BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 311 Page 1 Date of Hearing: July 15, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair SB 311 (Beall) - As Amended July 6, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Education |Vote:|6 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: Yes State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill authorizes the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District (ARUESD) to develop and implement an individualized plan to provide preschool services within a transitional kindergarten (TK) classroom on a five year pilot basis through June 30, 2021. Specifically, this bill: SB 311 Page 2 1)Authorizes ARUESD and a preschool program (Kidango) to develop the pilot, pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Requires the MOU to clarify the use of facilities, shared goals of the pilot project, and responsibilities of both parties. 2)Requires ARUESD and the preschool program to consult with the Santa Clara Office of Education and First 5 of Santa Clara County in the development of the individualized part day preschool plan for children residing in the district. 3)Requires the plan to include the following: a) Elements to address local needs, conditions, and priorities of families in the school district for purposes of preparing children for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. b) Increased access to preschool in the school district to prepare children for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten. c) The provision of supplemental services to children in transitional kindergarten. d) The provision of parent education, parent engagement, and family support services. e) Systems to facilitate transition of children and their families from a federal Head Start program and preschool to transitional kindergarten and kindergarten. SB 311 Page 3 f) Collaboration between preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten teachers. 4)Provides that a child is eligible to participate in the pilot based on free and reduced-price meal (FRPM) eligibility, participation in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program or if the child is a foster youth. 5)Authorizes children up to the age of admission to kindergarten to participate in the pilot program. 6)Requires the pilot project plan to be submitted to the governing board of the school district for approval. Upon approval by the governing board, the plan or modifications to the plan shall be submitted to California Department of Education (CDE) for review. CDE shall either approve or disapprove the plan, or modifications to the plan, within 30 days of receipt of the plan. 7)Requires the ARUESD and the preschool program to submit interim reporting requirements to the Legislature and CDE demonstrating if the program increased enrollment of children eligible for FRPM and increased provision of child development services. Further requires the district and the preschool, in consultation with the Santa Clara County Office of Education and First 5 of Santa Clara County, to submit a report to the Legislature and CDE on or before December 31, 2020, recommending if the program should continue. 8)Specifies no additional state funds shall be used for purposes SB 311 Page 4 of implementing the pilot program. FISCAL EFFECT: 1)This bill specifies no additional state funding shall be used to implement the program; however, this bill effectively prevents a reversion of preschool dollars, potentially in the range of $170,000 to $860,000, thus a potential loss of Proposition 98/GF. The preschool provider subject to this pilot plans to repurpose an existing California State Preschool Program (CSPP) grant to pay for the services under the pilot. The pilot expands eligibility to serve children up to five years old and changes income eligibility requirements. These changes increase the likelihood that the preschool provider will utilize a greater portion of their CSPP grant. Currently, CDE predicts this provider will only utilize 84% of their existing $13.8 million state contract. Traditionally, early education dollars that revert to the state have been reallocated to serve other early care needs in high need communities. 2)Proposition 98/GF cost pressure, potentially in the millions, to expand age and income eligibility for CSPP program grantees throughout the state. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. The CSPP offers part-day and full-day preschool programs through contracts with local educational agencies, private contractors, and colleges. Part-day preschool operates three hours per day for 175 days. The General Child Care program provides "wrap around" to provide full-day care. SB 311 Page 5 The 2015-16 Budget Act provides 9,500 new slots to the CSPP part-day and full-day programs. Under current law, priority for enrollment for CSPP goes to four- or three-year-old neglected or abused children who are recipients of Child Protective Services or recipients who are at risk of being neglected or abused, without regard to income. Second priority goes to four-year-old children who were enrolled in CSPP as a three-year-old, followed by four-year-old children with the lowest income ranking. Three-year-old children may be enrolled after four-year-olds are enrolled. This bill is sponsored by Kidango, a Bay Area early childhood education and preschool provider. In May of 2015, Kidango was awarded $866,400 in CSPP funding to serve 96 children (ages three and four) in a full-day preschool setting. The sponsor indicates their goal is to instead use these funds to provide part-day services within ARUESD for transitional kindergarten students using ARUESD classroom facilities. Existing CDE guidance does not currently allow CSPP contracts to provide before or after school services for transitional kindergarten. The bill also expands eligibility by allowing families to use FRPM eligibility (which allows families to self-certify), participation in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program or a child's status as a foster youth for purposes of CSPP funding. Currently, eligibility is determined using the CSPP application and income eligibility of 70% of the State Median Income (SMI). According to the author, this process is overly burdensome and time consuming. 2)Existing law options for expanding transitional kindergarten. Current law authorizes a number of options to provide an extended day to transitional kindergarten students. Current regulations authorize children enrolled in transitional kindergarten who are in need of before or after school services to be enrolled in the General Child Care and SB 311 Page 6 Alternative Payment Programs. School districts can also seek state after school program funds or use local control funding formula dollars for this purpose. It is not clear to what extent the ARUESD has pursued these other options. 3)Urgency. According to the author, this bill is urgent because the district is attempting to implement the program in the 2015-16 school year. According to the ARUESD website, the school year begins August 26. Even if the bill were signed by mid-July, current provisions in the bill make it highly unlikely the program would be implemented by August. The bill requires a plan developed by the school district and Kidango to be approved by the ARUESD governing board and the CDE. Once the plan is submitted to the CDE, the department has 30 days to review and to approve, or disapprove the plan. 4)Other pilots. The Legislature has authorized other pilot projects in San Mateo County and the city of county of San Francisco that provide limited local flexibility to adjust eligibility rules, provider rates and family fees to accommodate higher cost of living and higher cost to provide care in these areas. AB 833 (Bonta), on Suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee, authorizes Alameda to establish a similar pilot. This bill is different than the other pilots in that it only applies to CSPP and not all early development programs, and the flexibilities granted by this bill are limited to funds received by one agency rather than on a countywide basis. Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 SB 311 Page 7