BILL ANALYSIS Ó Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Kevin de León, Chair SB 330 (Padilla) - Health Framework: Mental Health Instruction Amended: May 8, 2013 Policy Vote: Education 9-0 Urgency: No Mandate: No Hearing Date: May 23, 2013 Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez SUSPENSE FILE. Bill Summary: SB 330 requires the next revision of the Health curriculum framework to include a distinct category on mental health instruction. This bill also requires the CDE to convene stakeholders in the mental health and educational fields, as specified. Fiscal Impact: Mental Health inclusion in Health framework: Potential costs of $140,000, depending on whether the bill intends to update the framework based on current Health Standards for mental health, or whether it intends to reopen the Health standards to update or expand them further. Stakeholder work group: Potentially significant costs. The CDE estimates $80,000 in costs to convene the specified stakeholders to provide input for the framework. Background: Academic content standards define the knowledge, concepts and skills that pupils should learn at each grade level. Curricular frameworks serve as a blueprint for how to implement the standards and provide guidance to publishers, along with evaluation criteria, for the development of instructional materials. The processes for the revision of curricular frameworks and adoption of instructional materials are suspended until the 2015-16 school year. (EC § 60200.7) The role of the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) is to recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education (SBE), develop criteria for evaluating instructional materials, study, evaluate and recommend to the SBE instructional materials for adoption, and make recommendations to the SBE regarding the use of frameworks and model curriculum and alignment with the academic content standards. (EC § 60204) SB 330 (Padilla) Page 1 The Health framework was last adopted in 2003, and was in the process of being revised when the statutory (and budgetary) suspension of that process took effect in July 2009. Adoption of the revised Health framework was projected for March 2011. Proposed Law: SB 330 requires, during the next revision of the publication "Health Framework for California Public Schools," the IQC to develop, and recommend for adoption by the SBE, a distinct category on mental health instruction, as described, to educate pupils about all aspects of mental health. The bill also requires the CDE to convene stakeholders in the mental health and educational fields, as specified to provide input for the development of the mental health instruction in the health framework. Commencing with the 2013-14 school year, the bill would authorize a school district to provide to pupils in any grades mental health instruction. Related Legislation: SB 300 (Hancock) requires the SBE to consider the adoption of a revised curriculum framework and evaluation criteria for instructional materials based on the Next Generation of Science Standards, by November 30, 2015. That bill is currently on the Suspense File in this Committee. Staff Comments: The academic content standards for Health define the knowledge, concepts and skills to be included in the Health framework. This bill requires that, during the next revision of the health framework, the IQC develop (and recommend for adoption by the SBE) a distinct category on mental health instruction "to educate pupils about all aspects of mental health" and lists several topic areas as necessary for inclusion. The requirement is for the next Health curriculum framework to contain a comprehensive mental health category. The cost of updating the Health framework to include a mental health category hinges on whether the intention is to update the framework using the existing mental health standards already in the Health academic content standards adopted in 2008, or whether the intention is to create more comprehensive content standards to reflect in the Health framework. If the elements of mental health are already expressed in the state-adopted Health standards, the next framework will be based upon them; in that case, this bill does not create additional costs for the framework. If the author's intention is to reopen the Health SB 330 (Padilla) Page 2 standards to change or expand the mental health standards, the CDE estimates that it would need an additional expert writer, at a cost of $140,000. This bill also requires the CDE to convene stakeholders in the mental health and educational fields, including, but not limited to, stakeholders from culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse communities, representatives from all mental health professions, teachers, parents, those involved in promoting mental wellness, and those living with a mental health challenge and their families, to provide input for the development of the mental health instruction in the health framework. This requirement is more extensive than a typical stakeholder working group. The CDE estimates a cost of $80,000 for a series of 2-day meetings involving more than 20 stakeholders.