BILL NUMBER: SB 590	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator De León

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2013

   An act to add Article 9.5 (commencing with Section 45390) to
Chapter 5 of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
relating to school personnel.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 590, as introduced, De León. School personnel: Classified
School Employee Staff Development and Training Program.
   Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district
to grant any classified employee a leave of absence not to exceed
one year, as provided, for the purpose of permitting study by the
employee or for the purpose of retraining the employee to meet
changing conditions within the district. Existing law authorizes the
governing board of a school district to grant reimbursement of the
costs, including tuition fees, to a permanent classified employee who
satisfactorily completes approved training to improve his or her job
knowledge, ability, or skill.
   This bill would establish the Classified School Employee Staff
Development and Training Program. Under the Classified School
Employee Staff Development and Training Program, local educational
agencies, as defined, would be authorized to set aside funding for
professional development and training for classified school
employees, as defined, from funding available for professional
development, as specified.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Article 9.5 (commencing with Section 45390) is added to
Chapter 5 of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
to read:

      Article 9.5.  Classified School Employee Staff Development and
Training Program


   45390.  This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the
Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Program.
   45391.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) Classified employees play a vital role in the education of our
pupils and students in our public schools and community colleges.
They do the essential work that keeps our campuses safe, clean, and
well maintained so that our pupils and students can get to school,
focus on learning, and succeed at their highest levels.
   (b) Because classified employees are on the front lines working to
ensure the safety and care of pupils and students on our campuses,
they need professional development and training to update their
skills and to learn the best practices for vital education programs,
including campus safety, academic achievement and curriculum
standards, special education, health care, child nutrition, pupil
transportation, environmental safety, and parental involvement.
   (c) Funding for classified employee training comes from state,
federal, and local funds, including all of the following:
   (1) Chapter 313 of the Statutes of 1998 created the Instructional
Time and Staff Development Reform Program to provide funding for
staff development for classified school employees, and specified that
school districts would be provided one hundred forty dollars ($140)
per day for each participating classified school employee. This
program has been block granted into the professional development
block grant as enacted by Chapter 871 of the Statutes of 2004.
   (2) Under Section 1116(c)(7)(A)(iii) of Title I of the federal
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301
et seq.), a local educational agency that has been identified for
school improvement must reserve and use 10 percent of its allocation
under the act for professional development activities.
   (3) Other state, federal, or local funding initiatives for
professional development.
   45392.  It is the intent of the Legislature that a portion of the
total funding for staff development from state, federal, or local
funds be set aside for professional development training for
classified school employees to update their skills and learn about
best practices for any of the following:
   (a) Pupil learning and achievement: training for paraprofessionals
to assist teachers and administrators to improve the academic
achievement of pupils, training to ensure the curriculum frameworks
and instructional materials aligned to the state academic standards,
training in the management and use of state and local pupil data to
improve pupil learning, and training on the best practices in the
appropriate interventions and assistance to at-risk pupils.
   (b) Pupil and campus safety: training and staff development in the
latest and best practices for pupil safety and campus safety.
   (c) Education technology: the management strategies and best
practices regarding the use of educational technology to improve
pupil performance.
   (d) School facility maintenance and operations: new research and
best practices in the operations and maintenance of school
facilities, including green technology and energy efficiency that
help reduces the use and the costs of energy at schoolsites.
   (e) Special education: training and staff development on the best
practices to meet the needs of special education pupils and to comply
with any new state and federal mandates.
   (f) School transportation and bus safety: training and staff
development on the best practices and standards for pupil
transportation.
   (g) Parent involvement: training and staff development to enhance
the ability of a school to increase parent involvement at
schoolsites.
   (h) Food service: training and staff development in new research
and findings for food preparation to provide nutritional meals and
food management.
   (i) Health and nursing standards: training and staff development
on the latest and best practices for pupil health care needs.
   (j) Environmental safety: training and staff development on
pesticides and other possibly toxic substances so they may safely be
used on campus.
   45393.  (a) The Classified School Employee Staff Development and
Training Program is hereby established. From funding available for
professional development, local educational agencies may set aside
funding for professional development and training for classified
school employees.
   (b) For purposes of this article, the following terms have the
following meanings:
   (1) "Classified school employee" means a person employed on a
full-time or a part-time basis as a classified school employee at a
community college, a public school, a charter school, or a county
office of education.
   (2) "Local educational agency" means a school district, a county
office of education, a charter school, or a community college
district.