From EdCal, August 1, 2016:
California’s K-12 schools are severely underfunded compared to many other states.
In addition to a dozen bills included in the last issue of EdCal, following are additional key legislative issues the ACSA Governmental Relations team is closely monitoring. The Legislature has until Aug. 31 to pass bills, and the governor has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto legislation sent to his desk. For complete language on the bills, please visit www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
Assembly Bill 1985, Williams. Ad-vanced Placement credit. Status: Scheduled for Senate Appropriations Committee Aug. 1. The bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to develop, and each college district to adopt, a uniform policy to award a pupil who passes an Advanced Placement examination course credit for certain requirements in a course with subject matter similar to that of the AP examination. The bill would require each community college campus to post the most recent policy on its website. ACSA position: Support
AB 2091, Lopez. Special education: individualized education programs: translation services. Re-referred to Senate Appropriations. Current law requires a local education agency to initiate and conduct meetings to develop, review and revise individualized education program of each student with exceptional needs in accordance with federal law. Current law requires the LEA to take any action necessary to ensure the parent or guardian understands the proceedings at a meeting, including arranging for an interpreter for parents or guardians with deafness, or whose native language is not English. The bill would require the LEA, if requested by a pupil’s parent, guardian or educational rights holder, to provide a translated copy of the IEP, any revisions and certain documents discussed at an IEP team meeting within 60 days of that meeting. ACSA position: Oppose. While the bill has good intentions, the additional translation requirements would result in a new, unfunded mandate at a time when there are limited qualified translators of languages other than Spanish. Further, the bill codifies the translation requirement, but does not condition it on parental request.
AB 2248, Holden. Teacher credentialing: out-of-state trained teachers: English learner authorizations. On the governor’s desk. Current law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to issue authorizations for a teacher to provide specific services to limited-English-proficient pupils, if certain minimum requirements are met. This bill would provide that a teacher who possesses any of several specified California credentials or permits, and who is able to present a valid out-of-state credential or certificate that authorizes content instruction delivered in a pupil’s primary language, may qualify for that authorization by submitting an application and a fee to the commission. ACSA position: Support
AB 2336, Olsen. Special education: substitute teachers. Re-referred to Senate Appropriations. This bill would, until Jan. 1, 2022, authorize, subject to the issuance of specified federal guidance, a person holding a valid emergency 30-day substitute teacher permit to serve as a substitute in a special education classroom for up to 40 cumulative school days per vacancy when specified conditions are met. The bill would require an employing authority to report annually to its county office of education, as part of the monitoring and review of certificated employee assignment practices, the number of permit holders employed pursuant to these provisions and the length of time they were employed. ACSA position: Sponsor
AB 2785, O’Donnell. Special education: English learners: manual. Scheduled for Senate Appropriations Committee Aug. 1. The bill would require the California Department of Education, on or before July 1, 2018, to develop a manual providing guidance to LEAs on identifying, assessing, and supporting English learners who may qualify for special education services, as specified, with the goal of providing guidance, for voluntary use by LEAs, including charter schools, on evidence-based and promising practices for the identification, assessment and support of English learners who may have disabilities and to promote a collaborative approach among general education teachers, special education teachers, school administrators, other personnel and parents in determining the most appropriate academic placements and services for these pupils. ACSA position: Support
Senate Bill 933, Allen. Teachers: California Teacher Corps Act of 2016: teacher residency programs. Placed on Assembly Appropriations suspense file. SB 933 would enact the California Teacher Corps Act, under which the superintendent of public instruction would make grants to applicant LEAs and consortia of LEAs to assist in establishing, maintaining or expanding teacher residency programs. These would be school-based preparation programs in which a prospective teacher would teach alongside an experienced mentor teacher, as defined, while also receiving teacher training instruction in a credentialing program in a qualified institution of higher education. The bill would establish eligibility standards and contains other related provisions and other existing laws. ACSA position: Support
SB 1072, Mendoza. Schoolbus safety: child safety alert system. Scheduled for Assembly Appropriations Aug. 3. Current law requires the county superintendent of schools, the superintendent of a district or the owner or operator of a private school that provides transportation to or from a school or school activity to prepare a transportation safety plan containing procedures for school personnel to follow to ensure the safe transport of pupils. The bill would require that plan to include procedures to ensure pupils are not left unattended and standards for designating an adult chaperone, other than the driver, to accompany pupils on a bus. The bill would additionally require a charter school to prepare this plan. ACSA position: Support.
SB 1121, Leno. Privacy: electronic communications: search warrant. Scheduled for Assembly Appropriations Aug. 3. The bill would authorize a government entity, without a warrant or other order, to access electronic device information by means of physical interaction or electronic communication with the device for the purpose of accessing information concerning the location of the device in order to respond to an emergency 911 call from that device. The bill would also provide that the definition of “electronic device” does not include a magnetic strip on a driver’s license or identification card. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. ACSA position: Oppose unless amended.
SB 1314, Block. Cal Grant Program: Middle Class Scholarship Program: community college baccalaureate degree program students. Scheduled for Assembly Appropriations Aug. 3. The Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, and the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards and eligibility requirements for participating students attending qualifying institutions. The bill would provide that community college students participating in specified baccalaureate degree programs who also satisfy eligibility requirements shall receive these awards for upper division coursework fees. ACSA position: Support.
SB 1343, Wolk. Pupils: intradistrict transfer of pupil convicted of violent felony or misdemeanor. On the Assembly Floor.This bill would authorize school district governing boards to transfer to another school in that school district pupils who have been convicted of violent felonies or designated misdemeanors if the pupil and victim of the crime are enrolled at the same school, if certain requirements are satisfied, including, but not limited to, that the governing board of the school district adopts a policy and notifies parents or guardians of the policy as part of its annual notification to parents and guardians, as specified. ACSA position: Support if amended.
SB 1455, Block. Pupil enrollment: military dependents. Scheduled for Assembly Appropriations Aug. 3. The bill would provide that a pupil complies with a school district’s residency requirements for school attendance if he or she is a pupil whose parent is transferred or is pending transfer to a military installation within the boundaries of the district while on active military duty. The bill would require a school district to accept applications by electronic means for enrollment and course registration for those pupils ACSA position: Support
SB 1466, Mitchell. Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program: trauma screening. Scheduled for Assembly Appropriations Aug. 3. In addition to the required periodic screening services, current federal law provides that Medicaid-eligible children are entitled to interperiodic screenings in order to identify a suspected illness or condition not present or discovered during the periodic examination. This bill would require, consistent with federal law, those screening services under the EPSDT Program to include screening for trauma, as defined by the bill. The bill would require that any child who is removed from the custody or care of his or her parent or legal guardian, be assessed by the county mental health plan for specialty mental health services. The bill contains other existing laws. ACSA position: Support
Check for regular legislative and policy updates at www.acsa.org/advocacy.