BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 590|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 590
Author: De León (D)
Amended: 5/24/13
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-2, 4/10/13
AYES: Liu, Block, Correa, Hancock, Hueso, Jackson, Monning
NOES: Wyland, Huff
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-2, 5/23/13
AYES: De León, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
NOES: Walters, Gaines
SUBJECT : Classified School Employee Staff Development Program
SOURCE : California School Employees Association
DIGEST : This bill establishes the Classified School Employee
Staff Development and Training Program for classified employees
at California community colleges (CCCs) and local educational
agencies (school districts, county offices of education, and
charter schools) and requires a portion of the total funding
provided from state, federal, or local sources for professional
development for classified school employees to update their
skills and to learn best practices in various areas, including,
among others, pupil learning and achievement, campus safety, and
special education, as specified. This bill requires a local
educational agency to meet certain requirements as a condition
of spending any of the funds, including, among others,
developing a local plan to accelerate pupils' progress to
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academic proficiency. This bill authorizes the Superintendent
of Public Instruction (SPI) to restrict a local educational
agency from spending the funds if the SPI determines that the
local educational agency fails to meet the requirements, and to
provide guidance on approved training programs.
ANALYSIS : Currently, there is not a state funded professional
development training program for classified employees. The
Administrator Training and Chief Business Officer Training
programs provided incentive grants of up to $3,000 per person to
local educational agencies for training principals, vice
principals, and chief business or financial officers. However,
these programs were recently repealed.
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 in K-12 public
school settings or at the CCCs and have major responsibilities
for reinforcing classroom instruction and the health and safety
of students. Classified school employees include both part-time
and full-time staff.
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
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.
This bill:
1.Establishes the Classified School Employee Staff Development
and Training Program for classified employees at CCCs and
local educational agencies (school districts, county offices
of education, and charter schools) and requires a portion of
the total funding provided from state, federal, or local
sources for teacher professional development for classified
school employees to update their skills and to learn best
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practices in various areas, including, among others, pupil
learning and achievement, campus safety, and special
education.
2.Requires a local educational agency to meet certain
requirements as a condition of spending any of the funds,
including, among others, developing a local plan to accelerate
pupils' progress to academic proficiency.
3.Authorizes the SPI to restrict a local educational agency from
spending the funds if the SPI determines that the local
educational agency fails to meet the requirements, and to
provide guidance on approved training programs.
Prior Legislation
AB 406 (Yamada, 2009) would have created the Classified School
Employee Training Program to provide grants to school and
community college districts through the consolidation of
existing funds for classified staff training and from any new
funds from state, federal, or local sources. The bill was held
in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, substantial
cost pressure on local educational agencies to divert existing
professional development funds to training classified employees,
as specified, and for the state to provide additional funding.
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/28/13)
California School Employees Association (source)
California Federation of Teachers
Classified School Employees
California Labor Federation
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : Supporters argue that classified
employees perform a variety of functions on school campuses,
including instructional aide, maintenance, accounting,
transportation, food service, and safety. Schools often rely on
paraprofessionals, healthcare professionals, information
technology assistants and other classified school employees to
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perform these duties. These jobs may require specific training,
certifications or licenses, Peace Officer Standards and Training
certification, medical procedures, food handling, etc. Under
existing law, there is no categorical program that provides
specific training for classified school employees and teaches
them new approaches in fulfilling their job responsibilities.
The author's office believes that professional development is
necessary to ensure that these employees continue to maintain
and update their skills and knowledge to implement new statutory
requirements for student care, and to better assist students,
parents, and other educators.
PQ:ej 5/28/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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