BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUDGET AND FISCAL REVIEW
Senator Mark Leno, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 128 Hearing Date: August 27, 2015
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|Author: |Committee on Budget |
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|Version: |August 25, 2015 Amended |
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|Urgency: |Yes |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant|Anita Lee |
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Subject: Education finance.
Summary: This bill provides statutory changes and clean-up necessary to
enact education-related provisions of the Budget Act of 2015.
Background and Proposed
Law: AB 128 makes statutory changes necessary to implement the Budget
Act of 2015. These changes provide clarification and technical
corrections to trailer bills enacted in June 2015.
Higher Education
1.Middle Class Scholarship. Existing law specifies the award amounts
for eligible students, with family incomes of $150,000 or less, to
be 10 percent to 40 percent of the mandatory system-wide tuition
and fees for an academic year for students. The 2015 Budget Act
adjusts the income eligibility limits in future years based on
inflation. This bill makes similar adjustments to the tuition
discount for students of various income eligibility limits, and
requires the California Student Aid Commission to conduct an
annual calculation to ensure students receive tuition discounts
between 40 percent and 10 percent, based on their income.
2.Eligibility Study. This bill requires the Director of the Office
of Planning and Research (OPR) to conduct an eligibility study to
evaluate the admissions policies used by the University of
California (UC) and California State University (CSU). Under this
bill, the Director must convene a workgroup that includes
representatives from UC, CSU, the Department of Education,
Department of Finance, and the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO)
AB 128 (Committee on Budget) Page 2 of ?
to consider the overall approach of the study. In addition, this
bill requires OPR to submit a report by December 1, 2016, on
various factors, including the number of students eligible for
admissions by race, gender, ethnicity, region and income; a
description of whether the UC and CSU are admitting students as
described in the Master Plan for Higher Education, and any
adjustments UC and CSU have made, or plan to make, to their
admissions policies. The 2015 Budget Act appropriated $1 million
for this study but did not determine which entity would conduct
the study.
3.CSU Doctor of Nursing Practice Evaluation Report. Existing law
requires the CSU, Department of Finance, and the LAO to jointly
conduct a statewide evaluation of the CSU Doctor of Nursing
Practice Evaluation, and report to the Legislature and the
Governor by January 1, 2017, on various factors, including the
number of programs implemented, the extent to which they are
addressing state needs for training doctorally-prepared nurses,
and information on employment and job placement of students and
graduates, among others. This bill will implement changes to the
process and the timing of the report. Specifically, it requires
the CSU to conduct the evaluation and report to the Legislature by
March 1, 2016, and requires the LAO to submit a report with
recommendations to the Legislature by January 1, 2017, for the
degree pilot program, including whether or not the program should
be continued or modified.
4.California State University Early Start Program Report. Existing
law requires the LAO to report, starting on January 1, 2014, and
every even-numbered year thereafter by July 1, on the impact the
CSU Early Start Program on student mathematics and English
proficiency. This report requirement sunsets on July 1, 2018. This
bill changes the reporting date for the LAO's next analysis of the
program from July 1, 2016, to January 1, 2018, to allow for more
time to collect data.
Child Care and Development, Early Childhood Education
5.San Mateo County Individualized Child Care Subsidy Plan. AB 260
(Gordon), Chapter 731, Statutes of 2013, extends, until July 1,
2018, the San Mateo County individualized child care subsidy plan,
which allows Title 5 child care providers in the county to
supersede state requirements in factors such as eligibility
criteria, fees, reimbursement rates, and interagency agreements
that allow flexible transfer of funds among agencies. Under
AB 128 (Committee on Budget) Page 3 of ?
existing law, and until January 1, 2018, the county must submit an
annual report to the Legislature, Department of Social Services,
and Department of Education that summarizes the county's ability
to maximize funds and improve child care in the county. This bill
eliminates the January 1, 2018 sunset for the county's annual
reporting requirement, makes the reporting requirement permanent,
and makes the San Mateo County child care subsidy plan permanent.
K-12 Education
6.Educator Effectiveness Funding. Current statute, (AB 104
(Committee on Budget) Section 58, Chapter 13, Statutes of 2015)
appropriated $490 million in one-time Proposition 98 General Fund
to school districts, county offices of education, charter schools
and state special schools to be distributed in an equal amount per
certificated staff in the 2014-15 fiscal year. These funds may be
used for beginning teacher support and mentoring, professional
development, and improving teacher quality and effectiveness.
This bill would clarify the formula for allocation of funds by
specifying that they are to be appropriated in an equal amount per
full-time equivalent certificated staff and using data counts from
the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System.
Fiscal
Effect: The funding related to the changes in this bill is
contained in the 2015 budget. In addition, this bill will adjust
$50.8 million federal funds with $50.8 million General Fund from the
Alternative Payment and CalWORKs Stage 3 programs. This adjustment
will maintain existing contract funding ratios in the General Child
Care program.
Support: None on file.
Opposed: None on file.
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