BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 1025


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          Date of Hearing:  May 20, 2015


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS


                                 Jimmy Gomez, Chair


          AB  
          1025 (Thurmond) - As Amended May 6, 2015


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          Urgency:  No  State Mandated Local Program:  NoReimbursable:  No


          SUMMARY:


          This bill requires the California Department of Education (CDE),  
          to the extent moneys are appropriated in the annual budget act,  
          to establish pilot programs to encourage inclusive practices  
          that integrate mental health, special education, and school  








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          climate interventions following a multitiered framework.   
          Sunsets the program January 1, 2020. Specifically, this bill:  


          1)Requires the CDE to develop and implement federal Substance  
            Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration "Now is The  
            Time" funded pilot projects in accordance with the provisions  
            of this bill.  


          2)Requires the CDE, contingent upon an appropriation in the  
            annual Budget Act, to establish a three-year pilot program in  
            three schools in each of five school districts that apply to  
            participate. Specifies these schools shall not be those that  
            received a federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services  
            Administration "Now is The Time" grant.


          3)Requires the CDE to select schools where at least 60% of the  
            student body is eligible for a free or reduced-price meal  
            program and whose applications detail a model approach that  
            targets the behavioral, emotional, and academic needs of  
            pupils with multitiered and integrated mental health, special  
            education, and school climate interventions and other  
            specified criteria. 


          4)Requires the State Department of Health Care Services, the  
            Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability  
            Commission, and the CDE to develop a comprehensive evaluation  
            plan to assess the impact of the pilot program and disseminate  
            best practices. 


          5)Requires pilot program participants to report program outcomes  
            and indicators, designated measures of pupil well-being,  
            academic achievement, and school engagement and attendance.  
            Further, requires the CDE to evaluate the program and provide  
            a report with recommendations.








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          6)Requires the Mental Health Services Oversight and  
            Accountability Commission to revise its guidelines and  
            regulations for Prevention and Early Intervention Programs of  
            the Mental Health Services Act, to require that these  
            prevention and early intervention programs in K-12 schools are  
            designed to support the implementation or expansion of model  
            program established pursuant to this bill.





          FISCAL EFFECT:


          1)Unknown General Fund administrative costs to CDE, likely in  
            excess of $400,000.  The bill does not provide a specific  
            grant amount, beyond start up and evaluation funding the first  
            three years and specifies the program is contingent upon an  
            appropriation in the annual budget act. Costs to administer  
            these new grants will depend upon the size and scope of the  
            grants. For example, a grant program that awards $1 million  
            dollars to 15 school districts will necessitate a different  
            staffing level than a program that provides $10 million  
            dollars to 150 school districts.  Administrative workload  
            associated with this new program include application  
            development, administering grant awards, coordinating with the  
            Department of Health Care Services to develop a comprehensive  
            evaluation plan to assess the benefits of the program,  
            disseminating best practices, data collection and reporting  
            requirements. 


          2)Requires the CDE, contingent upon an appropriation in the  
            annual Budget Act, to provide $250,000 in year one; $200,000  
            in year two; and $150,000 in year three for startup and  
            evaluation funding to each school participating in the pilot  








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            program.


          COMMENTS:


          1)Purpose.  According to the author, nearly one in four youth  
            are living in poverty, almost 60,000 youth are currently  
            placed in foster care and it is estimated that 20 percent of  
            youth are in need of mental health intervention.  Too often,  
            students in disadvantaged communities face relational and  
            environmental stressors that, when left unaddressed, hinder  
            their ability to achieve their full potential.  Working in  
            partnership with mental health providers, the school community  
            can be empowered with the skills and resources to promote the  
            wellbeing and achievement of all students. This bill requires  
            the SDE to establish pilot programs, to the extent funds are  
            provided in the Budget Act, to encourage practices that  
            integrate mental health, special education, and school climate  
            interventions using a multi-tiered framework.  



          2)Background.  Following the school shooting at Sandy Hook  
            Elementary, President Obama established a grant program to  
            increase students' access to mental health treatments.   
            California received $9.7 million from the "Now is the Time  
            Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education" grant  
            last fall.  Garden Grove Unified School District, Santa Rosa  
            City Schools, and the San Diego County Office of Education  
            were selected to participate in the first component of the  
            grant.  These local education agencies (LEAs) will establish a  
            process for referring and connecting children to mental health  
            services.  If successful, the models developed by these LEAs  
            can be shared statewide.  The grant also provides for a  
            training program called Youth Mental Health First Aid.  The  
            training teaches schools' staff how to help youth experiencing  
            mental health or addictions challenges or are in crisis.  
          3)Related legislation.  AB 580 (O'Donnell), pending in this  








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            committee, requires each school to provide annual training to  
            teachers and classified staff on the early identification of  
            student mental health problems, including protocols for  
            referrals.  


            AB 1133 (Achadjian), pending in this committee, establishes a  
            four-year pilot program, the School-Based Early Mental Health  
            Intervention and Prevention Services Support Program, to  
            provide outreach, free regional training, and technical  
            assistance for local educational agencies in providing mental  
            health services at schoolsites.


          Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081