BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






                  SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUDGET AND FISCAL REVIEW
                                Mark Leno, Chair
                                        
          Bill No:       AB 103
          Author:        Committee on Budget
          As Amended:    September 6, 2013
          Consultant:    Kim Connor and Keely Martin Bosler
          Fiscal:        Yes
          Hearing Date:  September 9, 2013
          
          Subject: Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill

          Summary:  This bill makes various changes to the education  
          budget and trailer bills, adopted as part of the 2013-14  
          budget package.  

          Background:  As part of the 2013-14 budget package, several  
          bills were adopted to implement the K-12 and higher  
          education provisions of the 2013 budget act.  These bills  
          included, Chapter 29 (SB 73, Budget), Chapter 47 (AB 97,  
          Budget), Chapter 48, (AB 86, Budget), Chapter 49 (SB 91,  
          Budget), and Chapter 50, (AB 94, Budget).  This bill makes  
          various changes to provisions included in these bills,  
          along with other related provisions.

          Proposed Law:  This bill includes the following key  
          changes:


           Higher Education 
           
          1.Apprenticeship Program.  The 2013 budget act consolidated  
            under the California Community Colleges, the  
            apprenticeship programs that were administered separately  
            under the California Department of Education and the  
            California Community Colleges.  This bill makes various  
            technical changes to the code to conform definitions  
            related to the apprenticeship programs and makes a  
            technical date change for the development of common  
            administrative practices between the programs.

          2.Middle Class Scholarship.  The 2013 budget act created a  
            new Middle Class Scholarship for students that do not  
            qualify for the Cal Grant Program but come from a family  
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            with a household income that is less than $150,000.  This  
            bill makes technical amendments that conform the academic  
            requirements definition for the Middle Class Scholarship  
            to the Cal Grant program.  This bill also makes  
            clarifying changes to ensure that the University of  
            California (UC) and the California State University (CSU)  
            systems do not use the Middle Class Scholarship to  
            supplant existing institutional aid.  The changes ensure  
            CSU and UC flexibility to change policies unrelated to  
            aid for undergraduate students, which is the only group  
            eligible for the Middle Class Scholarship. 

          3.Community Colleges - Deferrals.  Reduces the deferrals to  
            the Community Colleges by $2.8 million.

          4.Community Colleges - Mandates.  Makes technical name  
            corrections to various Community Colleges mandates.

          5.Community Colleges - Cash Flow Language.  Authorizes the  
            Department of Finance to accelerate the apportionment of  
            General Fund between July 1, 2013 and February 1, 2014 if  
            it is determined that the Community Colleges have a  
            budgetary shortfall related to property tax resulting  
            from the dissolution of redevelopment agencies.  Requires  
            notification of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee if  
            a shortfall is determined and acceleration is granted by  
            the Department of Finance.

          6.Redevelopment Agency Dissolution Property Tax Backfill  
            for 2012-13.  Allows the Department of Finance to  
            authorize up to $100 million Proposition 98 General Fund  
            for the California Community Colleges if property taxes  
            related to the dissolution of redevelopment agencies are  
            not received as estimated for 2012-13.  The Department of  
            Finance has until December 31, 2013 to make a final  
            determination about the amount of property tax received  
            by the Community Colleges and the amount of General Fund  
            backfill required.  The Department of Finance may  
            consider updated estimates of other local property tax  
            revenue, student fee revenue, or other sources of revenue  
            when making final determinations about what amount of  
            General Fund is needed to backfill the California  
            Community Colleges. 

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           K-12 Education
           
          7.Local Control Funding Formula.  Makes a several technical  
            and clarifying changes related to the  new Local Control  
            Funding Formula (LCFF), including:

             a)   Clarifies statutes related to the William's  
               settlement agreement to delink from previous  
               categorical funding while continuing requirements  
               within the new funding model, and specifies that LCFF  
               funding will be used to offset any resulting  
               reimbursable state mandate.  

             b)   Makes technical statutory changes to align  
               Community Day School and County Community School  
               funding with new LCFF requirements.  

             c)   Specifies that statutes guiding state  
               apportionments to county offices of education and  
               charter schools will apply only to the Education  
               Protection Account beginning in 2013-14, and will  
               sunset on July 1, 2021, since funds will be  
               apportioned pursuant to the new LCFF. 

             d)   Clarifies funding calculations that apply to  
               district reorganizations filed before and after  
               December 1, 2013. 

             e)   Clarifies free and reduce-price meal eligibility is  
               based on federal income eligibility criteria for  
               purposes of unduplicated pupil counts under LCFF,  
               instead of receipt of meals. 

             f)   Specifies that 2012-13 ADA counts, as of February  
               20, 2014, shall be used for purposes of calculating  
               Economic Recovery Target rate "add-ons" for qualifying  
               LEAs.  

             g)   Deletes LCFF provisions governing declining  
               enrollment funding calculations to allow school  
               districts in decline to receive either the prior year  
               or current year average daily attendance (ADA) funding  
               and corresponding grade span proportions, whichever is  
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               greater. 

             h)   Repeals statute authorizing special funding for the  
               Center for Advanced Research Technology (CART) program  
               -- operated by the Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified  
               school districts -- which will now be funded pursuant  
               to LCFF.  Retains statutes for the CART program that  
               guide minimum instructional day, computation of  
               average daily attendance, supervision of pupils, and  
               the program sunset date.  

             i)   Makes a technical correction to clarify that only  
               charter schools serving students that a county office  
               of education would otherwise be responsible for  
               educating, are eligible to claim the alternative  
               education funding rate under LCFF.   

             j)   Requires that the California Department of  
               Education (CDE) and Department of Social Services  
               enter into a memorandum of understanding to share  
               foster youth data, and changes the due date of a CDE  
               report on foster youth outcomes.

             aa)  Specifies that Home-to-School Transportation  
               funding includes funding for the Small School District  
               Transportation Program.  

             bb)  Establishes a process for school districts and  
               county offices of education to share maintenance of  
               effort (MOE) requirements related to Adult Education  
               and Home-to -School Transportation.

             cc)  Specifies that Regional Occupational Centers and  
               Programs, including those operated under a joint  
               powers agreement, shall be funded at their 2012-13  
               funding levels through 2014-15.  

             dd)  Specifies that average daily attendance (ADA), for  
               the purpose of calculating county office of education  
               operational grant funding under the LCFF, shall  
               include the ADA of charter schools authorized by  
               districts over which the county office has  
               jurisdiction.  

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             ee)  Specifies that if a county office of education  
               meets or exceeds its LCFF funding target, it will be  
               funded pursuant to the county LCFF funding formula or  
               at the higher hold-harmless level.  

             ff)  Authorizes school districts and charter schools to  
               submit changes to California Longitudinal Pupil  
               Achievement Data System (CALPADS) within the  
               timeframes and procedures established by the  
               Department of Education.

             gg)  Clarifies than Necessary Small School (NSS) average  
               daily attendance (ADA) does not count for purposes of  
               base funding, but does count for supplemental and  
               concentration grant funding.

             hh)  Clarifies that the amount of NSS funding received  
               by a school district that qualified for NSS funding in  
               the 2012-13 fiscal year, is included within their hold  
               harmless calculation. 

             ii)  Repeals statute to clarify that NSS funding  
               containing grades 7-8 are funded at the elementary NSS  
               rate for those grades, not the high school NSS rate.  
               These changes are consistent with current law. 

             jj)  Provides that the $3.5 million per year that the  
               Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) will continue  
               to pass through to its local Regional Occupational  
               Center in 2013-14 and 2014-15 for average daily  
               attendance associated with non-TUSD students will not  
               count toward the district's LCFF target. 

             aaa) Clarifies that the $2 million in one-time funds  
               appropriated in 2013-14 to the Office of Planning and  
               Research to support State Board of Education  
               activities related to LCFF implementation is  
               non-Proposition 98 General Fund.


          8.Local Control Accountability Plan.  Makes various changes  
            related to the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP),  
            including:

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             a)   Requires LCAP to adhere to regulations adopted  
               related to expenditure of supplemental and  
               concentration grant funding.

             b)   Clarifies that a budget cannot be approved for a  
               school district or county office of education before a  
               LCAP, or update to the existing plan, is adopted and  
               clarifies terms under which a budget review committee  
               shall be formed.

             c)   Requires the State Board of Education, in  
               developing LCAP templates, to include guidance to LEAs  
               in reporting a listing of expenditures for specific  
               actions and a listing of expenditures for low-income  
               pupils, English learner pupils, re-designated English  
               learner pupils, and pupils residing in foster care, in  
               2014-15 and each year thereafter.    

             d)   Requires school districts and county offices of  
               education to ensure that all written notifications  
               related to the LCAP or annual update are available to  
               parents in languages other than English, as specified  
               under current law. 
             
             e)   Specifies that school district and county office of  
               education actions related to achieving the goals of  
               the LCAP shall not supersede local collective  
               bargaining agreements.  Further specifics that  
               specific actions described in the local plan that are  
               inconsistent with local bargaining agreements shall be  
               renegotiated, and implemented only as agreed to after  
               renegotiation. 

             f)   Adds local bargaining units to the groups that  
               school district and COEs must consult in the  
               development of the LCAP.

             g)   Provides greater detail related to career technical  
               education state priorities.


          1.Department of Education - State Operations.  Appropriates  
            up to $3.164 million in General Funds (Non-Proposition  
            98) to the California Department of Education (CDE) for  
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            State Operations, as follows: 

             a)   LCFF Implementation. Provides up to $1.4 million to  
               support the implementation and administration of the  
               LCFF.  Specifically, the bill appropriates $933,000  
               (ongoing funds) for six positions for this purpose.   
               An additional $479,000 for up to five positions may be  
               authorized, contingent upon Department of Finance  
               approval of an expenditure plan.

             b)   LCAP Implementation. Provides up to $1.3 million  
               for the support and development of the LCAP.   
               Specifically, this bill appropriates $570,000 (ongoing  
               funds) for five positions for this purpose.  An  
               additional $723,000 for up to six positions may be  
               authorized, contingent upon Department of Finance  
               approval of an expenditure plan. 

             c)   Career Technical Education Grant Implementation.  
               Provides $459,000 (one-time funds)  for three  
               limited-term positions to implement the California  
               Career Technical Education Pathways competitive grant  
               program;

          1.Clean Energy Jobs Act.  Makes several technical changes  
            related to implementation of the California Clean Energy  
            Jobs Act (Proposition 39):

             a)   Specifies that CDE shall use prior-year enrollment  
               data, instead of average daily attendance, for  
               purposes of allocating energy efficiency funds to the  
               state special schools.  

             b)   Clarifies that small school districts may elect to  
               bundle year one and year two energy efficiency funds  
               in 2013-14, and extends the application deadline for  
               this bundling option by one month.

             c)   Clarifies that statutes requiring schools to repay  
               Proposition 39 funding if they vacate the facility  
               within five years of project completion apply to local  
               educational agencies, not just school districts. 

          1.Career Technical Education Grant Program Evaluation.   
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            Directs $250,000 in one-time Proposition 98 funds,  
            appropriated in the 2013 budget for the Career Technical  
            Education Pathways Grant Program, for an independent  
            evaluation.  These one-time funds shall be allocated to a  
            local education agency identified by the Superintendent  
            of Public Instruction to contract for the evaluation.  

          2.Instructional Day Requirements.  Specifies that the  
            penalty for districts that fail to meet instructional day  
            requirements is a maximum of five days' average daily  
            attendance apportionments, and makes other technical and  
            conforming changes.  

          3.California School Finance Authority.  Makes several  
            clarifying changes related to the transfer of the  
            California School Finance Authority from the California  
            Department of Education to the State Treasurer's Office  
            beginning in 2013-14.  

          4.General Fund Loan for Inglewood Unified School District.   
            Clarifies that the General Fund to the Inglewood Unified  
            School District shall include costs incurred by the  
            California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank  
            (I-Bank).  
          
          5.Special Education Funding.  Clarifies that Program  
            Specialists and Regionalized Services (PSRS) and  
            professional development funds are included in the  
            special education funding base when calculating the  
            Statewide Target Rate for Special Education Local  
            Planning Areas (SELPAs).   



          Fiscal Effect:  

          Support:   

          Opposed:  

          Comments:  
          


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