRS for Golden Handshake retirements
- Implementation of SSDA's proposals to accommodate foggy day schedules
- Budget language to allow necessary small schools to retain incentive funding for longer school days
1983 Accomplishments
- Full COLA for small district formula
- Extension of SB 813 bus replacement provision to all small districts having 2,500 ADA or less, rather than necessary small schools only.
- Protection of SB 813 necessary small school increase in event of State School Fund Deficit.
- Mentor Teacher and Teacher Improvement grants for small districts (a mentor teacher authorization of at least one mentor if the district has five certificated personnel rather than one per 20 certificated).
- Commitment from Bill Honig to make Department of Education staff more responsive to small district interests.
- Appointment of Executive Committee members to several state-level committees dealing with K-12 school finance and policy issues.
- Commenced regional meeting schedule to meet with small school district superintendents.
