BILL NUMBER: SB 1248 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 21, 2014
AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 24, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Senator Lara
FEBRUARY 20, 2014
An act to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 32320)
to Chapter 3 of Part 19 of Division 1 of Title 1 amend
Section 52074 of the Education Code, relating to public
schools.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1248, as amended, Lara. Academic Achievement Gap
Advisory Committee. California Collaborative for
Educational Excellence.
Existing law, on or before July 1, 2014, requires the governing
board of each school district and each county board of education to
adopt a local control and accountability plan and requires the
governing board of each school district and each county board of
education to update its local control and accountability plan on or
before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires of charter schools
something similar to a local control and accountability plan.
Existing law establishes the California Collaborative for
Educational Excellence for the purpose of advising and assisting
school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter
schools in achieving the goals set forth in a local control and
accountability plan.
This bill would specify additional roles for the California
Collaborative for Educational Excellence, including providing ongoing
recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding how and if
school districts are making progress in closing the achievement gap
in their schools, providing recommendations as to the best practices
being used by school districts to close the achievement gap relative
to pupils who are low income, English learners, or foster youth, and
collecting data relevant to monitoring the implementation of the
local control funding formula, including local control and
accountability plans and pupil achievement data.
Existing law establishes the Public Schools Accountability Act of
1999 to, among other things, ensure that each child in California
receives a high quality education consistent with all statewide
content and performance standards, as specified.
This bill would provide for the establishment of the Academic
Achievement Gap Advisory Committee as an advisory committee to the
State Board of Education. The bill would require the committee to,
among other things, monitor the implementation of the local control
funding formula, common core academic content standards, and Academic
Performance Index standards, as they relate to closing the
achievement gap, as defined, for pupils of color. The bill would
require the committee to be comprised of 12 members appointed by the
Senate Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the State
Department of Education, 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. Section 52074 of the
Education Code is amended to read:
52074. (a) The California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence is hereby established.
(b) The purpose of the California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence is to advise do all of the
following:
(1) Advise and assist school
districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools in
achieving the goals set forth in a local control and accountability
plan adopted pursuant to this article.
(2) Provide ongoing recommendations to the state board regarding
how and if school districts are making progress in closing the
achievement gap in their schools.
(3) Provide recommendations as to the best practices being used by
school districts to close the achievement gap relative to pupils who
are low income, English learners, or foster youth.
(4) Collect data relevant to monitoring the implementation of the
local control funding formula, including local control and
accountability plans and pupil achievement data.
(c) The Superintendent shall, with the approval of the state
board, contract with a local educational agency, or consortium of
local educational agencies, to serve as the fiscal agent for the
California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. The
Superintendent shall apportion funds appropriated for the California
Collaborative for Educational Excellence to the fiscal agent.
(d) The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence shall
be governed by a board consisting of the following five members:
(1) The Superintendent or his or her designee.
(2) The president of the state board or his or her designee.
(3) A county superintendent of schools appointed by the Senate
Committee on Rules.
(4) A teacher appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
(5) A superintendent of a school district appointed by the
Governor.
(e) At the direction of the governing board of the California
Collaborative for Educational Excellence, the fiscal agent shall
contract with individuals, local educational agencies, or
organizations with the expertise, experience, and a record of success
to carry out the purposes of this article. The areas of expertise,
experience, and record of success shall include, but are not limited
to, all of the following:
(1) State priorities as described in subdivision (d) of Section
52060.
(2) Improving the quality of teaching.
(3) Improving the quality of school district and schoolsite
leadership.
(4) Successfully addressing the needs of special pupil
populations, including, but not limited to, English learners, pupils
eligible to receive a free or reduced-price meal, pupils in foster
care, and individuals with exceptional needs.
(f) The Superintendent may direct the California Collaborative for
Educational Excellence to advise and assist a school district,
county superintendent of schools, or charter school in any of the
following circumstances:
(1) If the governing board of a school district, county board of
education, or governing body or a charter school requests the advice
and assistance of the California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence.
(2) If the county superintendent of schools of the county in which
the school district or charter school is located determines,
following the provision of technical assistance pursuant to Section
52071 or 47607.3 as applicable, that the advice and assistance of the
California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is necessary to
help the school district or charter school accomplish the goals
described in the local control and accountability plan adopted
pursuant to this article.
(3) If the Superintendent determines that the advice and
assistance of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence
is necessary to help the school district, county superintendent of
schools, or charter school accomplish the goals set forth in the
local control and accountability plan adopted pursuant to this
article.
SECTION 1. Article 3 (commencing with Section
32320) is added to Chapter 3 of Part 19 of Division 1 of Title 1 of
the Education Code, to read:
Article 3. Academic Achievement Gap Advisory Committee
32320. (a) The Academic Achievement Gap Advisory Committee shall
be established by the state board to advise the state board pursuant
to this article. The committee shall be tasked with all of the
following:
(1) Monitoring the implementation of the local control funding
formula, common core academic content standards, and Academic
Performance Index standards, as they relate to closing the
achievement gap for pupils of color.
(2) Providing ongoing recommendations to the state board regarding
how and if school districts are making progress in closing the
achievement gap in their schools.
(3) Providing recommendations as to the best practices being used
by school districts to close the achievement gap in their schools.
(b) The committee shall have access to local control and
accountability plan data and aggregate data on pupil achievement for
purposes of implementing the provisions of this article.
32321. The committee shall be comprised of 12 members
representing school boards, school administrators, educational
justice advocates, and policy experts, to be appointed as follows:
(a) Five members shall be appointed by the Senate Committee on
Rules.
(b) Five members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly.
(c) Two members shall be appointed by the department.
32322. For purposes of this article, "achievement gap" means the
following:
(a) The gap between pupils of color and their peers in test
scores, enrollment in advanced placement courses, high school
completion rates, and enrollment in four-year colleges.
(b) The disparity between the academic performance of white pupils
and other ethnic groups, English learners and native English
speakers, and socioeconomically disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged
pupils.