BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 948| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: AB 948 Author: Olsen (R), et al. Amended: 8/19/14 in Senate Vote: 21 SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 6/26/13 AYES: Liu, Wyland, Block, Correa, Hancock, Hueso, Huff, Monning, Torres SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-0, 8/14/14 AYES: De León, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters, Gaines ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-1, 5/29/13 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Charter School Facility Grant Program SOURCE : California Charter Schools Association Advocates DIGEST : This bill expands eligibility for the Charter School Facility Grant Program (Program) in any year in which additional funds remain after state and federal funds have been allocated by reducing the free and reduced-price meals threshold one percentage point at a time, from 70% to 60%, as specified. ANALYSIS : Existing law: 1.States that the Charter Schools Act of 1992, provides for the CONTINUED AB 948 Page 2 establishment of charter schools in California for the purpose, among other things, to improve student learning and expand learning experiences for pupils who are identified as academically low achieving. 2.Specifies that subject to the annual Budget Act, eligible schools shall receive an amount up to, but not more than $750 per unit of average daily attendance to provide an amount up to, but not more than, 75% of the charter school's annual facilities rent and lease costs. 3.Provides that eligibility is based on the geographic location of the charter schoolsite, pupil eligibility for free and reduced price meals, and a preference in admissions, as appropriate. Eligibility for funding shall not be limited to the grade level or levels served by the school whose attendance area is used to determine eligibility. 4.Provides that funding shall be used for costs associated with facilities rents and leases, as specified, and may also be used for costs associated with remodeling of a building, deferred maintenance, initially installing or extending service systems and other built-in equipment, and improving sites. 5.Requires the California School Finance Authority to administer the Program, and provides that the Program is intended to provide assistance with facilities rent and lease costs for pupils in charter schools. 6.Requires the Department of Education, authority, among other requirements, to inform charter schools of the Program and to determine Program eligibility based on specified factors, including, among other factors, a charter school's preference in admissions, the geographic location of the charter schoolsite, and pupil eligibility for free and reduced-price meals, as specified. This bill: 1.Expands eligibility for the Program in any year in which additional funds remain after state and federal funds have been allocated by reducing the free and reduced-price meals threshold one percentage point at a time, from 70% to 60%, as CONTINUED AB 948 Page 3 specified. 2.Provides that, with respect to this Program, charter schools will be subject to the provision that generally imposes the requirement of an annual audit on local educational agencies. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, by expanding Program eligibility and use of funding, this bill will result in a loss of annual state savings in the millions of dollars. The exact amount will be determined by the Program balance each year. SUPPORT : (per Senate Education Committee analysis of 6/26/13 - unable to reverify at time of writing) California Charter Schools Association Advocates (source) ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-1, 5/29/13 AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez NOES: Ammiano NO VOTE RECORDED: Holden, Linder, Mitchell, Vacancy PQ/JG:k 8/19/14 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END **** CONTINUED AB 948 Page 4 CONTINUED