BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 377
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Date of Hearing: April 15, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
377 (Linder) - As Introduced February 18, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY: This bill re-establishes, subject to an appropriation
in the annual Budget Act for this purpose, a grant program to
cover the costs of Advanced Placement (AP) examination fees or
International Baccalaureate (IB) examination fees, or both, for
eligible economically disadvantaged high school pupils or foster
youth. Specifically, this bill:
AB 377
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1)Authorizes school districts, county offices of education and
charter schools to apply to the CDE for grant funding based on
the number of economically disadvantaged pupils or foster
youth enrolled in AP or IB courses who will take the next
offered AP or IB exams.
2)Requires participating school districts to designate school
district staff to whom pupils may submit applications for
grants and to institute a plan to notify pupils of the
availability of the grants.
3)Authorizes eligible economically disadvantaged high school
pupils or foster youth to apply to the designated school
district staff for a grant; provides that the grant shall be
used only to pay the AP or IB exam fees, and requires a pupil
who receives a grant to pay $5 of the exam fee
4)Provides that if the applications exceed the total funds
available for this purpose, the CDE shall prorate the grants
based upon the ratio of the total amount requested to the
total amount appropriated for this purpose.
5)Authorizes school districts and county superintendents of
schools to form collaboratives or consortia in order to
participate in the grant program.
6)Authorizes the CDE to enter into a contract with the providers
of the AP and IB exams to facilitate program administration,
and exempts the CDE from specified Public Contract Code and
Military and Veterans Code provisions.
FISCAL EFFECT: Annual GF/P98 costs of $3 million assuming the
program is reauthorized at the prior funding level. Prior to
implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), the
state provided $3 million in categorical funding for this
program.
AB 377
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The bill establishes the AP/IB exam fee grant program, subject
to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act. The Governor's
proposed budget does not include an appropriation for this
purpose.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. This bill re-establishes a program that was repealed
by its own terms January 1, 2013. The AP/IB test
reimbursement program, administered by CDE, removed the
financial barriers that prevent many low-income students in
comprehensive high schools from taking the AP and IB course
test.
2)Background. AB 2216 (Escutia), Chapter 793, Statutes of 1998,
established two grant programs to assist economically
disadvantaged students with fees for AP exams and to train
teachers to offer AP courses. Subsequent bills extended the
sunset through 2008. The state began to include IB test fee
reimbursements in 2003-04. SB 1442 (Escutia), Chapter 436,
Statutes of 2006, codified this practice and extended the
sunset date for the AP/IB test reimbursement program through
2013. The program was not reauthorized.
In prior years, both state and federal funds were provided for
AP/IB test fee reimbursement. In 2009, state categorical
funding for this program was made flexible, allowing LEAs to
use the funds for any educational purpose. In 2013, LEAs
continued receive this flexible funding through the Local
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Control Funding Formula.
The federal government has steadily increased its commitment
to this program over the years. In 2009, the federal
government provided $4.3 million to CDE to reimburse LEAs for
AP/IB test fees for students whose family income does not
exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty level. In 2013-14,
the CDE received $9.3 million in federal funds to reimburse
411 LEAs for 229,834 AP exams and 8,466 IB exams for
income-eligible students. In 2014-15, the CDE received a
federal grant of $10.7 million to reimburse local educational
agencies.
The cost of the AP exam is $55 and the cost of the IB exam is
$110.
3)Prior legislation. AB 1854 (Linder) of 2014 is identical to
this bill. AB 1854 was held on the Suspense file in this
committee.
AB 377
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Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081