BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 306
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
306 (Hadley)
As Amended May 26, 2015
Majority vote
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+-----------------------+-------------------|
|Education |6-0 |O'Donnell, Chávez, | |
| | |Kim, Santiago, | |
| | |Thurmond, Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+-----------------------+-------------------|
|Appropriations |15-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, Bloom, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, Weber, | |
| | |Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Establishes attendance alternatives for children of
military personnel. Specifically, this bill:
AB 306
Page 2
1)Provides that parent of a pupil enrolled in a school district of
residence may submit an application for the pupil to attend a
school in any military family school district of choice, if the
parent with whom the pupil resides is in the military and is on
active military duty.
2)Requires an application requesting a transfer pursuant to this
article to be submitted by the parent of a pupil to the military
family school district of choice before January 1 of the school
year preceding the school year for which the pupil is requesting
the transfer. However, this deadline does not apply to an
application requesting a transfer if the parent with whom the
pupil resides was relocated by the military within 90 days
before submitting the application. The military family school
district of choice may waive the deadline specified in this
subdivision.
3)Provides that the application may request enrollment of the
pupil in a specific school or program within the military family
school district of choice.
4)Provides that pupil may enroll in the military family school
district of choice in the school year immediately following the
approval of his or her application.
5)Requires a military family school district of choice to
establish a period of time for resident pupil enrollment before
accepting transfer applications pursuant to this article in
order to provide priority enrollment opportunities for pupils
residing in the school district of choice. After the period of
time for resident pupil enrollment has concluded, if space is
available at a school in the desired military family school
district of choice, the military family school district of
choice shall accept and approve a transfer application in
accordance with the following priorities:
AB 306
Page 3
a) First priority for transfer shall be given to the siblings
of pupils who already attend the desired school; and
b) After approving the applications for enrollment for
siblings of pupils, if the number of pupils who request a
particular school exceeds the number of spaces at that
school, a lottery shall be conducted to select pupils at
random until all of the available spaces are filled.
6)Authorizes a military family school district of choice to adopt
specific, written standards for acceptance of applicants
pursuant to this bill. The standards may include consideration
of the capacity of a program, class, grade level, school
facilities, and adverse financial impacts. However, these
standards may not include consideration of a pupil's previous
academic achievement, physical condition, proficiency in the
English language, family income, disability, gender, gender
identify, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity,
religion, or sexual orientation.
7)Defines "active military duty" to mean full-time military duty
status in the active uniformed service of the United States,
including members of the National Guard and the State Reserve on
active duty orders.
8)Defines "military family school district of choice" to mean a
school district for which an application for enrollment has been
submitted by the parent of a pupil requesting enrollment. A
school district of choice may include a school district in which
the parent of a pupil resides or a school district other than
the school district in which the parent of a pupil resides.
AB 306
Page 4
EXISTING LAW: Authorizes different opportunities for attending a
school district other than the district of residence, including
interdistrict transfer agreements between two districts, pupil
attendance alternatives (which authorize any school district to
accept interdistrict transfers), and the ability to attend school
in a district where a pupil's parent or guardian is employed.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, unknown, likely minor Proposition 98 of 1988/General
Fund state mandated costs for school districts to adopt a
specific, written standard for acceptance of children of military
families. Most, if not all, school districts have interdistrict
transfer policies. This bill would create a new priority which
would require some changes to existing applications. Districts
would also need to verify family military status. These
activities are likely to be deemed reimbursable by the Commission
on State Mandates. Actual costs to the state will depend on
individual district claims.
COMMENTS: According to the author's office, there are numerous
instances of active military duty parents whose request for
interdistrict transfers for their children have been accepted by a
district of choice, but denied by the district of residence.
(Generally, the transfers have been requested by military parents
who want to send their children to a district other than then one
where they are deployed and in which they reside.) The author's
office argues that, because military families are subject to
frequent moves and have little choice where they live, it is
important to give them choices with respect to where they send
their children to school. According to the author, "Children of
military families already face the realities of adjusting to new
schools each time their families are re-stationed. We should help
America's service families access the right public schools for
their kids while they are here, while at the same time make
California's military bases attractive to the military and our
country's servicemen and women."
AB 306
Page 5
Analysis Prepared by:
Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0000522
Ó
AB 306
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
306 (Hadley)
As Amended May 26, 2015
Majority vote
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+-----------------------+-------------------|
|Education |6-0 |O'Donnell, Chávez, | |
| | |Kim, Santiago, | |
| | |Thurmond, Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+-----------------------+-------------------|
|Appropriations |15-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, Bloom, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, Weber, | |
| | |Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Establishes attendance alternatives for children of
military personnel. Specifically, this bill:
AB 306
Page 2
1)Provides that parent of a pupil enrolled in a school district of
residence may submit an application for the pupil to attend a
school in any military family school district of choice, if the
parent with whom the pupil resides is in the military and is on
active military duty.
2)Requires an application requesting a transfer pursuant to this
article to be submitted by the parent of a pupil to the military
family school district of choice before January 1 of the school
year preceding the school year for which the pupil is requesting
the transfer. However, this deadline does not apply to an
application requesting a transfer if the parent with whom the
pupil resides was relocated by the military within 90 days
before submitting the application. The military family school
district of choice may waive the deadline specified in this
subdivision.
3)Provides that the application may request enrollment of the
pupil in a specific school or program within the military family
school district of choice.
4)Provides that pupil may enroll in the military family school
district of choice in the school year immediately following the
approval of his or her application.
5)Requires a military family school district of choice to
establish a period of time for resident pupil enrollment before
accepting transfer applications pursuant to this article in
order to provide priority enrollment opportunities for pupils
residing in the school district of choice. After the period of
time for resident pupil enrollment has concluded, if space is
available at a school in the desired military family school
district of choice, the military family school district of
choice shall accept and approve a transfer application in
accordance with the following priorities:
AB 306
Page 3
a) First priority for transfer shall be given to the siblings
of pupils who already attend the desired school; and
b) After approving the applications for enrollment for
siblings of pupils, if the number of pupils who request a
particular school exceeds the number of spaces at that
school, a lottery shall be conducted to select pupils at
random until all of the available spaces are filled.
6)Authorizes a military family school district of choice to adopt
specific, written standards for acceptance of applicants
pursuant to this bill. The standards may include consideration
of the capacity of a program, class, grade level, school
facilities, and adverse financial impacts. However, these
standards may not include consideration of a pupil's previous
academic achievement, physical condition, proficiency in the
English language, family income, disability, gender, gender
identify, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity,
religion, or sexual orientation.
7)Defines "active military duty" to mean full-time military duty
status in the active uniformed service of the United States,
including members of the National Guard and the State Reserve on
active duty orders.
8)Defines "military family school district of choice" to mean a
school district for which an application for enrollment has been
submitted by the parent of a pupil requesting enrollment. A
school district of choice may include a school district in which
the parent of a pupil resides or a school district other than
the school district in which the parent of a pupil resides.
AB 306
Page 4
EXISTING LAW: Authorizes different opportunities for attending a
school district other than the district of residence, including
interdistrict transfer agreements between two districts, pupil
attendance alternatives (which authorize any school district to
accept interdistrict transfers), and the ability to attend school
in a district where a pupil's parent or guardian is employed.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, unknown, likely minor Proposition 98 of 1988/General
Fund state mandated costs for school districts to adopt a
specific, written standard for acceptance of children of military
families. Most, if not all, school districts have interdistrict
transfer policies. This bill would create a new priority which
would require some changes to existing applications. Districts
would also need to verify family military status. These
activities are likely to be deemed reimbursable by the Commission
on State Mandates. Actual costs to the state will depend on
individual district claims.
COMMENTS: According to the author's office, there are numerous
instances of active military duty parents whose request for
interdistrict transfers for their children have been accepted by a
district of choice, but denied by the district of residence.
(Generally, the transfers have been requested by military parents
who want to send their children to a district other than then one
where they are deployed and in which they reside.) The author's
office argues that, because military families are subject to
frequent moves and have little choice where they live, it is
important to give them choices with respect to where they send
their children to school. According to the author, "Children of
military families already face the realities of adjusting to new
schools each time their families are re-stationed. We should help
America's service families access the right public schools for
their kids while they are here, while at the same time make
California's military bases attractive to the military and our
country's servicemen and women."
AB 306
Page 5
Analysis Prepared by:
Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0000522