BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1426
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
1426 (Levine)
As Amended May 28, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+---------------------+---------------------|
|Education |7-0 |O'Donnell, Chávez, | |
| | |Kim, McCarty, | |
| | |Santiago, Thurmond, | |
| | |Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+---------------------+---------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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AB 1426
Page 2
SUMMARY: Modifies the State Board of Education (SBE) funding
determination for blended learning charter schools that offer
classroom-based instruction no less than 60% of the instructional
time and no more than 80%. Specifically, this bill:
1)Defines "blended learning charter school" as a charter school
that offers a formal education program in which a pupil learns
at least in part through online delivery of content and
instruction with some element of pupil control over time, place,
and pace and at least in part at a supervised location away from
home, operates a single schoolsite within the geographic
jurisdiction of the authority that granted its charter, and has
no more than one satellite facility.
2)Requires the SBE to adopt criteria for the determination of
funding for blended learning charter schools that include
facilities costs.
3)Provides that a blended learning charter school that seeks a
funding determination shall not lose eligibility for facilities
assistance funding.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, general Fund administrative costs to California
Department of Education of approximately $75,000 to review
additional funding determinations.
COMMENTS:
Purpose of the bill. Under current law, charter schools can
receive full average daily attendance (ADA) funding if they offer
classroom-based instruction at least 80% of the time. This allows
AB 1426
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the charter to provide differentiated instructional models, such
as blended learning, without a reduction in funding. Once a
charter school falls below 80% classroom-based, the charter is
required to seek a funding determination from the SBE. In making
its determination, the SBE is required to consider a number of
factors, including the amount of the school's total budget spent
on certifications, employees' salaries and benefits, and on
schoolsites, and the teacher-to-pupil ratio in the school. This
review provides important safeguards to ensure the state is
investing the appropriate amount of resources for this type of
instruction.
This bill establishes a new "zone" of charter schools that provide
at least 60% classroom-based instruction time but not more than
80% classroom-based instruction, and makes funding for these
schools subject to a determination by the SBE. Existing law
already requires these charter schools to seek an SBE funding
determination. The bill modifies this requirement for this subset
of charter schools by adding the additional requirement that the
SBE include facility costs. The bill also makes these schools
eligible for facilities funding if they are otherwise eligible.
Arguments in support. Supporters of this bill, the California
Charter Schools Association, state blended learning programs are
not well supported by the existing policy environment. They state
the current SBE funding determination process has forced blended
learning charter schools to "severely curtail their blended
learning innovation". They further state the current process is
"arbitrary and artificially constraining when applied to blended
learning charter schools."
Arguments in opposition. The California Teachers Association,
(CTA), which is opposed to this bill, states there is no research
highlighting the importance of the zone between 60% to 80% of
students instructional time that necessitate special
consideration. A high quality charter school using a blended
AB 1426
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model of instruction has the potential to be a valuable
alternative for certain targeted students for whom the traditional
classroom model is not feasible. However, too often this approach
is neither targeted nor high quality. They note charter schools
that move into the online learning environment interact more with
for profit companies who have a responsibility to their
shareholders, taking the focus away from students. CTA believes
charter schools that seek to provide more online instruction out
of class should utilize the existing process for non-classroom
based instruction apportionments.
Analysis Prepared by:
Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0000630