BILL ANALYSIS Ó Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Kevin de León, Chair SB 590 (de León) - Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Amended: April 23, 2013 Policy Vote: Education 7-2 Urgency: No Mandate: No Hearing Date: May 23, 2013 Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez SUSPENSE FILE. AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED. Bill Summary: SB 590 establishes the Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Program for classified employees at California community colleges (CCCs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) and authorizes a portion of the funds provided from state, federal, or local sources for teacher professional development to be set aside for professional development training for classified school employees. This bill declares the intent of the Legislature that professional development funds be set aside, as specified. Fiscal Impact: Substantial cost pressure on LEAs to divert existing professional development funds to training classified employees as specified, and for the state to provide additional funding. Background: Classified school employees include paraprofessionals, healthcare professionals, office and clerical staff, bus drivers, groundskeepers, custodians, information technology assistants, instructional assistants, food service workers, and school safety personnel. They are employed by LEAs in K-12 public school settings or at the CCCs and include both part-time and full-time staff. There is not currently a dedicated state-funded professional development training program for classified employees. Existing law authorizes the Professional Development Block Grant, which supports professional development activities allowed by the Staff Development Instructional Support, Teaching as a Priority, and Intersegmental programs. These activities include teacher recruitment and retention incentives, staff development projects designed to improve elementary teacher SB 590 (de León) Page 1 skills, and programs that promote development of highly qualified teachers. While the Budget Act of 2012 includes $218.4 million for this block grant, the funds are subject to categorical flexibility whereby school districts may utilize the funds for any educational purpose. Proposed Law: SB 590 allows, and declares legislative intent that it occur, LEAs and CCCs to divert a portion of the funds provided from state, federal, or local sources for teacher professional development and set it aside for professional development training for classified school employees. This bill establishes conditions for spending funds set aside for the Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Program, and allows the Superintendent of Public Instruction to restrict an LEA's use of those funds if it does not adhere to the conditions set forth in this bill. Related Legislation: AB 406 (Yamada) 2009 would have created the Classified School Employee Training Program to provide grants to LEAs and CCCs through the consolidation of existing funds for classified staff training and from any new funds from state, federal, or local sources. That bill was held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee's Suspense File. Staff Comments: This bill's authorization of LEAs and CCCs to set aside funds for classified staff training does not, in and of itself, result in new costs. Coupled with its legislative intent that it occur, however, the bill creates cost pressure to divert existing resources to that activity and to provide additional resources to continue to support both certificated and classified staff training. State funding for professional development is approximately $218 million per year (which is currently subject to categorical flexibility) and is primarily spent on teachers. Classified employees make up approximately 47% of the total employees in public schools, and their specific inclusion creates substantial cost pressure on those funds or for the Legislature to increase that funding in recognition of its intent for LEAs and CCCs to set aside funding to train classified employees, as specified. 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 SB 590 (de León) Page 2 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 the Professional Development Block Grant. If LEAs are given full flexibility over those funds, it may be difficult to determine if funds are set aside pursuant to this bill and to enforce the conditions outlined. AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED: Amend per author to alter conditions of spending any funds set aside for classified staff professional development pursuant to this measure.