AB 2401, as introduced, O'Donnell. Teachers: California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System.
Existing law establishes the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System, to be administered jointly by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the Superintendent of Public Instruction for specified purposes, including providing an effective transition into the teaching career for first-year and 2nd-year teachers in California.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations regarding the teacher shortage in the state and the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System.
This bill would make an appropriation of an unspecified amount from the General Fund to the Superintendent and the commission for the 2016-17 fiscal year to fund the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System.
This bill would also state the intent of the Legislature that future funding for the California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System be provided each year in the annual Budget Act.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) According to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the
4number of pupils enrolled in teacher preparation programs declined
5by more than 50 percent between 2008 and 2013.
6(b) At the same time that enrollment in teacher preparation
7programs is declining, more than 20 percent of California’s teachers
8have more than 20 years of experience, meaning they are at or near
9retirement age and will need to be replaced.
10(c) Among new teachers, 40 percent leave the profession within
11the first five years, adding to the teacher shortage and reducing
12the benefits
of the state’s investment in teacher preparation.
13(d) The California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment
14System (Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 44279.1) of Chapter
152 of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code), which
16was established in 1992, has been shown to substantially increase
17new teacher retention to nearly 90 percent. In addition, the
18California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System
19has been shown to improve teacher effectiveness and pupil
20outcomes.
21(e) There is a clear state interest in continuing the California
22Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System as a proven
23means of effectively addressing the teacher shortage and improving
24teacher effectiveness and pupil outcomes.
25(f) With the enactment of the local control funding formula,
26ongoing funding targeted to the
California Beginning Teacher
27Support and Assessment System was eliminated.
28(g) While the local control funding formula is an effective
29system for targeting spending to programs whose benefits accrue
30to local educational agencies and their pupils, it is not an effective
31system for the support of programs whose benefits primarily are
32external to local educational agencies and are more statewide than
33local.
34(h) The California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment
35System serves a compelling state interest and should be funded
36each year in the annual Budget Act.
The amount of ____ dollars ($____) is hereby
38appropriated from the General Fund to the Superintendent of Public
P3 1Education and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing for the
2purposes of Section 44279.2 of the Education Code for the 2016-17
3fiscal year.
It is the intent of the Legislature that funding for the
5California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment System
6(Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 44279.1) of Chapter 2 of
7Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code) be provided
8each year in the annual Budget Act.
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