BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
SB 132 (Lowenthal)
Hearing Date: 05/23/2011 Amended: 05/11/2011
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-HernandezPolicy Vote: Education 8-2
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BILL SUMMARY: SB 132 requires the State Allocation Board (SAB)
review and revise, as necessary, the guidelines, rules,
regulations, procedures, and policies adopted for implementation
to ensure they reflect the state planning priorities established
in existing law. This bill would require the Department of
Education (CDE) site selection standards and the design and
construction standards to reflect the state planning priorities
and would require the governing board of a school district to
consider whether a new school site or addition reflects the
state planning priorities. This bill would the CDE and the SAB
to report to the Governor on the extent to which the
department's site selection standards and design and
construction standards and the board adopted guidelines, rules,
regulations, procedures, and policies for the construction and
modernization of school facilities are consistent with the state
planning priorities, for inclusion in the infrastructure plan
required under current law.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund
SAB: review and report Minor and absorbable workload
General
CDE: review and report Minor and absorbable
workload General
Revisions / changes Potentially significant
cost pressure General*
*Proposition 1D or other future K-12 construction bonds
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SB 132 (Lowenthal)
Page 1
STAFF COMMENTS: This bill may meet the criteria for referral to
the Suspense File.
Existing law establishes state planning priorities intended to
promote equity, strengthen the economy, protect the environment,
and promote public health and safety in the state. The specific
priorities are to:
Promote infill development and equity by rehabilitating,
maintaining, and
improving existing infrastructure that supports infill
development and appropriate reuse and redevelopment of
previously developed, underutilized land that is presently
served by transit, streets, water, sewer, and other essential
services, particularly in underserved areas, and to
preserving cultural and historic resources.
Protect environmental and agricultural resources by
protecting, preserving, and enhancing the state's most
valuable natural resources, including working landscapes such
as farm, range, and forest lands, natural lands such as
wetlands, watersheds, wildlife habitats, and other wildlands,
recreation lands such as parks, trails, greenbelts, and other
open space, and landscapes with locally unique features and
areas identified by the state as deserving special
protection.
Encourage efficient development patterns by ensuring that
infrastructure: a) uses land efficiently; b) is built
adjacent to existing developed areas; c) is located in an
area appropriately planned for growth; d) is served by
adequate transportation and other essential utilities and
services; and e) minimizes ongoing costs to taxpayers.
This bill requires that the SAB, on or before July 1, 2012,
review and revise (as necessary) the guidelines, rules,
regulations, procedures, and policies adopted for implementation
of the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act to ensure they
reflect the state planning priorities. This task is within the
normal function of the SAB, and could be absorbed within
existing resources. To the extent that the SAB guidelines,
rules, regulations, procedures, and policies for implementation
of the Greene Act change, there could be costs to local school
SB 132 (Lowenthal)
Page 2
districts to change their own procedures and methods of
evaluating school construction.
Existing law requires the CDE to advise a school district on the
acquisition of new schoolsites, to develop standards for the
selection of schoolsites, and to establish standards for use by
school districts to ensure that the design and construction of
school facilities are educationally appropriate and promote
school safety. Existing law also requires the governing board of
a school district, before commencing the acquisition of real
property for a new schoolsite or an addition to an existing
schoolsite, to evaluate the property using the standards
developed by the CDE.
This bill would require the site selection standards and the
design and construction standards developed by the department to
reflect the state planning priorities. This activity is
consistent with the CDE's role in this process, and could be
absorbed within existing resources. To the extent that the
design and construction standards set by the CDE and required of
schools seeking facilities funding change, there may be
significant costs to school districts to comply with the new
standards. To the extent that site acquisition is changed to
incorporate more extensive environmental priorities, there could
be pressure on bond funding for school construction projects if
the requirements are more expensive to adhere to, on a
case-by-case basis, increasing cost pressure on school
construction bonds.