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