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.
          
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |                                                                 |
          |                                                                 |
          |                                                                 |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
          |                                |                                |
          |Version: August 18, 2015        |Policy Vote: ED. 8 - 1, HEALTH  |
          |                                |          9 - 0                 |
          |                                |                                |
          |--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
          |                                |                                |
          |Urgency: No                     |Mandate: No                     |
          |                                |                                |
          |--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
          |                                |                                |
          |Hearing Date: August 24, 2015   |Consultant: Jillian Kissee      |
          |                                |                                |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 


          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  
          ?
          
          


          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  
          ?
          
          
          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  
          ?
          
          
                                      -- END --