Today's Law As Amended


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AB-1752 School funding.(1999-2000)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) Significantly improving the academic achievement of the state’s almost 6 million pupils is the highest priority of the state.
(2) Schools in the state are expected to perform at a high level of achievement. Measures are needed to enhance the quality of our teachers and to institute tough standards of performance and accountability.
(3) During an extraordinary session of the 1999–2000 session of the California Legislature, Governor Davis asked the Legislature to do three things: increase teacher participation, make sure every child reads by age nine, and improve the caliber of instruction for every child. The Legislature adopted the Governor’s four-pronged approach that would increase the performance of our classrooms--a reading program and teacher and principal preparation program, a high school exam, a peer review and teacher evaluation, and a school accountability measure.
(4) With additional funding in state schools, teachers and pupils will be better equipped to achieve higher state standards required of our pupils.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to fund kindergarten through 12th grade public schools by an amount equal to or exceeding the national average on a dollar per pupil basis.
(c) On or before January 1, 2001, the Director of Finance shall certify the amount needed to fund kindergarten through 12th grade public schools at a level equal to at least the national average on a dollar per pupil basis by the 2004–05 fiscal year and establish an annual state budget allocation schedule to reach the level certified.
SEC. 2.
 (a) At a minimum, the sum of two billion three hundred fifty million dollars ($2,350,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Controller as specified in the following schedule:
(1)  2000-01 fiscal year ........................
$460,000,000
(2) 2001-02 fiscal year ........................
$465,000,000
(3) 2002-03 fiscal year ........................
$470,000,000
(4) 2003-04 fiscal year ........................
$475,000,000
(5) 2004-05 fiscal year ........................
$480,000,000
(b) The appropriations scheduled in subdivision (a) shall be divided equally in amounts for allocation to school districts to fund both equalization adjustments computed for each school district for each of the respective fiscal years and the amount computed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the purpose of reducing the deficit factors applied to the revenue limits of county superintendents of schools and school districts pursuant to Sections 2558.45 and 42238.145 respectively.
(c) The Controller shall allocate the amounts set forth in subdivision (a) to the State Department of Education for allocation to school districts, subject to the conditions of subdivision (d).
(d) (1) On or before June 30, 2002, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall report to the Director of Finance and the Controller on the overall performance of state public schools based on the Academic Performance Index described in Section 52052. If the Superintendent of Public Instruction reports that overall improvement exceeds 5 percent, the Controller shall allocate to the State Department of Education the amount described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a). If the Superintendent of Public Instruction reports that overall improvement does not exceed 5 percent, the Controller shall not allocate the amounts described in paragraphs (3), (4), and (5), until the Superintendent of Public Instruction reports that overall improvement exceeds 5 percent.
(2) On or before June 30, 2004, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall report to the Director of Finance and the Controller on the overall performance of state public schools based on the Academic Performance Index described in Section 52052. If the Superintendent of Public Instruction reports that overall improvement exceeds 5 percent, the Controller shall allocate to the State Department of Education the amount described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a). If the Superintendent of Public Instruction reports that overall improvement does not exceed 5 percent, the Controller shall not allocate the amounts described in paragraph (5) until the Superintendent of Public Instruction reports that overall improvement exceeds 5 percent.
(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that any funding pursuant to this section be in addition to the minimum funding guarantees of Proposition 98.