CSBA sponsoring four 2018 education bills
Published: February 28, 2018
CSBA’s Legislative Committee convened for the first time in 2018 on Fri., Feb. 23, meeting at the Capitol to review more than 30 pieces of newly introduced 2018 legislation and formally adopt positions on these new bills.
View all newly adopted CSBA positions
View more info about 2017–18 legislation
CSBA sponsored/co-sponsored bills:
CSBA is pleased to announce its co-sponsorship of Assembly Bill 2808 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance), a measure which would significantly increase Local Control Funding Formula base grant targets.The intent of the bill is to move California toward the national average in per-pupil funding, using the EdWeek Quality Counts figure of $12,526 per pupil.
“CSBA is very excited to be a co-sponsor of this bill, and we certainly appreciate Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s leadership on bringing a much-needed increase to LCFF targets,” said CSBA President Mike Walsh. “This bill is an important step in moving California toward the national average in per-pupil funding and aligns with CSBA’s ultimate goal of full and fair funding for education.”
Read more about CSBA’s Full and Fair Funding efforts.
AB 2808 would not change the actual formula itself — supplemental, concentration, K-3 class size and 9-12 career and technical education adjustments all would reflect a proportional increase.
AB 2808 adjusts the LCFF base grant targets as follows:
- $11,799 for average daily attendance in kindergarten and grades 1-3
- $11,975 for ADA in grades 4-6
- $12,332 for ADA in grades 7 and 8
- $14,289 for ADA in grades 9-12
The mechanism utilized in AB 2808 of identifying anticipated Proposition 98 growth and directing it towards LCFF was also utilized when LCFF was first adopted in 2013. No new funding source is provided to fund this proposed increase, as was also the case at the outset of LCFF. Based on fiscal projections from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, barring a recession, this new funding target is anticipated to be reached in 5–7 years, assuming the only new investment in K-12 funding is provided by the Proposition 98 guarantee.
AB 2808 is one of two major complementary proposals in the Legislature to increase funding for LCFF:
On Feb. 21, the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education announced a proposal to add $1.2 billion in ongoing funding to LCFF, with $1 billion going to increase the base grant (which includes grade span adjustments) and $200 million increasing supplemental and concentration grants. The proposal assumes that the enacted 2018–19 budget will include the full funding of the current LCFF targets (as is currently offered in the initial January proposal), plus the additional $1.2 billion, and it does not set new out-year targets. The $1 billion would come from the Governor’s proposed $1.8 billion in one-time money for K-12 education contained in the January budget proposal, and it is projected that the other $200 million will come from revenue growth between now and the May budget revision. This would leave $800 million in one-time money still available, though the actual amount will be determined in the Budget Act adopted in June.
CSBA will report additional details on both proposals as they unfold during “budget season” at the Capitol, leading up to the May budget revision, which will be released on or before May 15.
AB 2228 (Wood, D-Healdsburg) – CSBA Sponsored – In response to the disastrous and tragic string of wildfires that plagued the state in 2017, CSBA is sponsoring AB 2228, authored by Sonoma County legislator Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), which will allow affected local educational agencies to recoup lost revenue. The bill provides that LEAs located within a county where a state of emergency was declared during the 2017 calendar year will be entitled to supplemental funding to cover the loss of ADA if it experienced an attributable material decrease in ADA. In other words, affected LEAs would be able to recognize all or part of what their ADA would have been had the disaster not occurred. CSBA is working on amendments to the bill that would also apply it to LEAs affected by the Montecito mudslides, which occurred in January of 2018, after the bill was submitted for introduction.
AB 1951 (O’Donnell, D-Long Beach) – CSBA Co-sponsored – This CSBA co-sponsored bill, known as the Pathways to College Act, is designed to bolster college attendance for California students by allowing LEAs the flexibility to administer a State Superintendent of Public Instruction-approved alternative assessment (i.e., the SAT or ACT) for 11th grade students in place of the Smarter Balanced Summative Test in English language arts and mathematics. The bill allows more freedom for LEAs to choose assessments that are most meaningful to high school students, provide actionable instructional data to teachers and reduce testing time. Several California school districts have already begun administering college entrance exams to 11th grade pupils free of charge — doing so during the school day removes a barrier to college attendance for many students who may not otherwise have access to the exam or may not take it on their own.
AB 3149 (Limón, D-Santa Barbara) – CSBA Co-sponsored – Current law states that permitted substitute teachers may serve for no more than 30 days for any one teacher during the school year, with a 20-day limit for special education classrooms. This can have a negative impact on quality and continuity of instruction for students in situations where teachers have long absences and new substitutes are cycled through a classroom. AB 3149 would allow the substitute to serve in the classroom until the teacher of record returns to work and allow a one-year renewal of either the Provisional Intern Permit (PIP) or the Short Term Staff Permit (STSP) when a teacher’s leave extends into the following school year. This will provide important relief for LEAs as the teacher shortage persists.