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AB-728 School accountability: local control and accountability plans.(2023-2024)

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Date Published: 04/17/2023 02:00 PM
AB728:v98#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 17, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 728

Introduced by Assembly Member Jackson

February 13, 2023

An act to add Section 52064.7 to amend Section 52064 of the Education Code, relating to school accountability.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 728, as amended, Jackson. Suspension rates: lowest performing schools: interventions. School accountability: local control and accountability plans.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education to, on or before March 31, 2014, adopt a template for a local control and accountability plan (LCAP) and an annual update to the LCAP for use by school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools. Existing law, on or before January 31, 2022, requires the template adopted by the state board to require the inclusion of certain information, including, among other information, a description of the annual goals to be achieved for certain state priorities, as specified, a description of the specific actions that the school district, county office of education, or charter school will take during each year of the LCAP to achieve these goals, and an assessment of the effectiveness of the specific actions described in the existing LCAP toward achieving the goals, as provided.
This bill would require the template adopted by the state board to instead require the inclusion of an assessment of the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the specific actions described in the existing LCAP toward achieving the goals, as provided. The bill would require actions that have not proven effective over a 3-year period of implementation to be changed and would require the description of changes to include an explanation of the reasons for lack of progress indicated by the analysis and how the action will be better addressed with a new or strengthened approach, except as provided. The bill would also require certain actions to be changed for each school within a school district, school operated by a county superintendent of schools, and charter school that for 2 consecutive years receives the lowest performance measure for purposes of the school climate state priority, as specified.
Under existing law, the process of developing and annually updating the LCAP should support school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in, among other things, improvement across the state priorities, as provided.
The bill would instead provide that the process of developing and annually updating the LCAP should support school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in, among other things, improvement across the state priorities, particularly to address and reduce disparities in opportunities and outcomes between pupil groups indicated by the California School Dashboard.
By imposing new duties on local educational agencies, the bill would constitute a state-mandated local program.
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 the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law requires the governing boards of school districts and county boards of education to adopt local control and accountability plans using a state template adopted by the State Board of Education. Existing law requires the local control and accountability plan to include, among other things, a description of annual goals for all pupils and specified subgroups of pupils to be achieved for each state priority, as specified, including, among other state priorities, school climate, as measured by, among other things, suspension and expulsion rates.

Existing law requires the state board to adopt evaluation rubrics for specified purposes relating to school accountability and requires the state board, as part of the evaluation rubrics, to adopt state and local indicators to measure school district and individual schoolsite performance in regard to each of the state priorities and standards for local educational agency and individual schoolsite performance and expectations for improvement, as provided.

Existing law requires the State Department of Education, in collaboration with, and subject to the approval of, the executive director of the state board, to develop and maintain the California School Dashboard, a web-based system for publicly reporting performance data on the state and local indicators included in the evaluation rubrics.

This bill would, for each school within a school district, school operated by a county superintendent of schools, and charter school, that for 2 consecutive years receives the lowest performance measure for suspension rate, as reported on the California School Dashboard, require the department to develop, and the school to implement, school discipline reforms and interventions to address that low performance. If a school for 3 consecutive years receives the lowest performance measure for suspension rate, as reported on the California School Dashboard, the bill would require the department to file a complaint with the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. By imposing additional requirements on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

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 the statutory provisions noted above.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 52064 of the Education Code is amended to read:

52064.
 (a) On or before March 31, 2014, the state board shall adopt a template for a local control and accountability plan and an annual update to the local control and accountability plan for the following purposes:
(1) For use by school districts to meet the requirements of Sections 52060 to 52063, inclusive.
(2) For use by county superintendents of schools to meet the requirements of Sections 52066 to 52069, inclusive.
(3) For use by charter schools to meet the requirements of Section 47606.5.
(b) On or before January 31, 2022, the template adopted by the state board shall require the inclusion of all of the following information:
(1) A description of the annual goals, for all pupils and each subgroup of pupils identified pursuant to Section 52052, to be achieved for each of the state priorities identified in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 47605, subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 47605.6, subdivision (d) of Section 52060, or subdivision (d) of Section 52066, as applicable, and for any additional local priorities identified by the governing board of the school district, the county board of education, or in the charter school petition. For purposes of this article, a subgroup of pupils identified pursuant to Section 52052 shall be a numerically significant pupil subgroup as specified in subdivision (a) of Section 52052.
(2) A description of the specific actions that the school district, county office of education, or charter school will take during each year of the local control and accountability plan to achieve the goals identified in paragraph (1). The specific actions shall not supersede the provisions of existing local collective bargaining agreements, if any, within the jurisdiction of the school district, county office of education, or charter school.
(3) One or more summary tables listing and describing the budgeted expenditures for the ensuing fiscal year implementing each specific action included in the local control and accountability plan, including expenditures and specific actions for the ensuing fiscal year that will serve unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02, and pupils redesignated as fluent English proficient. The summary table or tables shall include both of the following:
(A) The total overall expenditures for all specific actions included in the local control and accountability plan, broken down by personnel and nonpersonnel expenditures.
(B) The subtotals of expenditures for each specific action included in the local control and accountability plan broken down into the following categories:
(i) Funds apportioned under the local control funding formula pursuant to Section 42238.02.
(ii) All other state funds.
(iii) All local funds.
(iv) All federal funds.
(4) One or more summary tables listing and describing all of the specific actions and budgeted expenditures in paragraph (3) that contribute to the demonstration that the school district, county office of education, or charter school will increase or improve services for unduplicated pupils in proportion to the increase in funds apportioned on the basis of the number and concentration of unduplicated pupils, consistent with regulations adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 42238.07, grouped as follows:
(A) Specific actions and budgeted expenditures provided to all pupils on a districtwide, countywide, or charterwide basis.
(B) Specific actions and budgeted expenditures that are targeted only to one or more unduplicated pupil subgroups. For these specific actions, the description shall specify the unduplicated pupil subgroup or subgroups that are targeted by each specific action and, if not provided at all schools, the school or schools where the specific action is provided.
(C) Only for school districts and county offices of education that operate more than one schoolsite, specific actions and budgeted expenditures provided to all pupils on a schoolwide basis, but only at schools serving certain grade spans or only at one or more schools. For these specific actions, the description shall specify the school or schools at which the specific action is provided.
(5) An estimate of the funds to be apportioned in the ensuing fiscal year on the basis of the number and concentration of unduplicated pupils and calculation of the percent the school district, county office of education, or charter school will increase or improve services for unduplicated pupils in proportion to the increase in funds apportioned on the basis of the number and concentration of unduplicated pupils, consistent with regulations adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 42238.07.
(6) (A) A demonstration that the school district, county office of education, or charter school will increase or improve services for unduplicated pupils in the ensuing fiscal year in proportion to the increase in funds apportioned on the basis of the number and concentration of unduplicated pupils, consistent with regulations adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 42238.07.
(B) As part of the demonstration required by subparagraph (A), the summary tables required by paragraph (4) shall demonstrate both of the following:
(i) That the full proportionality obligation referenced in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 42238.07 is being met annually through the listed actions and services.
(ii) Each action’s quantitative contribution toward the proportionality obligation as expenditures or its qualitative contribution as a percentage of increased or improved services for unduplicated pupils over and above the level of services provided to all pupils, consistent with the regulations adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 42238.07.
(7) (A) A review of the progress toward the goals included in the existing local control and accountability plan, a review of any changes in the applicability of the goals, an assessment of the effectiveness effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the specific actions described in the existing local control and accountability plan toward achieving the goals, a description of changes to the specific actions and related expenditures or quality improvements the school district, county office of education, or charter school will make as a result of the review and assessment, and an update on progress implementing the specific actions in the current fiscal year, including estimated actual expenditures for the specific actions and actual quality improvements.
(B) Except as provided in subparagraph (C), actions that have not proven effective over a three-year period of implementation shall be changed. The description of changes shall include an explanation of the reasons for lack of progress indicated by the analysis and how the action will be better addressed with a new or strengthened approach.
(C) For each school within a school district, school operated by a county superintendent of schools, and charter school that for two consecutive years receives the lowest performance measure pursuant to the standards, performance criteria, and indicators adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 52064.5 for purposes of the school climate state priority described in Section 52060 and as reported on the California School Dashboard, actions that have not proven effective over a two-year period of implementation shall be changed. The description of changes shall include an explanation of the reasons for lack of progress indicated by the analysis and how the action will be better addressed with a new or strengthened approach.
(8) (A) The calculations required by paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 42238.07.
(B) If applicable to the school district, county office of education, or charter school pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 42238.07, a description of the specific actions and related expenditures to be implemented using the funds specified in that paragraph, including a demonstration that the planned uses of those funds satisfy the requirements for specific actions to be considered as contributing toward meeting the increased or improved services requirement pursuant to regulations adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 42238.07.
(9) A plan summary that includes general information about the school district, county office of education, or charter school and highlights of the local control and accountability plan and annual update to the local control and accountability plan, including reflections on annual performance on the California School Dashboard authorized in Section 52064.5 and other local data.
(10) A summary of the stakeholder engagement process and how stakeholder engagement influenced the development of the adopted local control and accountability plan and annual update to the local control and accountability plan.
(11) For local educational agencies that receive concentration grant funding pursuant to Section 42238.02, a demonstration that the additional funding received as a result of the increased concentration grant add-on percent specified in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 42238.02 will be used to increase the number of credentialed staff, classified staff, or both of those, that provide direct services to pupils, including custodial staff, on school campuses with greater than 55-percent unduplicated pupil enrollment in the prior year as compared to the staff-to-pupil ratios at schools within the local educational agency with an unduplicated pupil enrollment in the prior year of 55 percent or less, if any.
(c) If possible, the templates identified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) for use by county superintendents of schools shall allow a county superintendent of schools to develop a single local control and accountability plan that would also satisfy the requirements of Section 48926.
(d) (1) The template for the local control and accountability plan and annual update to the local control and accountability plan shall, to the greatest extent practicable, use language that is understandable and accessible to parents. The state board shall include instructions for school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to complete the local control and accountability plan and annual update to the local control and accountability plan consistent with the requirements of this section. The state board may include more technical language in the instructions.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), the state board shall not require school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools to provide any information in addition to the information required pursuant to subdivision (b).
(3) The state board may require the inclusion of additional information in the template in order to meet requirements of federal law, including meeting the requirements of Section 300.600 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(e) (1) The process of developing and annually updating the local control and accountability plan should support school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in comprehensive strategic planning, accountability, and improvement across the state priorities priorities, particularly to address and reduce disparities in opportunities and outcomes between pupil groups indicated by the California School Dashboard, and any locally identified priorities through meaningful engagement with local stakeholders.
(2) In developing the template for the local control and accountability plan and annual update to the local control and accountability plan, the state board shall ensure that school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools track and report their progress annually on all state priorities, including the applicable metrics specified within each state priority and, for charter schools, in accordance with Section 47606.5.
(3) The instructions developed by the state board pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) shall specify that school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools should prioritize the focus of the goals, specific actions, and related expenditures included within the local control and accountability plan and annual update to the local control and accountability plan within one or more state priorities. The instructions shall further specify that school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools should consider their performance on the state and local indicators, including their locally collected and reported data for the local indicators, that are included in the California School Dashboard authorized in Section 52064.5 in determining whether and how to prioritize the goals, specific actions, and related expenditures included within the local control and accountability plan and annual update to the local control and accountability plan.
(4) The instructions developed by the state board pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) shall specify that school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that have a numerically significant English learner pupil subgroup shall include specific actions in the local control and accountability plan related to, at a minimum, the language acquisition programs, as defined in Section 306, provided to pupils and professional development activities specific to English learners.
(5) On or before January 31, 2022, the instructions developed by the state board pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) shall specify that school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that meet the criteria to receive technical assistance pursuant to Section 47607, 47607.2, 52071, or 52071.5, as applicable, based on the performance of the same pupil subgroup or subgroups for three or more consecutive years shall include a goal in the local control and accountability plan focused on improving the performance of the pupil subgroup or subgroups.
(6) (A) On or before January 31, 2022, the instructions developed by the state board pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) shall specify that, for any school district or county office of education with a school that meets the criteria described in subparagraph (B), the school district or county office of education shall include a goal in the local control and accountability plan focused on addressing the disparities in performance at the school or schools compared to the school district or county office of education as a whole.
(B) The requirement described in subparagraph (A) shall apply for any local educational agency with two or more schools if, for two consecutive years, a school receives the two lowest performance levels on all but one of the state indicators for which the school receives performance levels on the California School Dashboard pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 52064.5 and the performance of the local educational agency for all pupils is at least one performance level higher on all of those indicators.
(f) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (g), the state board shall adopt the template pursuant to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). The state board may adopt emergency regulations for purposes of implementing this section. The adoption of emergency regulations shall be deemed an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the state board may adopt or revise the template in accordance with the requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). When adopting the template pursuant to the requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, the state board shall present the template at a regular meeting and may only take action to adopt the template at a subsequent regular meeting. This paragraph shall become inoperative on January 31, 2019.
(g) Notwithstanding subdivision (f), revisions of the template for the local control and accountability plan and annual update to the local control and accountability plan necessary to implement Assembly Bill 1808 and Assembly Bill 1840 of the 2017–18 Regular Session, legislation passed during the 2019–20 Regular Session, or Assembly Bill 130 of the 2021–22 Regular Session shall not be subject to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). The state board may make necessary revisions to the template in accordance with the requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).
(h) Revisions to a template shall be approved by the state board by January 31 before the fiscal year during which the template is to be used by a school district, county superintendent of schools, or charter school.
(i) In developing the template, the state board shall take steps to minimize duplication of effort at the local level to the greatest extent possible. The adoption of a template or evaluation rubric by the state board shall not create a requirement for a governing board of a school district, a county board of education, or a governing body of a charter school to submit a local control and accountability plan to the state board, unless otherwise required by federal law. The Superintendent shall not require a local control and accountability plan to be submitted by a governing board of a school district or the governing body of a charter school to the state board. The state board may adopt a template or evaluation rubric that would authorize a school district or a charter school to submit to the state board only the sections of the local control and accountability plan required by federal law.
(j) Notwithstanding any other law, the templates developed by the state board pursuant to this section, as it read on June 30, 2018, shall continue in effect until the state board adopts a new template pursuant to subdivision (b) on or before January 31, 2020, except that the state board may adopt revisions to those templates pursuant to subdivision (g) that are necessary to implement Assembly Bill 1808 of the 2017–18 Regular Session or meet federal requirements.

SEC. 2.

 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
SECTION 1.Section 52064.7 is added to the Education Code, to read:
52064.7.

(a)Notwithstanding any other law, for each school within a school district, school operated by a county superintendent of schools, and charter school, that for two consecutive years receives the lowest performance measure for suspension rate, as reported on the California School Dashboard, the department shall develop, and the school shall implement, school discipline reforms and interventions to address that low performance.

(b)Notwithstanding any other law, for each school within a school district, school operated by a county superintendent of schools, and charter school, that for three consecutive years receives the lowest performance measure for suspension rate, as reported on the California School Dashboard, the department shall file a complaint with the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

SEC. 2.

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.