BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2122
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 27, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2122 (McCarty) - As Amended April 14, 2016
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill re-establishes the Paraprofessional Teacher Training
Program (PTTP) as the California Classified School Employee
Teacher Credentialing Program (CCSETCP) and expands authorized
grant recipients beyond paraprofessionals to also to include all
non-certificated school employees currently working in a public
school. Specifically, this bill:
AB 2122
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1)Makes private not-for-profit institutions of higher education
(IHEs) that offer a Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC)
approved teacher preparation program eligible for
participation in the program.
2)Removes certain criteria for participation, including program
emphasis on bilingual cross-cultural teacher development, K-3
teacher development and special education teacher development.
Instead, more broadly requires program applicants to address
teacher shortage demands and requires the employee to have
completed at least two years of undergraduate college or
university coursework with a demonstrated interest in
obtaining a multiple or single subject credential.
3)Requires the CCTC, subject to an appropriation for this
purpose in the annual Budget Act, to issue a request for
proposals to all school districts and county offices of
education in the state in order to solicit applications for
funding.
4)Requires the CCTC to contract with an independent evaluator to
conduct an evaluation once every five years, with the first
evaluation being completed on or before July 1, 2021. Requires
the CCTC to submit the completed evaluation to the Governor
and Legislature.
5)Increases the authorized grant amount per applicant from
$3,500 to $4,000 per participant per year. Expresses
Legislative intent that funding for the program be allocated
to support up to 1,000 new participants per year. Makes
funding contingent upon an appropriation in the annual budget
act.
FISCAL EFFECT:
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1)Ongoing Proposition 98/GF cost pressure of at least $4 million
to support the provision of $4,000 grant awards to 1,000 new
participants each year.
2)Unknown ongoing administrative costs to the CCTC to administer
the grant program. Administrative costs will depend on the
total amount of funding provided for the program. Generally,
administrative costs are approximately 3% of the total grant
program. The bill also requires an independent study. Although
the exact cost of the study will be contingent upon the size
and complexity of the program, given the goals of the bill, it
is likely the study would be in the $250,000 range. The fund
source for administrative support is unclear; though CCTC
indicates they could fund these activities from the Teacher
Credentialing Fund (special funds) if authorized by the
Legislature.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the CCTC, the primary purpose of the
original PTTP was to create local career ladders that enable
school paraprofessionals (teacher assistants, library, media
aides, and instructional assistants) to become certificated
classroom teachers in K-12 public schools. The PTTP was
established in 1990 by SB 1690 (Roberti) Chapter 1444,
Statutes of 1990 and has been reauthorized several times
since. This bill differs from the original PTTP in two ways.
First, it increases the grant amount for participants from
$3,500 to $4,000. Second, all classified employees, not just
paraprofessionals, are eligible to participate in the program.
According to the author, this bill is needed to help address
California's teacher shortage. Enrollment in teacher
preparation programs has dropped 70% in the last 10 years, and
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the supply of teachers is at a 12 year low. The author's
office states that classified employees provide an invaluable
pool of potential teachers to help meet this critical need.
2)Background. In 2008-09, the Legislature and the Governor
agreed to mid-year budget cuts in response to a
recession-related decline in state revenues. Funding for the
PTTP was no longer identified as a per participant allocation
and LEAs were authorized to use PTTP funds for any educational
purpose. As a result of this flexibility, and the uncertainty
of continued program funding, the CCTC discontinued enrolling
new participants in March 2011. With the enactment of the
Local Control Funding Formula in 2013, all funding for PTTP
was eliminated. Between the time the PTTP was first funded in
1994 and the time the CTC stopped enrolling new participants
in 2011, the program resulted in more than 2,200 graduates.
Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081