Amended in Assembly May 6, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 21, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1258

Introduced by Assembly Member Chau

February 27, 2015

An act to add and repeal Chapter 13.5 (commencing with Section 52975) of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to elementary and secondary begin delete education, and making an appropriation therefor. end delete begin insert education. end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1258, as amended, Chau. Elementary and secondary education: Computer Science Education Grant Pilot Program.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes school districts and other local educational agencies to provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law establishes a course of study for pupils in these grades.

This bill would establish the Computer Science Education Grant Pilot Program under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Under the program, eligible school districts could apply to receive one-year grants under either or both of the 2 competitive grant pilot programs. One pilot program, the Computer Science Start-Up Courses Grant Pilot Program, would provide grants to establish and maintain computer science courses in underserved begin delete areas, end delete begin insert areas and among pupils from groups historically underrepresented in the field of computer science, end insert and the other grant pilot program, the Computer Science Educator Training Grant Pilot Program, would provide professional development for educators to teach computer science, either as a stand-alone course or as integrated into other courses.

The bill would authorize any school district in the state to apply for participation in the pilot programs. The bill would specify minimum criteria to be applied by the Superintendent in evaluating applicant school districts for possible participation in the pilot programs, and authorize the Superintendent to convene an advisory group of computer science experts to discuss and refine these criteria, as specified.

The bill would establish the Computer Science Education Grant Matching Account in the State Treasury. The bill would authorize the State Treasury to receive, and deposit into the account, any gifts, grants, or donations received for purposes of the bill from the federal government or private persons or entities. begin insert The bill would require school districts receiving grants under the bill to provide local matching resources, which may include in-kind donations, constituting an amount equaling the amount that would be allocated to the school district from the Computer Science Education Grant Matching Account. end insert The bill would express the intent of the Legislature that no moneys from the state General Fund be used to fund the grant pilot programs established by the bill.

The bill would begin delete continuously appropriate end delete begin insert provide that end insert the funds deposited in the account begin insert would be available, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or in another statute, end insert to the Superintendent for purposes of the bill, provided that the Superintendent certifies, in writing, to the Director of Finance that there are sufficient funds begin insert , as defined, end insert in the account to implement the bill. The bill would limit expenditures from the account to cover administrative costs to no more than begin delete 10% end delete begin insert 5% end insert of the allocations made from the account in any fiscal year. The bill would authorize the Superintendent to refund to the donor all or a portion of any gift, grant, or donation made to the account by that donor if the funds received from that donor have not been encumbered because there are surplus funds in the account or because this provision has not become operative.

The bill would require the Superintendent to submit an annual report, containing specified data about the grant program, to the Governor and the Legislature on or before January 10, 2018, and on or before January 10 in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The provisions of the bill would become inoperative on July 1, 2021, and would be repealed as of January 1, 2022.

Vote: majority. Appropriation:  begin delete yes end delete begin insert no end insert . Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Chapter 13.5 (commencing with Section 52975)
is added to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
to read:

 

Chapter  13.5. Computer Science Education Grant Pilot
Program

 

Article 1.  General Provisions

 

52975.  

(a) The Superintendent shall establish a public-private
computer science education grant pilot program through which a
participating school district may receive funding to establish and
maintain computer science courses and provide professional
development for educators to teach computer science, either as a
stand-alone course or as integrated into other courses. Any school
district may apply for participation in this grant pilot program. The
grant pilot program shall consist of two parts, the Computer
Science Start-Up Courses Grant Pilot Program and the Computer
Science Educator Training Grant Pilot Program, and school districts
may apply for participation in either or both of those two pilot
programs.

(b) The Superintendent shall provide notice of this pilot program
to all school districts throughout the state, and encourage them to
apply for participation in this grant pilot program.

(c) The Superintendent shall award one-year grants to school
districts under this chapter to applicants he or she deems to be
eligible. A school district that receives a grant under this chapter
may apply for a grant in a subsequent year, but grants under this
chapter shall not be automatically renewed for an additional year.
The Superintendent shall not award any grant under this chapter
unless the Superintendent determines that there are sufficient
moneys in the Computer Science Education Grant Matching
Account established under Article 3 (commencing with Section
52978) to fund that grant. In order to be deemed eligible for the
grant pilot program, a school district, at a minimum, shall meet all
of the following criteria:

(1) Demonstrate engaged and committed leadership in support
of introducing pupils who would not otherwise have these
opportunities to computer science.

(2) Demonstrate a plan to engage these pupils with the subject
matter of computer science.

(3) Demonstrate that school district staff are appropriately
trained to carry out the plan.

(4) Demonstrate the capacity to maximize the use of grant
resources by addressing the availability of appropriate physical
space and technology, projected enrollment, and other specific
requirements set forth by the Superintendent.

(5) Demonstrate a history of successful partnerships within the
community and partner support for computer science. Partnership
support may include, but is not necessarily limited to, supplying
materials or technology, instruction support, internships,
mentorships, and apprenticeships.

(6) Demonstrate the capacity to continue in the school years
succeeding the initial grant year.

(d) The Superintendent may convene an advisory group of
computer science experts to discuss and refine the eligibility criteria
listed in subdivision (c). For purposes of this subdivision, the
Superintendent may use the same group of computer science
experts selected pursuant to Section 60605.4.

52975.5.  

This chapter shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021,
and, as of January 1, 2022, is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2022,
deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and
is repealed.

 

Article 2.  Computer Science Start-Up Courses Grant and
Computer Science Educator Training Grant Pilot Programs

 

52976.  

(a) The Computer Science Start-up Courses Grant Pilot
Program is a competitive grant program that is intended to support
innovative ways to introduce pupils in underserved areas begin insert and pupils
from groups historically underrepresented in the field of computer
science end insert who would not otherwise have those opportunities to
computer science and inspire them to enter computer science
careers.

(b) In awarding grants under this section, the Superintendent
shall give priority to applicant school districts with higher
percentages of unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02,
and, as much as feasible, shall award grants to school districts that
collectively represent the geographic and socioeconomic diversity
of this state. An applicant for a grant under this section shall submit
a specific plan for an introductory computer science course
designed to be of maximum value in meeting the particular needs
of the pupils of that school begin delete district. end delete begin insert district, including pupils from
groups historically underrepresented in the field of computer
science. end insert

begin insert

(c) Grant funds awarded under this section may be used for
one-time purposes associated with the costs of establishing or
expanding computer science courses, including teacher
recruitment, professional development, instructional materials,
laboratory supplies and equipment, and facilities remodeling.

end insert begin insert

(d) The grant application for this program shall be on a form
developed by the Superintendent and shall include, at a minimum,
an itemized budget for the one-time use of the grant funds, an
identification of local matching resources constituting an amount
equaling the amount that would be allocated to the school district
from the Computer Science Education Grant Matching Account
established by Section 52978, and an agreement by the grant
recipient to provide the Superintendent the data needed to complete
the report required by Section 52979.

end insert

52977.  

(a) The Computer Science Educator Training Grant
Pilot Program is intended to support professional development for
educators to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to teach
computer science, either as a stand-alone course or as integrated
into other courses. The Superintendent shall award training grants,
on a competitive basis, to begin delete eligible end delete begin insert school districts for the support
of end insert educators employed by applicant school districts.

(b) In awarding grants under this section, the Superintendent
shall give priority to applicant school districts with higher
percentages of unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02,
and, as much as feasible, shall award grants to school districts that
collectively represent the geographic and socioeconomic diversity
of this state. An applicant for a grant under this section shall submit
a specific begin delete plan end delete begin insert plan, developed in consultation with teachers
employed by the applicant school district, end insert for professional
development for educators employed by that school district to
acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to teach computer
science to that school district’s pupils, either as a stand-alone
course or as integrated into other courses. Grant funds awarded
under this section shall be allocated to fund professional
development related to computer science education for the
participating educators.

begin insert

(c) The grant application for this program shall be on a form
developed by the Superintendent and shall include, at a minimum,
an itemized budget for the one-time use of the grant funds, an
identification of local matching resources constituting an amount
equaling the amount that would be allocated to the school district
from the Computer Science Education Grant Matching Account
established by Section 52978, and an agreement by the grant
recipient to provide the Superintendent the data needed to complete
the report required by Section 52979.

end insert

 

Article 3.  Funding and Reporting

 

52978.  

(a) The Computer Science Education Grant Matching
Account is established in the State Treasury. This account shall
be used solely and exclusively for the pilot programs created in
this chapter. The purpose of the account is to provide matching
funds for the Computer Science Start-Up Courses Grant and the
Computer Science Educator Training Grant pilot programs
established under Article 2 (commencing with Section 52976).
Grants under this chapter, and related administrative costs, shall
be funded by a combination of funds from the account and
matching funds provided by a participating school district. begin insert A school
district that receives a grant under this chapter shall provide local
matching resources, which may include in-kind donations,
constituting an amount equaling the amount that would be
allocated to the school district from the Computer Science
Education Grant Matching Account. end insert It is the intent of the
Legislature that no moneys from the state General Fund be used
to fund the grant pilot begin delete program end delete begin insert programs end insert established by this
chapter.

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the State Treasury is
authorized to receive, and deposit into the account, any gifts, grants,
or donations received for purposes of this chapter from the federal
government or private persons or entities. Expenditures from the
account, with respect to a particular grant, shall not exceed the
amount of corresponding matching funds.

52978.5.  

(a)  begin delete Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the
Government Code, the end delete begin insert The end insert funds deposited in the Computer
Science Education Grant Matching Account shall be begin delete continuously
appropriated end delete begin insert available, upon appropriation in the annual Budget
Act or in another statute, end insert to the Superintendent for purposes of
funding the grants established under this chapter, covering related
costs, and returning unencumbered funds to donors pursuant to
subdivision (b). The administrative costs of the implementation
of this chapter shall be kept to a minimum, and in no event shall
expenditures from the account to cover administrative costs exceed
begin delete 10 end delete begin insert 5 end insert percent of the allocations made from the account in any fiscal
year.

(b) The Superintendent is authorized to refund to the donor all
or a portion of any gift, grant, or donation made to the account by
that donor if the funds received from the donor have not been
encumbered because the Superintendent has determined that there
are surplus funds in the account or because, pursuant to subdivision
(c), this section has not become operative.

(c) This section shall not become operative unless and until the
Superintendent certifies, in writing, to the Director of Finance that
there are sufficient funds in the account to implement this chapter.
begin insert For purposes of this section, “sufficient funds” is defined as an
amount sufficient to support at least two grants in one of the
programs established by this chapter. end insert

52979.  

The Superintendent shall submit an annual report to
the Governor and the Legislature on the programs established
under this chapter. This report shall be submitted on or before
January 10, 2018, and on or before January 10 in 2019, 2020, and
2021, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
The report shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, all of
the following data:

(a) The number of applicants annually.

(b) The number of participants annually.

(c) The begin delete rate of compliance with academic and employment
requirements. end delete begin insert increase in the number of courses offered and
teachers trained in computer science as a result of the grants made
under this chapter. end insert

begin delete

(d) An assessment of the success rates for each participating
school district.

end delete begin insert

(d) (1) For the Computer Science Start-up Courses Grant Pilot
Program, the increase in the number of pupils, including
unduplicated pupils as defined pursuant to Section 42238.02 and
pupils from groups historically underrepresented in the field of
computer science, who have taken a computer science course, and
to the extent available, any increase in the number of pupils who
enroll or intend to enroll in computer science programs at
postsecondary educational institutions.

end insert begin insert

(2) For the Computer Science Educator Training Grant Pilot
Program, the increase in the number of pupils, including
unduplicated pupils as defined pursuant to Section 42238.02 and
pupils from groups historically underrepresented in the field of
computer science, who have taken a course with an educator
trained as a result of this program.

end insert

(e) The amount of grant funds awarded each fiscal year,
classified by school district.