(1) Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, requires the State Department of Education to develop an expenditure plan, known as the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Plan, that sets forth the final priorities for child care, as required by federal law. The act requires the department, before the May budget revision, to provide the revised CCDF Plan to the chairs of the committees of each house of the Legislature that consider appropriations, and to provide a report on the plan to the committees in each house of the Legislature that consider the annual Budget Act appropriation.
The bill would instead require, by April 1 of the year that the CCDF Plan is due, the department to provide the revised plan and a description of any changes to the earlier draft to the Director of Finance and the chairs of the
fiscal committees of the Legislature. The bill would require the department, after the CCDF Plan is federally approved, to provide a copy of the final plan to the Department of Finance and the fiscal committees of the Legislature and a description of any changes made since submission for review. The bill would also require the department, if the annual Budget Act requires changes to the approved CCDF Plan, to submit an amended plan to the United States Department of Education.
(2) The Child Care and Development Services Act requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop standards for the implementation of quality programs and requires indicators of quality to include, among other things, a physical environment that is safe and appropriate to the ages of the children and that meets applicable licensing standards.
This bill would require the Superintendent to administer
an early learning quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) block grant that would be allocated to local consortia, as defined, for support of local early learning quality rating and improvement systems that increase the number of low-income children in high-quality preschool programs that prepare those children for success in school and life. The bill would require the QRIS block grant to build on preexisting local consortia and other QRIS work. The bill would require local consortia to take certain actions in order to be eligible for a QRIS block grant, and would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the executive director of the State Board of Education, to allocate to local consortia who satisfy these eligibility requirements QRIS block grant funds based on the number of California state preschool program slots within the county or region. The bill would require local consortia receiving QRIS block grant funds to allocate those funds to contracting agencies of the California state preschool
program, including certain family child care home education networks, as specified.
(3) Existing law, in the award of new funding for the expansion of the California state preschool program that is appropriated for that purpose in any fiscal year, requires an application for those expansion funds to include an estimate of the number of 4-year-old and 3-year-old children that the applicant plans to serve in the following fiscal year with those expansion funds. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in awarding the contracts for expansion, to take into account certain criteria and to give priority to applicant agencies that, in expending the expansion funds, will be serving the highest percentage of 4-year-old children.
This bill, commencing June 15, 2015, would require the Superintendent to consider different criteria and data in
awarding expansion funds and would require the Superintendent to give priority to applicant agencies that would provide the greatest progress toward achieving access to full-day, full-year services for all income eligible four-year-olds. The bill would specify that a family child care home education network is eligible to apply for expansion funding.
(4) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the Child Care and Development Services Act that include provisions that, among other things, set forth standards for State Department of Education site visits to contracting agencies, as specified.
This bill would require the Superintendent to adopt rules and regulations that authorize the department to develop a process that requires every contracting agency to recompete for continued funding no less
frequently than every 5 years.
(5) Existing law provides for income eligibility standards for families to receive child care and development services. Existing law provides that “income eligible,” for purposes of the Child Care and Development Services Act, means that a family’s adjusted monthly income is at or below 70% of the state median income, adjusted for family size, and adjusted annually. Notwithstanding this provision, existing law sets the income eligibility limits for the 2013–14 fiscal year at 70% of the state median income that was in use for the 2007–08 fiscal year, adjusted for family size.
This bill would set the income eligibility limits for the 2014–15 fiscal year at 70% of the state median income that was in use for the 2007–08 fiscal year, adjusted for family size.
(6) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction to implement a plan that establishes reasonable standards and assigned reimbursement rates, and requires the standard reimbursement rate to be $3,523 per unit of average daily enrollment for a 250-day year, increased by the cost-of-living adjustment granted by the Legislature beginning July 1, 1980. Existing law requires the Department of Finance and the Department of General Services to approve or disapprove annual state subsidized child care and development program contract funding terms and conditions, including both family fee schedules and regional market rate schedules that are required to be adhered to by contract. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to implement the regional market rate schedules based upon the county aggregates, as determined by the Regional Market survey conducted in 2005.
This bill would require the standard reimbursement rate to be $9,024.75 per unit of average daily enrollment for a 250-day year, and,
commencing with the 2015–16 fiscal year, would require that rate to be increased by the cost-of-living adjustment granted by the Legislature annually. The bill, commencing January 1, 2015, would require the State Department of Education to implement the regional market rate schedule based upon the county aggregates, as determined by the Regional Market survey conducted in 2009 and would require the regional market rate schedule to be reduced by 13%, except as specified.
(7) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish a fee schedule for families using preschool and child care and development services, requires family fees to be assessed at initial enrollment and reassessed at update of certification or recertification, and authorizes certain families to be exempt from the family fees. Existing law requires the family fee schedule that was in effect in the 2012–13 fiscal year to remain in effect for the 2013–14
fiscal year until the first day of a month that is at least 60 days after the new family fee schedule has been approved by the Department of Finance and adopted.
This bill would prohibit fees from being assessed on income-eligible families for their children to attend a part-day California state preschool program. The bill, commencing with the 2014–15 fiscal year, would require the adopted family fee schedule that was in effect on July 1, 2014, to remain in effect.
(8) Existing law establishes the Child Care Facilities Revolving Fund to provide funding for the renovation, repair, or improvement of an existing building to make the building suitable for licensure for child care and development services, and for the purchase of new relocatable child care facilities for lease to school districts and contracting agencies that provide child care and development services, pursuant to the Child Care and
Development Services Act.
This bill would make funding from the Child Care Facilities Revolving Fund available to local educational agencies and contracting agencies that provide child care and development services, pursuant to the Child Care and Development Services Act. The bill would require any augmentations to the Child Care Facilities Revolving Fund made by the Budget Act of 2014 to be used for renovation or repair of existing local educational agency facilities or new relocatable child care facilities for lease to local educational agencies that provide California state preschool program services, as specified.
(9) Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to establish the requirements for the issuance and renewal of permits authorizing (A) service in the care, development, and instruction of children in child care and development programs, and (B) supervision of a child care
and development program.
This bill, on or before July 1, 2016, would require the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to review, and update if appropriate, the conditions for issuance or renewal of the permits described above.
(10) Existing law authorizes a child development contractor to retain a reserve fund balance equal to 5% of the sum of the maximum reimbursable amount of all contracts to which the contractor is a party, or $2,000, whichever is greater.
This bill would authorize a California state preschool program contracting agency to retain in the reserve fund an additional 10% of the sum of the maximum reimbursable amount of all preschool contracts to which the contracting agency is a party for purposes of professional development for California state preschool program staff.
(11) Existing law establishes the county school service fund contingency account in the General Fund, which is credited with $100,000 each fiscal year to reimburse county superintendents of schools for certain expenses, as specified.
This bill would repeal that provision.
(12) Existing law establishes the public elementary and secondary schools and the system of public community colleges in this state, and provides for a system for their funding. Provisions of the California Constitution require that a minimum amount of aggregate funding, calculated as specified, be allocated to school districts and community college districts unless this requirement is suspended, as provided. Pursuant to existing statutes, school districts, community college districts, and other local educational agencies receive a portion of their funding through apportionments of state funds made in accordance with
payment schedules. Existing law requires the Controller to draw warrants on the State Treasury in each month of each year in specified amounts for purposes of funding school districts, county superintendents of schools, and community college districts. Existing law defers the drawing of those warrants, as specified.
This bill would delete authorizations for deferrals for school districts and county offices of education beyond the 2014–15 fiscal year, and would, for purposes of calculations required by the California Constitution, provide that specified amounts of warrants drawn in July 2014 shall be included in the total allocations to school districts and community college districts for the 2012–13 and 2013–14 fiscal years, as specified. For the 2014–15 fiscal year, the bill would provide that warrants for the principal apportionments for the month of June in the amount $897,184,000 instead shall be drawn in July of the same calendar, but would authorize those
deferrals, as well as specified deferrals for apportionments to the California Community Colleges, to not be made if the Director of Finance, on or before May 14, 2015, determines that the total allocations required by the California Constitution for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 fiscal years, as estimated by the Director of Finance on May 13, 2015, exceed the estimate of the required allocations, as determined at the time of, and as set forth in, the 2014 Budget Act.
(13) Existing law requires, whenever moneys transferred to the General Fund each year from moneys deposited into the Public School Building Loan Fund and the State School Building Aid Fund exceed the amounts required to reimburse the General Fund on account of principal and interest due and payable for that fiscal year on all school building aid bonds outstanding against the state, an amount equal to such excess to be appropriated from the General Fund for purposes of the Leroy F.
Greene State School Building Lease-Purchase Law of 1976. Existing law establishes the State School Deferred Maintenance Fund which is continuously appropriated for the purposes for which it is established.
This bill would instead require the excess amount to be appropriated from the General Fund for purposes of the School Facilities Emergency Repair Account. The bill would also eliminate the State School Deferred Maintenance Fund.
(14) Existing law, the Teachers’ Retirement Law, establishes the Defined Benefit Program of the State Teachers’ Retirement Plan, which provides a defined benefit to members of the program. Existing law limits the amount of postretirement compensation that may be earned in specific types of employment by a retired member of the Defined Benefit Program in any one school year without a reduction in retirement allowance. Existing law exempts from the limit compensation paid to a
retired member who has returned to work after the date of retirement as an appointed trustee, fiscal advisor, fiscal expert, receiver, or special trustee, as specified. Existing law, as of July 1, 2014, revises these provisions by, among other things, deleting the exemption.
This bill would delay the revisions until July 1, 2017.
(15) Existing law requires, for the 1990–91 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, that moneys to be applied by the state for the support of school districts, community college districts, and direct elementary and secondary level instructional services provided by the state be distributed in accordance with certain calculations governing the proration of those moneys among the 3 segments of public education. Existing law makes that provision inapplicable to the 1992–93 to 2013–14 fiscal years, inclusive.
This bill would also
make that provision inapplicable to the 2014–15 fiscal year.
(16) Existing law declares that the minimum state educational funding obligation for school districts and community college districts for the 2006–07 fiscal year is $55,251,266,000, with an outstanding balance of $211,533,000. Existing law, commencing with the 2014–15 fiscal year, requires the Legislature to appropriate the outstanding balance, as specified.
This bill would delay that requirement until the 2015–16 fiscal year.
(17) Existing law authorizes a school district or county superintendent of schools to claim average daily attendance for purposes of apportionments from the adult education fund for schools or classes maintained for adults in correctional facilities if those classes meet specified requirements.
This bill would,
for the 2014–15 fiscal year only, apply these provisions to a charter school whose charter was granted by its chartering authority after July 1, 2014.
(18) Existing law authorizes a school district or charter school to maintain a transitional kindergarten program and defines transitional kindergarten as the first year of a 2-year kindergarten program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature that the transitional kindergarten curriculum be aligned to the California Preschool Learning Foundations developed by the State Department of Education. The bill, as a condition of receipt of apportionment for pupils in a transitional kindergarten program, would require a school district or charter school to ensure that teachers assigned to a transitional kindergarten class after July 1, 2015, be credentialed and,
by August 1, 2020, have a minimum number of units in early childhood education or childhood development, comparable experience in a preschool setting, or a child development permit issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
(19) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Controller, and the Director of Finance to develop standards and criteria, including, among others, methods of projection of reserves and fund balance, to be reviewed and adopted by the State Board of Education, and to be used by local educational agencies in the development of annual budgets and the management of subsequent expenditures from that budget. Existing law, on or before July 1 of each year, requires the governing board of each school district to hold a public hearing on, and to adopt, a budget for the subsequent fiscal year, and to file the adopted budget with the county superintendent of schools, as specified. Existing law requires
the county superintendent of schools to examine the adopted budget, as specified, to make certain determinations related to the adopted budget, and to approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the adopted budget for each school district. Existing law, on or before September 8, and after a public hearing regarding the proposed revisions to the budget, as specified, requires the governing board of the school district to revise the adopted budget to reflect certain fiscal changes, as provided, and to file the revised budget with the county superintendent of schools.
This bill would, commencing with budgets adopted by a school district for the 2015–16 fiscal year, require a school district that proposes to adopt or revise a budget that includes a combined assigned or unassigned ending fund balance that is in excess of the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties, as established by the state board, to provide at a public hearing, among other things, a
statement of reasons that substantiates the need for the balance, and would require the county superintendent of schools, when making the required determinations, to also determine whether a school district’s adopted or revised budget includes a such a balance. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would, in a fiscal year immediately after which a transfer is made into the Public School System Stabilization Account, which would be created by an Assembly Constitutional Amendment, prohibit a school district’s adopted or revised budget from containing a combined assigned or unassigned ending fund balance that is in excess of either two or three times the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties, as established by the state board, depending on the school district’s units of average daily attendance. The bill would authorize the county superintendent of schools to waive
the prohibition, pursuant to specified conditions, for up to two consecutive fiscal years within a three-year period if the school district provides documentation indicating that extraordinary fiscal circumstances substantiates the need for the balance. The bill would make operation of these provisions contingent on the voter approval of a specified Assembly Constitutional Amendment at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election.
(20) Existing law establishes the Teacher Credentials Fund, requires all fees levied and collected by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to be deposited in the fund, and prohibits those moneys from being transferred to any other fund. Existing law also establishes the Test Development and Administration Account in the Teacher Credentials Fund, and requires all fees collected by the commission for tests, examinations, or assessments to be deposited in the account.
This bill would, if, in any month in which there are insufficient moneys in the Teacher Credentials Fund to satisfy monthly payroll obligations and scheduled claims and in which there are moneys in the Test Development and Administration Account not required to meet a demand that has accrued or may accrue against it, require the Controller to transfer moneys from the account to the fund to the extent necessary to meet the immediate obligations of the fund. The bill would provide for the repayment of the transfer, as specified.
(21) Existing law establishes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing for, among other purposes, the establishment of professional standards, assessments, and examinations for entry and advancement in the teaching profession. Existing law authorizes the commission to charge a fee to applicable local educational agencies and institutions of higher education to recover the standard costs
of reviewing new educator preparation programs and specified accreditation activities, as provided.
This bill would instead authorize the commission to charge fees to sponsors of educator preparation programs to cover the cost of reviewing new and existing educator preparation programs and specified accreditation activities, as provided.
(22) The Charter Schools Act of 1992 requires that a pupil over 19 years of age be continuously enrolled in public school and make satisfactory progress towards award of a high school diploma in order to remain eligible for generating charter school apportionments. The act exempts charter school programs that provide instruction exclusively in partnership with any of several specified career preparation programs from those requirements.
This bill would, for the 2014–15 fiscal year, make that exemption applicable to a charter
school whose charter was granted by its chartering authority before July 1, 2014, and that provides instruction exclusively in partnership with any of the specified career preparation programs.
(23) Existing law sets the reimbursement a school receives for free and reduced-price meals sold or served to pupils in elementary, middle, or high schools at $0.2229 per meal, and, for meals served in child care centers and homes, at $0.1660 per meal.
This bill would set the reimbursement amount for schools at $0.2248 per meal, and, for meals served in child care centers and homes, at $0.1674 per meal.
(24) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district or a county office of education to offer independent study to meet the educational needs of pupils in accordance with prescribed criteria. Existing law requires a written
agreement for each independent study pupil, not to exceed one semester or 1/2 year for a school on a year-round calendar, and signed by prescribed individuals, and maintained on file.
This bill would instead require that the signed written agreement not exceed one school year, and would allow the signed written agreement to be maintained on file electronically. The bill would, notwithstanding any other law, and commencing with the 2015–16 school year, authorize a school district, county office of education, or charter school to offer independent study courses to pupils enrolled in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in accordance with prescribed conditions, including, among others, that the courses be taught under the general supervision of certificated employees who hold the appropriate subject matter credential, that courses are annually certified, by school
district, charter school, or county office of education governing board or body resolution, to be of the same rigor and educational quality as equivalent classroom-based courses, and that certificated employees and each pupil communicate in-person, by telephone, or by any other live visual or audio connection no less than twice per calendar month to assess whether each pupil is making satisfactory educational progress. The bill would also require that a signed learning agreement, as specified, be completed and on file. The bill would prohibit pupils from being required to enroll in the independent study courses.
(25) Existing law requires the ratio of average daily attendance for independent study pupils 18 years of age or less to full-time equivalent certificated employees responsible for independent study to not exceed a specified ratio. Existing law authorizes school districts and county offices of education to claim apportionment credit for
independent study only to the extent of the time value of pupil work product, as personally judged in each instance by a certificated teacher.
This bill would specify the computation of average daily attendance for the independent study courses described above. The bill would provide that school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education are not required to sign and date pupil work products when assessing their time value of pupil work products for apportionment purposes. The bill would also revise the pupil-to-teacher ratios by grade span, as specified.
(26) Existing law, the Quality Education Investment Act of 2006, among other things, effectuates the intent of the Legislature to implement the terms of the proposed settlement agreement of a specified legal action. The act appropriates specified funds for these purposes.
This bill would specify previously undetermined appropriations made pursuant to these provisions.
(27) Existing law provides for the allocation of funds appropriated by the Budget Act of 2013 for the establishment of the California Career Pathways Trust, and requires these funds to be apportioned to school districts, county superintendents of schools, charter schools, and community colleges for career pathways programs that accomplish specified objectives.
This bill would establish the California Career Pathways Trust, and would require the State Department of Education, contingent upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act, to administer the California Career Pathways Trust as a competitive grant program for kindergarten to grade 14, inclusive. The bill would require grant recipients to fulfill specified requirements and conditions, and would impose
restrictions on the use of funds, including prohibiting the use of funds to supplant other funds from state, federal, or other sources, as specified. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to consider specified priorities when approving an application for funds.
(28) Existing law establishes the Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP), commencing with the 2013–14 school year, for the assessment of certain elementary and secondary pupils, as provided. As part of MAPP, existing law requires the State Department of Education to make available to local educational agencies a primary language assessment aligned to the English language arts standards adopted by the State Board of Education for assessing pupils who are enrolled in a dual language immersion program and who are either nonlimited English proficient or redesignated English proficient, as provided. Existing law also authorizes the governing board of
a school district to administer a primary language assessment aligned to the English language arts standards adopted by the state board for assessing pupils identified as limited English proficient who are enrolled in any of grades 2 to 11, inclusive, and who either receives instruction in his or her primary language or has been enrolled in a school in the United States for 12 months, as provided. Existing law allocates the costs associated with administration of the assessments, as specified.
This bill would change the name of the MAPP to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The bill would instead authorize a local educational agency to administer, as part of CAASPP, the primary language assessment to pupils identified as limited English proficient and who are enrolled in any of grades 2 to 11, inclusive, until a subsequent primary language assessment aligned to the common core standards in English language arts adopted by the
state board is developed, as provided. The bill would, subject to the approval of the state board, authorize the department to make available to local educational agencies a primary language assessment that is aligned to the English language arts standards adopted by the state board for assessing pupils who are enrolled in a dual language immersion program and who are either nonlimited English proficient or redesignated English proficient until a subsequent primary language assessment is adopted, as specified. The bill would revise the allocation of costs associated with the administration of the assessments, as specified.
(29) Under the California Constitution, whenever the Legislature or a state agency mandates a new program or higher level of service on any local government, including a school district, the state is required to provide a subvention of funds to reimburse the local government, with specified exceptions. Existing law requires
certain funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act for reimbursement of the cost of a new program or increased level of service of an existing program mandated by statute or executive order to be available as a block grant to school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education, to support specified state-mandated local programs. Existing law provides that a school district, charter school, or county office of education that submits a letter of intent to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and receives this block grant funding is not eligible to submit a claim for reimbursement for those specified mandated programs for the fiscal year for which the block grant funding is received.
This bill would revise the list of programs that are authorized for block grant funding in lieu of program-specific reimbursement.
(30) This bill would appropriate $287,149,000 from the General Fund to the
Superintendent of Public Instruction for allocation to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, and would appropriate $49,500,000 from the General Fund to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges for allocation to community college districts. The bill would require any allocations made to first satisfy any outstanding claims for reimbursement of state-mandated local program costs, and would authorize the Controller to audit any claims and reduce any amounts owed, as provided. The bill would authorize any funds received to be expended for any one-time purpose, but would state Legislature’s intent that school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools use the funds for professional development, instructional materials, technology infrastructure, and any other investments necessary to support implementation of the common core standards in English language arts and mathematics, the implementation of English language development standards, and the
implementation of the Next Generation Science standards.
(31) This bill would require that the funds appropriated pursuant to a designated item of the Budget Act of 2013 to the State Department of Education for support of the California Local Control Accountability Support Network be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2015.
(32) A certain item of the Budget Act of 2013 appropriated $381,000,000 to the State Department of Education for allocation by the Superintendent of Public Instruction to school districts, county offices of education, state special schools, and charter schools for specified purposes.
This bill would reappropriate the balance of those appropriations to the department, for the same purposes, and would provide that those funds would be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2018.
(33) This bill would provide that, of the amount allocated in a specified schedule of the Budget Acts of 2012 and 2013 for special education instruction, $32,806,000 and $46,943,000, respectively, would be provided to fund the 2010–11 fiscal year maintenance of effort in the special education program.
(34) This bill would require an amount to be determined by the Director of Finance to be appropriated, on or before June 30, 2015, from the General Fund to the Superintendent of Public Instruction in the event that specified revenues distributed to local educational agencies for special education programs are less than the estimated amount reflected in the Budget Act of 2014.
(35) This bill would make conforming changes, delete obsolete provisions, correct cross-references, and make other nonsubstantive changes.
(36) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
(37) Funds appropriated by this bill would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.
(38) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for
appropriations related to the Budget Bill.