Under the Dome - April 

CSBA sponsored bills

CSBA’s sponsored legislation includes two bills continuing from last year and three new bills. Senate Bill 958 (Simitian, D-Palo Alto) from last year, which would allow declining enrollment districts to use a three-year average ADA, has passed through the Senate and is awaiting hearing in the Assembly Education Committee. SCA 8 (Simitian), which would authorize school districts to impose a parcel tax upon voter approval, awaits a Senate floor vote.

This year’s new bills include a reintroduction of last year’s SB 657 (Escutia, D-Whittier) as SB 696 – Instructional materials (Escutia). CSBA is also sponsoring two charter school bills this year. Assembly Bill 2954 (Liu, D-La Cañada Flintridge) includes negative fiscal impact as a reason to deny a charter petition. SB 1266 (Perata, D-Oakland) is a reintroduction of last year’s SB 970, which would allow a declining enrollment district to claim a portion of ADA for students who transferred to district-sponsored charter schools.

AB 2954: School districts: charter school petitions
Liu, D-La Cañada Flintridge
This bill would authorize a school district governing board to deny a charter school petition based on the negative fiscal impact the charter would have on the school district. The bill would also authorize the governing board of a school district, as a condition of approving a petition, to require that a charter petition describe the method (as part of the required reasonably comprehensive descriptions) by which the charter school will provide free and reduced-price meals to eligible pupils.
Status: Assembly Education Committee

SB 696: Instructional materials
Escutia, D-Whittier
This bill would permit a school district or county office of education that recommends instructional materials to use those materials, as specified, unless the state Board of Education, within 180 calendar days, makes written factual findings that the instructional materials lack certain specified criteria. The bill would also require the state board to consider whether to adopt those instructional materials within one year of the receipt of the school district recommendation of adoption. If the board fails to do so within one year of the school district recommendation, those instructional materials would be deemed to be adopted for four years, or until the next regular adoption of materials in that category, whichever comes later. The bill would also require the follow-up adoption fee to be based on instructional materials reviewed pursuant to these provisions.
Status: Assembly Education Committee

SB 958: School districts: declining enrollment
Simitian, D-Palo Alto
SB 958 modifies existing law pertaining to declining enrollment districts by allowing them to claim the greater average daily attendance (ADA) of the current year or the average of the prior three years. Current law allows districts to claim the greater of the current or prior year ADA. This bill would double that protection and provide declining enrollment districts with much-needed time to adjust to the loss of students.
Status: Assembly Education Committee

SB 1266: Charter schools: funding
Perata, D-Oakland
This bill would restore the protection districts lack under the current declining enrollment formula when students move back and forth to charter schools, by allowing districts to base the adjustment to the declining enrollment formula on the net loss in average daily attendance to charter schools. Additionally, if a pupil attends a district-sponsored charter school for as little as one day in the current year, state law requires that the district subtract that pupil’s full ADA from its prior year ADA for declining enrollment purposes. SB 1266 would limit that subtraction to the fraction of ADA claimed by the charter school in the current year.
Status: Senate Education Committee

SCA 8: Taxation: educational entities: parcel tax
Simitian, D-Palo Alto
This measure would authorize a school district, community college district or county office of education to impose a parcel tax with 55 percent voter approval, and would also make conforming changes to related provisions.
Status: Senate Floor