BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 1426 (Cooper) - After school programs
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|Version: August 2, 2016 |Policy Vote: ED. 8 - 0 |
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|Urgency: Yes |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 8, 2016 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill, and urgency measure, increases the
per-student daily and weekly rates for the After School
Education and Safety (ASES) program, and eliminates the
requirement for the after school component of the program to
operate at least until 6 p.m. on regular schooldays.
Fiscal
Impact:
Cost pressure of $73 million to support a $1 increase in the
per-student daily rate for the ASES program. This bill
increases the per-student funding rate but there is no
increase in funding to the overall program. Therefore, to
implement this bill the state would either need to provide
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funding to pay for the increase in rates so that there is no
decrease in the number of students served, or downsize the
program by dis-enrolling students. Without an increase in
funding for the program almost 48,000 students would no longer
be able to be enrolled in the program. (Proposition 98)
Background: Existing law establishes the ASES program, a three year grant
program, to create incentives for establishing locally driven
before and after school enrichment programs that partner public
schools and communities to provide academic and literacy support
and safe, constructive alternatives for youth. The ASES program
serves students in kindergarten and grades 1 to 9. Local
educational agencies (LEAs) may operate a before school
component of a program, an after school component, or both, on
one or multiple school sites.
Priority for funding is required to be given to schools where a
minimum of 50 percent of the students in elementary schools and
50 percent of the students in middle and junior high schools are
eligible for free or reduced cost meals through the school lunch
program of the United States Department of Agriculture. ASES
programs receive direct grants, where attendance is projected
and grants are funded up-front, in three one-year increments.
The maximum total direct grant awarded annually for an after
school program is $112,500 for each regular school year for
elementary schools and $150,000 for middle or junior high
schools (based on a formula of $7.50 per student per day of
attendance, at a maximum of $37.50 per student per week).
Existing law continuously appropriates to the California
Department of Education (CDE) $550 million from the General Fund
for the ASES program, including administrative costs. (EC §
8482, 8482.3, 8482.5, 8482.55, 8483.7)
Proposed Law:
This bill increases the per-student daily and weekly rates for
ASES. Specifically, this bill raises the per-student daily rate
from $7.50 to $8.50 for student attendance that the program
plans to serve for regular school year programs and summer
programs. For the regular school year program consisting of 180
days, the maximum student per week rate would increase from
$37.50 to $42.50, reflecting the daily rate increase. In
addition, this bill increases daily rate for up to three days
per year of staff development from $7.50 to $8.50 per projected
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student.
Finally, this bill deletes the requirement for the after school
component of the program to operate at least until 6 p.m. on
regular schooldays.
Related
Legislation: AB 2615 (Wood, 2016) among other things,
specifically authorizes ASES programs to charge family fees. AB
2615 is pending in this committee.
AB 1567 (Campos, 2016) provides priority enrollment for homeless
and foster care youth in before and after school programs and
prohibits a before and after school program from charging family
fees for a child that the program knows to be a homeless or
foster care youth. AB 1567 is pending in this committee.
Staff
Comments: The maximum total direct grant awarded annually for
an after school program is $112,500 for each regular school year
for elementary schools and $150,000 for middle or junior high
schools (based on a formula of $7.50 per student per day of
attendance, at a maximum of $37.50 per student per week). The
Budget Act of 2016 funds full-year enrollment of 404,985
students with about $547 million. An increase in the daily rate
to $8.50 translates to a yearly rate of $1,530, since the
minimum number of days required of a full year after school
program is 180. In order to maintain the same level of
enrollment, there would need to be a $73 million increase to the
program. Otherwise, significantly fewer students would be able
to be served. Advocates contend that, without flexibility to
reduce slots or an increase in funding, many ASES programs will
have no choice but to close.
The Budget Act of 2016 includes $550 million for the ASES
program. There have been several attempts to increase funding
for this program in light of the increase in minimum wage as
well as the requirement to provide paid sick days for employees.
The Budget Act of 2016 does not provide an increased
appropriation for this program.
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