BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de León, Chair
SB 505 (Jackson) - Education Technology
Amended: May 15, 2013 Policy Vote: Education 9-0
Urgency: No Mandate: Yes
Hearing Date: May 23, 2013 Consultant: Jacqueline
Wong-Hernandez
SUSPENSE FILE. AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED.
Bill Summary: SB 505 reassigns specific technical assistance
duties that were previously fulfilled by the California
Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) to the county offices of
education (COEs). This bill also extends the sunset on the
following California Department of Education (CDE) administered
programs: the California Learning Resource Network, the
Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership, and
Technical Support for Education Technology in Schools, referred
to collectively as the Support for Education Technology in
Schools (SETS) projects, until January 1, 2019.
Fiscal Impact (as approved on May 23, 2013): This bill extends
the sunsets on three programs that are currently subject to
categorical flexibility. The fiscal estimates below represent
the annual cost to continue the programs as they were funded in
2008-09, before they were included in categorical flexibility.
The CDE has indicated that it would seek additional funding to
expand the role of these programs if they are continued.
California Learning Resource Network (CLRN): $987,884
General Fund.
Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership
(TICAL): $723,517 General Fund.
Technical Support for Education Technology in Schools
(TechSETS): $577,079 General Fund.
SETS contract administration: $125,000 in staffing costs
for the CDE.
Background: Existing law authorizes the CTAP to provide a
regionalized network of technical assistance to schools and
school districts on the implementation of education technology.
CTAP is composed of regional consortia that work collaboratively
with school districts and county offices of education to meet
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locally defined technology based needs. CTAP's functions include
providing technical services to support access, planning, and
use of high speed telecommunications networks, as well as to
provide technology planning and implementation assistance to
rural and technologically underserved school districts and COEs.
Existing law also authorizes the SETS projects, which consist of
the CLRN, TICAL, and TechSETS. The CLRN helps teachers select
online materials by conducting a review of electronic learning
resources, such as software and video, for alignment with
content standards. TICAL provides professional development for
education administrators in areas of data-driven decision
making, integrating technology into standards-based curriculum,
and technology planning, operations, and management. TICAL also
maintains a web portal that features resources for
administrators to assist with digital school leadership.
TechSETS provides resources and support for school technology
staff through an online interactive help desk, professional
development, and assistance with planning and installing
technology infrastructures.
The 2012 Budget Act includes $14.1 million in Proposition 98
General Fund for the CTAP and the State SETS projects but these
funds are included in Tier III categorical flexibility through
2014-15, and school districts may utilize them for any
educational purpose. The CTAP and the SETS projects sunset on
January 1, 2014.
Proposed Law: SB 505 requires COEs to provide technical
assistance to schools and school districts on the implementation
of education technology, as specified. This bill also extends
the sunset on the SETS projects: CLRN, TICAL, and TechSETS until
January 1, 2019.
Staff Comments: This bill extends the sunset on the SETS
projects in order to continue existing activities related to
education technology, and to use the infrastructure to assist in
Common Core Standards implementation. As part of implementing
Common Core Standards, the state will be moving to a
computer-based assessment system. The CDE had indicated that it
will seek increased funding for the SETS projects to support
their expanded roles in the state transition to Common Core. The
CDE believes a more appropriate budget for each of the projects
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is: $1.25 million for the CLRN, $825,000 for TICAL, and $625,000
for TechSETS; this represents an increase across projects of
approximately $500,000.
This bill also requires COEs to provide technical assistance to
schools and school districts on the implementation of education
technology, including: a) Professional development; b)
electronic learning resources; c) hardware; d)
telecommunications infrastructure; e) technical assistance to
school districts in developing a support system to operate and
maintain an education technology infrastructure, including
improving pupil recordkeeping and tracking related to pupil
instruction; f) coordination with and support for the funding
and implementation of federal, state, and local programs; g)
funding; h) technical assistance and information to support
access, planning, and the use of high-speed telecommunications
networks; and, i) technology planning and implementation
assistance to rural and technologically underserved school
districts.
Requiring new responsibilities of COEs, which were previously
done by regional consortia receiving state grant funding, will
likely constitute a significant reimbursable state mandate for
any services a COE provides to a school or school district
relative to education technology.
Staff notes that as part of the 2013-14 Governor's Budget, the
Administration proposes to restructure the existing K-12 finance
system and eliminate over 40 existing programs. The
Administration proposes to primarily fund LEAs using a new
formula known as the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). The
LCFF would consolidate the vast majority of state categorical
programs and revenue limit apportionments into a single funding
stream and would eliminate the statutory and programmatic
requirements for almost all existing categorical programs,
including educational technology programs for which this bill
seeks to preserve designated funding. Under the Governor's
proposal, LEAs could still operate the programs, but would not
receive a specific allocation for them.
The committee amendments would remove the changes made to the
CTAP program by this bill.
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