BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 1025 (Thurmond) - Pupil health: multitiered and integrated
interventions pilot program.
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|Version: August 18, 2015 |Policy Vote: ED. 8 - 1, HEALTH |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 24, 2015 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill requires the California Department of
Education (CDE) to establish a three-year pilot program in
school districts to encourage inclusive practices that integrate
mental health, special education, and school climate
interventions following a multi-tiered framework.
Fiscal
Impact:
Redirection of $6 million of a $10 million appropriation
included in the Budget Act of 2015 for similar purposes.
Grant awards of $600,000 would be provided to a total of 10
schools over a three-year period. (Proposition 98)
The CDE indicates that staff across two divisions and about
$230,000 over a three-year period would be necessary to
implement this bill. (General Fund)
AB 1025 (Thurmond) Page 1 of
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Background: AB 104 (Committee on Budget, Ch. 13, 2015) among other things,
appropriates $10 million to the Superintendent of Public
Instruction to be apportioned to a designated county office of
education (COE) to provide technical assistance and develop
statewide resources to assist local educational agencies to
establish and align systems of learning and behavioral supports.
The language in AB 104 appears to largely reflect
recommendations of the Special Education Task Force, components
of SB 463 (Hancock, 2015), and this bill.
Multi-tiered interventions
Many schools voluntarily follow models of tiered interventions
to address student needs prior to imposing discipline or making
referrals to special education. Models include Schoolwide
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, Response to
Intervention and Positive Environments, Network of Trainers.
Typically, the base tier is a schoolwide approach involving
instruction, school climate, etc. The middle tier is targeted
to students who did not respond to the schoolwide efforts and
involves more intense interventions such as tutoring. The top
tier focuses on a smaller group of students who continue to need
support and may include very intense and frequent services such
as counseling.
Proposed Law:
This bill requires the COE designated pursuant to AB 104 to
establish a three-year pilot program to encourage inclusive
practices that integrate mental health, special education, and
school climate interventions following a multi-tiered framework.
The bill's provisions sunset on January 1, 2020.
The designated COE is required to establish the pilot program in
two schools in five school districts that apply that have at
least 60 percent of students eligible for a free or
reduced-price meal program. In addition, the school districts
must plan to use a combination of school funds and mental health
funds and a model that targets the behavioral, emotional, and
academic needs of the students with multi-tiered and integrated
mental health, special education, and school climate
interventions. School districts must include in their
applications estimates for the amount of funding being requested
AB 1025 (Thurmond) Page 2 of
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for startup and evaluation of the program and their intended
models which must include various elements.
In accordance with funds appropriated in AB 104 and other funds
that may be appropriated, the designated COE is required to
provide startup and evaluation funding to each of the 10
participating schools: $250,000 in the first year; $200,000 in
the second year; and $150,000 in the third year.
This bill also requires the CDE to establish a steering
committee to provide advice and direction to develop criteria
for grant awards and an evaluation plan, as well as to
disseminate best practices.
Finally, this bill requires the Mental Health Services Oversight
and Accountability Commission to revise its guidelines and
regulations to require that these prevention and early
intervention programs in K-12 schools are designed to support
the implementation or expansion of model programs.
Related
Legislation: SB 463 (Hancock, 2015) requires the CDE, to the
extent that funding is available in the Budget Act of 2015, to
designate a COE to be the fiduciary agent for the Safe and
Supportive Schools Train the Trainer Program. SB 463 is pending
in the Assembly Education Committee.
Staff
Comments: The CDE indicates that this bill would require
substantial administrative workload. Activities would include:
establishing a steering committee to assist the CDE in
development of criteria for grant awards and evaluations;
developing and release of a request for applications; the review
and selection process of grantees; and administration of the
program.
AB 1025 (Thurmond) Page 3 of
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