BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2680
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Date of Hearing: April 27, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2680 (Bonilla) - As Amended April 13, 2016
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires local education agencies (LEAs) to develop
and implement a strategic plan to address parent engagement,
subject to one-time funding being provided in the budget act.
Specifically, this bill:
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1)Authorizes LEAs that elect to participate in family engagement
support and services to develop and implement a strategic plan
that addresses the following:
a) Active and meaningful participation and training of
parents, guardians, pupils, and families of children served
by LEAs in the development and updating of local control
and accountability plans (LCAPs). Requires the plan to
include estimated target of number of parents to be
trained.
b) Involvement at the schoolsite, school district, or
county office of education (COE) level that empowers
parents and guardians to become active leaders on local
advisory bodies.
c) Empowerment and support to advocate for a complete
education that includes a full curriculum and other
services to close the access, achievement, and opportunity
gaps.
d) Strategies, programs, and activities that promote
parents, guardians, and families to directly engage with
their child, as specified.
2)Specifies the plan may include activities to help teachers and
other school personnel improve teacher-parent or guardian and
school-parent or guardian communication and create a welcoming
environment for parent and guardian participation.
3)Requires the plan to align with the LEAs LCAP and delineate
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how funds are spent.
4)Requires the plan to be developed using research-based family
engagement practices and standards.
5)Requires the plan to include outreach in multiple languages if
15% or more pupils enrolled speak a single primary language
other than English. Also requires outreach to parents,
guardians, and families that are underrepresented in the
school, school district, or county office of education, and
outreach strategies that are diverse and innovative.
6)Require the local governing board to explain the plan at a
public meeting before adoption. Once the plan is adopted,
requires the LEA to post the plan online.
7)Authorizes, subject to funding in the budget act, a LEA to
request funding from the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) on or before June 1, 2017, and authorizes expenditure of
funds for the 2016-17 fiscal year through the 2018-19 fiscal
year. Specifies these funds cannot supplant existing funds
and are to be allocated on the basis of average daily
attendance (ADA).
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)One-time Proposition 98/GF cost pressure, in the millions of
dollars, to provide funding for parent engagement plans.
According to the author, the intent is to provide LEAs $15 per
pupil to implement the strategic plans. There are over 6.2
million students in California. This would create a cost
pressure of $93.5 million.
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2)One-time costs to the California Department of Education (CDE)
of approximately $32,000 GF to update existing parent and
family engagement guidance documents as well as online
resources. Ongoing costs of approximately $72,000 GF to
administer grant funding.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. Parent engagement programs and strategies in school
districts provide great benefit to students including improved
school readiness, higher grades and test scores, and healthier
behavior. Parent engagement also provides an increased
likelihood of graduating from high school and attending
college. According to the author, parent engagement programs
and strategies are a cost-effective way to increase student
achievement.
2)Comments. In recognition of the positive effects of parent
engagement, state and federal law require parental involvement
activities at both the LEA and schoolsite level. Federal law
requires Title I districts to do at least one of the
following:
Support schools in training school staff regarding
parent engagement strategies;
Support programs that reach families at home, in the
community and at school;
Disseminate information on best practices focused on
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engagement, especially for increasing engagement of
economically disadvantaged families;
Provide subgrants to schools to collaborate with
community-based organizations or businesses that have a
track record of improving family engagement; or
Engage in any other activities that the district
believes are appropriate in increasing engagement.
The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) of 2013 was enacted
to provide a more equitable distribution of education
dollars-especially among districts with populations of low
income pupils, English learners, and pupils in foster care-and
to provide more local discretion over the use of those
dollars. Accountability for the use of those dollars is
achieved though the requirement to adopt and annually revise
LCAPs. State law requires parent participation, through formal
parent councils and other avenues, in the development and
annual revision of LCAPs.
The state is working to streamline reporting and compliance
efforts required of LEAs. This includes possible proposals to
modify the LCAP in order that it may be utilized as both the
LCAP and the federally required Local Educational Agency Plan
(LEAP). Currently, LEAs are working through both conceptual
and practical challenges involved with the development and
implementation of these different plans. The committee should
consider whether adding an additional separate plan for parent
engagement is necessary, or whether the efforts in this bill
could be incorporated into existing compliance documents.
Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
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