CSBA-sponsored legislation for 2005 

The California School Boards Association plans to sponsor legislation in several areas to address the needs of local school districts. The Board of Directors approved in concept the following proposals:

School transportation
Current law sets the reimbursement level for a district’s home-to-school transportation program at its allocation for the previous year plus cost of living, with no correlation to the actual cost of running the program. Last year, CSBA sponsored legislation to fix the funding formula, but Assembly Bill 2462 — which merely made the COLA mandatory — was vetoed by the governor. This year, CSBA plans to join forces with other education and parent groups to sponsor legislation to base reimbursements on actual cost.

Instructional materials adoption
Senate Bill 1380, sponsored by CSBA in 2004 to allow local boards more options for adopting standards-based textbooks, was also vetoed by the governor. As his veto message indicates the governor could have misunderstood the strict controls required by the bill, CSBA will seek to reintroduce the bill in 2005 and work to ensure that the governor and his staff are aware that only instructional materials that are based on the state’s academic standards would qualify for the alternate adoption process.

Teacher dismissal
Evidence older than four years that a teacher has sexually molested a child is not currently admissible in a teacher dismissal hearing, and the California Supreme Court has agreed to review the issue. CSBA will pursue legislation to admit such evidence should the court bar the use of evidence over four years old.

Funding for unified districts
School districts are currently funded at different levels depending on whether they serve elementary, middle or high school students. Unified districts receive a higher average per-pupil amount than elementary districts, but less than high school districts, on the assumption that their costs average out. However, many districts in the state are experiencing declining elementary populations while their higher-cost secondary populations increase. CSBA proposes legislation to provide differential funding for students in grades K-3, 4-6, 7-8 and 9-12.

Declining enrollment
California enrollment growth is expected to slow over the next few years, and then decline for several years before beginning to increase again. Currently, about half of all California school districts are in declining enrollment, causing their revenues to shrink faster than they can reduce costs. CSBA will co-chair a coalition of education groups to develop a strategy for helping districts manage their resources as enrollment declines.

Nutritional standards
As the prevalence of childhood obesity continues to increase, educators have seen that they can have a positive impact on the health of schoolchildren. Several laws regulating nutritional standards and sales at school have passed in recent years, and CSBA has promoted a number of ways school districts can address the obesity epidemic. In 2005, CSBA proposes legislation to require districts to implement nutritional standards and provide technical assistance as they do so.

Special education
Recent changes in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act should be enacted in state law. CSBA proposes legislation to limit the awarding of attorney’s fees and legislation to clarify the rights of districts and parents to observe students placed in non-public school settings.