UndertheDome: CSBA sponsors NCLB legislative resolution

CSBA is the sponsor of Assembly Joint Resolution 23, introduced by Assembly Education Committee member Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, to urge Congress to amend the federal No Child Left behind Act. Provisions of the resolution are similar to CSBA’s Fix NCLB campaign recommendations.

AJR 23 asks Congress to give states flexibility in implementing the federal education law, which is up for reauthorization this year. It also seeks changes in the identification of schools in need of improvement so that resources and interventions will be directed toward those schools and districts in greatest need, and it calls for full funding of requirements tied to NCLB.

In another development, CSBA has taken a position against Assembly Bill 1403 by Assembly member Juan Arambula, D-Fresno. AB 1403 would establish the San Joaquin Valley District Improvement Pilot Program, authorizing county superintendents of schools in eight Central Valley counties to assert broader influence over decile 1 and 2 schools in their jurisdictions that are identified for program improvement or corrective action under NCLB. County superintendents could take on this expanded role at their own discretion—but the schools and districts involved would have no choice.

CSBA is a sponsor or co-sponsor of 10 other bills now in the Legislature. Here is a recap of their status as of mid-May:

AB 366 (Wolk) and AB 835 (Krekorian) would provide relief to declining enrollment districts.
Both bills passed out of the Assembly Education Committee on 10-0 votes; now  pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Due to the budget,  Assembly Member Wolk has requested that AB 366 remain with the committee and be a two-year bill.

AB 694 (Wolk) would correct inequities in the home-to-school transportation aid formula.
Passed, 10-0 vote in the Assembly Education Committee; now pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Due to the budget, the author has requested that this bill remain with the committee and be a two-year bill.

AB 925 (Hancock) would change the definition of “proficient” for purposes of NCLB.
Passed, 7-3 party line vote in the Assembly Education Committee; now pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1281 (Soto) would protect school districts from absorbing the cost of special education students who are enrolled in charter schools.
Passed, 6-3 party line vote in the Assembly Education Committee; now pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1379 (Brownley) would augment the current California High School Exit Exam by using a multiple measures approach to determine if a student should be given a high school diploma.
Passed, 6-3 party line vote in the Assembly Education Committee; now pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1609 (Leno) would expand the list of reasons that districts could use to reject a charter proposal and limit the ability of the state Board of Education to grant statewide benefit charters.
This bill was held in the Assembly Education Committee at the request of the author and is a two-year bill.

AJR 23 (Brownley) addresses CSBA’s recommendations for NCLB.
This measure was introduced in the Assembly.

SB 1003 (Romero) would require the State Board of Education to adopt elementary-level instructional materials at the request of school districts unless it finds that they fail to meet specific criteria.
Passed, 7-2 party line vote in the Senate Education Committee; now pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

SJR 3 (Aanestad) calls upon Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.
Passed, 8-0 vote in the Senate Education Committee; 36-0 vote on the Senate floor; now pending in the Assembly Education Committee.