BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 631
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Date of Hearing: April 8, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
AB 631
(Bonilla) - As Introduced February 24, 2015
SUBJECT: School finance: Common Core and Next Generation
Science Standards Implementation Fund Act
SUMMARY: Establishes the Common Core and Next Generation
Science Standards Implementation Fund, to provide $1 billion in
funding for the implementation of those standards and the
English Language Development standards, upon appropriation by
the Legislature. Specifically, this bill:
1)Establishes the Common Core and Next Generation Science
Standards Implementation Fund for the purpose of implementing
the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the Next Generation
Science Standards (NGSS), and the English Language Development
(ELD) standards.
2)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to
allocate funds to local educational agencies (LEAs) - defined
as school districts, county offices of education, charter
schools, and state special schools - on the basis of an equal
amount per student based on prior year enrollment.
3)Allows the funding to be available for encumbrance through the
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2016-17 fiscal year.
4)Requires that LEAs spend this funding for any of these
purposes:
a) Professional development for teachers, administrators,
and paraprofessionals
b) Integration of the CCSS, NGSS, and ELD standards through
technology-based instruction
c) Instructional materials aligned to the above standards
1)Requires that, as a condition of receiving funding, the
governing body of the LEA:
a) Develop a spending plan, adopted by the governing board
b) Report expenditure information to the California
Department of Education (CDE), including purchases made and
the number of personnel trained
1)Requires that the CDE report this information to the
appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature.
2)Provides that the article will not be implemented unless
funding is provided for that purpose in the annual budget act
or other statute.
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3)Requires that $1 billion be allocated to LEAs for the purpose
of the Implementation Fund.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Through 2013-14 budget related legislation (AB 86, Chapter 48,
Statutes of 2013), establishes a Common Core Implementation
Block Grant to support the implementation of CCSS, NGSS, and
the ELD standards, and appropriates $1.25 billion in one-time
funding for that purpose.
2)Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt or reject
content standards in English language arts and mathematics and
requires that at least 85% of those standards to be those
developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative
consortium.
3)Requires the SPI to convene a group of science experts to
recommend science content standards for adoption to the SBE,
utilizing the Next Generation Science Standards as the basis
for their deliberations and recommendations. Requires the SBE
to adopt, reject, or modify the standards. This section is
now repealed.
4)Requires the SPI, in consultation with the SBE, to update,
revise, and align the English language development standards
to the Common Core State Standards, and requires the SBE to
adopt or reject those revised standards.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
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COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. The author's office states: "California is
in the process of overhauling its curriculum standards for
English language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Shifts to the
Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards,
and English Language Development Standards will equip students
with the skills and knowledge needed for college and career
success. The new content standards and their accompanying
computer-based assessments require districts to properly train
teachers, update instructional materials, and increase the
integration of technology.
Based on the cost of implementing previous content standards,
the Department of Education estimated that Common Core would
cost $3 billion to successfully implement. However, since the
standards were adopted, only $1.25 billion has been dedicated to
the implementation of Common Core. The Common Core
Implementation Block Grant of 2013-14 was a critical first
investment but districts continue to have great need as they
shift to the new content standards."
Prior Common Core Implementation Block Grant and mandates
backlog funding. The 2013-14 budget appropriated $1.25 billion
for a Common Core Implementation Block Grant to support the
implementation of the CCSS, the NGSS, and the ELD standards.
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The 2014-15 budget appropriated $400 million in partial payment
of the backlog of K-12 education mandate claims, and expressed
Legislative intent that the funding be used for the
implementation of the above standards.
Governor's Budget proposal for 2015-16. The 2015-16 Governor's
Budget proposes a one-time payment of $1.1 billion toward the
mandates backlog and suggests that LEAs use the funds for the
implementation of the above standards. According to the
Legislative Analyst's Office, as of October, 2014, there was an
estimated backlog of $4.8 billion in unpaid mandate claims.
This bill proposes that the issues of standards implementation
and the mandate backlog be addressed through separate
appropriations. The author's office indicates that the funding
source for this bill is anticipated one-time Proposition 98
revenues in excess of those budgeted in the Governor's Budget.
The Legislative Analyst's Office has projected that a higher
level of one-time revenue will be available for appropriation in
this year's budget process.
NGSS-aligned Science Framework delayed. The CDE reports that
the revision of the science framework (which reflects the NGSS)
has encountered delays and will not be completed by the planned
date of January 31, 2016. They report a revised completion date
of January 31, 2017. This in turn will delay the adoption of
instructional materials aligned to the new standards.
How did districts spend the 2013 Common Core Implementation
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Block Grant funds? The Association of California School
Administrators recently conducted a survey on the expenditure of
the 2013 Common Core Implementation Block Grant funds by school
districts. The survey found a fairly even distribution of
expenditures in the three allowable categories (professional
development, instructional materials, and technology), with
slightly more interest in professional development activities.
When asked about how any new funding would be spent, district
priorities were again fairly evenly distributed among the three
categories. When asked how new money devoted to technology in
support of new assessments would be spent, the four priorities
of hardware, connectivity, professional development, and
classroom space/facilities were also equally prioritized, with
the exception of classroom space, in which was rated a lower
priority.
Related legislation. AB 2319 (Bonilla) of the 2013-14 Session
would have established the Innovation, Training, and Common Core
Implementation Fund to provide funding for professional
development aligned to new academic content standards, education
technology, and instructional materials aligned to new content
standards. The bill was held in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Association of California School Administrators (sponsor)
Antioch Unified School District
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Association of American Publishers, Inc.
Brentwood Union School District
California Federation of Teachers
California Science Teachers Association
California STEM Learning Network
Children Now
Coalition for Adequate School Housing
Contra Costa County Office of Education
Corona-Norco Unified School District
Education Trust-West
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Pleasanton Unified School District
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools
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TechAmerica
TechNet
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087