06.28.10: Legislative Update
By David Walrath
School Facilities Program Oversight Hearing
The Assembly Education Committee held an oversight hearing last week on the School Facilities Program (SFP). The hearing was intended to determine how best to improve that program. School districts have raised concerns with how the Division of the State Architect (DSA) and the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) have been working on school facility projects. There is an ongoing perception that the state is intentionally delaying project approvals while at the same time significantly expanding audits of already funded projects.
Most of the hearing was focused on testimony from staff for the DSA and OPSC. At the end of the hearing two representatives of schools were asked to comment; Joe Dixon of Santa Ana Unified School District and I represented SSDA. I focused on the need to provide small districts a priority for processing in the DSA; the same as wealthy districts have for their projects. I also urged that OPSC dedicate specific staff who would work only on assisting small school districts for project approval and funding. Finally, I testified that the OPSC audit proposals are duplicative and unnecessarily expensive for small school districts and instead should be incorporated within the normal annual audits already required of school districts.
I hope that some of these issues will be considered at the same time as the new state school bond bill, AB 220, which will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on June 30.
Deadline Week for Legislative Action in Policy Committees
While the State Budget impasse continues to garner most of the media attention, the Legislature is continuing to hear significant education policy bills. Policy bills must pass their committees by June 30 or be at-risk of not being eligible to pass the Legislature this year. Consequently, Assembly Education, Senate Education and all other policy committees have a full agenda of significant bills.
The following is significant legislation being heard this week:
Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee
SB 258 (Oropeza (D))
Amends existing law that relates to required questionnaires that are submitted by prospective bidders on certain school district contracts. Requires the questionnaire and the uniform system of rating bidders to contain substantially similar information, questions, and requirements as developed by the Department of Industrial Relations. Requires a district governing body to use certain bidding procedures for contracts valued at a specified amount.
Position:Oppose
Senate Education Committee
AB 220 (Brownley (D))
Enacts the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2010. Provides for the issuance of a specified amount of general obligations bonds to provide aid to school districts, county superintendents of schools, and county boards of education, the California Community Colleges, the University of California, the Hastings College of the Law, and the California State University to construct and modernize education facilities.
Position:Support
AB 2027 (Blumenfield (D))
Provides that school districts, county offices of education and charter schools that offer online education courses may claim one day of attendance toward average daily attendance on the basis of a pupil's attendance in an online class or classes that satisfy prescribed criteria.
Position: Support
AB 2082 (Assembly Education Committee)
Requires that the Legislative Analyst review and report on each reimbursable state mandate relating to Local Education Agencies that meets prescribed criteria to the Chairs of specified Legislative committees. Authorizes a Local Education Agency to file an incorrect reduction claim as an appeal with the Educational Audit Appeals Panel and provides appeal procedures for the panel. Prohibits the Commission on State Mandates from ordering a reconsideration of all or part of any claim.
Position:Support
AB 2446 (Furutani (D))
Adds for specified school years, completion of a course in career technical education as an alternative to the requirement that a pupil complete a course in visual or performing arts or foreign language in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. Requires the State Board of Education to report the number of pupils who took such a course in order to fulfill the graduation requirement.
Position:Support
Assembly Education Committee
SB 1136 (Cox (R))
Prohibits a school district's apportionment deferral from exceeding an amount according to a specified formula, using the district's average daily attendance as a factor. Provides that these provisions apply only to apportionment deferrals within a single fiscal year.
Position:Sponsor
SB 1193 (Lowenthal A (D))
Increases the amount of a modernization grant per schoolsite if a school district incorporates the use of high-performance design and materials, and if the project is able to achieve specified objectives. Provides this increase would be provided from the funds set aside for this purpose in a specified bond act of 2006. Requires emergency regulations to implement the increases. Makes a Career Technical Education Facilities Program project eligible for grant increases upon meeting certain criteria.
Position: Support
SB 1278 (Wyland (R))
Requires the State Board of Education to adopt a revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for instructional materials in history-social science in 2011.
Position:Oppose – Removed opposition due to amendments made to the legislation on June 1, 2010.
SB 1298 (Hancock (D))
Restricts, for the 2011-12 fiscal year, the authority of a school district to withdraw from a regional occupational center or program if the State Board of Education determines that doing so would negatively impact the career technical education services received by high school pupils of other school districts or charter schools in the region. Requires the recipient of such funds to expend the funds in accordance with the regional plan for occupational course sequences, in order to meet the regional demand.
Position:Support
SB 1380 (Hancock (D))
Requires school facilities constructed or modernized using specified bond funds set aside for career technical education to be used for a minimum number of years. Requires the district board to adopt a related resolution and to seek a waiver under certain conditions. Encourages district applying for a grant to include teacher of such education in the design and planning process. Relates to the spending of funds for related equipment.
Position:Sponsor
SB 1381 (Simitian (D))
Changes the required birthday for admission to kindergarten and first grade for specified school years. States the intent of the Legislature to appropriate in the annual Budget Act a portion of the savings resulting from the change for purposes of expanding the state preschool program and that children who are 4 and 5 years of age and not eligible for kindergarten be allowed to participate in that preschool program. Relates to the year-to-year loss of average daily attendance for kindergarten.
Position:Oppose Unless Amended
SB 1444 (Hancock (D))
Sets forth various findings and declarations of the Legislature relating to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Defines STEM education as courses or a sequence of courses that prepare pupils for occupations and careers that required technically sophisticated skills, including the application of mathematical and scientific skills and concepts. Expresses the Legislature's intent that the Superintendent of Public Instruction allocate funds designated for STEM education.
Position:Support
Assembly Local Government Committee
SB 623 (Ashburn (R))
Prohibits a local agency from entering into a financial advisory, legal advisory, underwriting, or similar relationship with an individual or firm, with respect to a bond issue that requires voter approval on or after a specified date, if that individual, firm, or an employee, agent, or person related to an employee or agent of the individual or firm, provided or will provide bond campaign services to the bond campaign.
Position:Oppose
