BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2016 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 27, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair AB 2016 (Alejo) - As Amended April 21, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Education |Vote:|5 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable: Yes SUMMARY: This bill requires the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to develop a model curriculum in ethnic studies. Specifically, this bill: 1)Requires the curriculum to be developed with participation from universities and colleges with ethnic studies programs AB 2016 Page 2 and K-12 teachers who have relevant experience or education background in the study and teaching of ethnic studies. 2)Requires the model curriculum to be written as a guide to allow school districts to adapt their courses to reflect the pupil demographics in their communities. 3)Requires the model curriculum to include examples of traditional and online courses offered by local education agencies (LEAs) that have been approved as meeting A-G requirements for admission to the University of California and California State University systems. 4)Requires the IQC to submit model curriculum, on or before June 30, 2019, and requires the SBE to adopt the curriculum by November 30, 2019. Provides for a 45 day public comment period prior to SBE adoption. 5)Requires, beginning the school year following the adoption of the model curriculum, each school district maintaining any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive, that does not otherwise offer a standards-based ethnic studies curriculum, to offer to all otherwise qualified pupils, a course of study in ethnic studies based on the model curriculum as an elective in the social sciences or English language arts. FISCAL EFFECT: 1)Unknown potentially reimbursable Proposition 98/GF state mandated costs for certain school districts to offer ethnic studies elective courses to students in grades 9-12. There are approximately 1,400 schools that serve grades 9-12 that do not currently provide ethnic studies courses. Assuming each AB 2016 Page 3 school must hire one teacher at an average cost of $75,000, statewide costs could exceed $100 million. This estimate does not include additional costs for instructional materials. 2)General Fund administrative costs of approximately $300,000 in the first year and $460,000 in the second year for the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop a model curriculum framework in ethnic studies. Developing curriculum framework involves an extensive process that would likely take two years to develop and would necessitate contracting with subject matter experts. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. Courses in ethnic studies typically explore the issues of race, ethnicity, and culture, with the goal of preparing all pupils to engage in the responsibilities of citizenship in an increasingly multicultural global society. Given California's diversity, the author stresses the importance of student's knowledge of the various racial and ethnic groups of our state. 2)Background. California curriculum is based on state-adopted content standards. The curriculum frameworks are guidelines for implementing the standards that are developed by the IQC (also referenced in statute as the "commission") and approved by the State Board of Education (SBE). In addition to curriculum development, the Superintendent of Public Instruction can be directed by law to develop model curricula on different topics, such as the life of Cesar Chavez, and human rights and genocide. AB 2016 Page 4 The pending history-social science curriculum framework encourages districts to offer ethnic studies courses. Completion of this framework has been delayed over the years due to budget and workload constraints but is now scheduled to be completed by the Fall of 2016. 3)Mandated Costs. This bill requires school districts with students in grades 9-12 to offer a course in ethnic studies once one has been adopted by the SBE. Currently, many school districts have made the local decision to offer ethnic studies courses as an elective. Additionally, some districts, including Los Angeles Unified School District, are exceeding the requirements of this bill by not only offering ethnic studies but making completion a graduation requirement. If this bill were to become law, LEAs would likely seek reimbursement from the state for activities they are currently choosing to provide. 4)Similar bill vetoed. AB 101 (Alejo) of 2015 was substantially similar to this bill. AB 101 was vetoed by Governor Brown who stated in his message: This bill creates what is essentially a redundant process. The Instructional Quality Commission is in the midst of revising the History-Social Science Framework, which includes guidance on ethnic studies courses. Creating yet another advisory body specific to ethnic studies would be duplicative and undermine our current curriculum process. To address the veto message of AB 101, the author is now requiring the IQC to make recommendations for the development AB 2016 Page 5 of model curriculum, rather than a separate advisory committee. Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081