Amended in Senate January 13, 2016

Amended in Senate April 20, 2015

Senate Bill No. 527

Introduced by Senator Liu

February 26, 2015

An act to add Article 14 (commencing with Section 33480) to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to education finance.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 527, as amended, Liu. Education finance: Safe Neighborhoods and Schools begin delete Fund Grant Program. end delete begin insert Planning Grants. end insert

Existing law, the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, enacted by Proposition 47, as approved by the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, among other things, established the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, which is funded by savings that accrue to the state from the implementation of the act. The act provides that, among other purposes, 25% of the funds shall be disbursed to the State Department of Education to administer a grant program to public agencies aimed at improving outcomes for public school pupils by reducing truancy and supporting pupils who are at risk of dropping out of school or are victims of crime.

This bill would begin delete express findings and declarations of the Legislature with respect to the purposes of the act. The bill would end delete specify the administrative duties and responsibilities of the State Department of Education with respect to the administration, begin delete commencing with the 2016-17 fiscal year, of a end delete begin insert subject to an appropriation in the Budget Act of 2016 or another measure enacted during the 2015-16 Regular Session of the Legislature, of end insert Safe Neighborhoods and Schools begin delete Fund Grant Program, pursuant to which the department would issue a request for proposal end delete begin insert planning grants end insert to local educational agencies, as begin delete defined, each fiscal year and would make grants to applicant local educational agencies. end delete begin insert defined. end insert The bill would set forth criteria to guide the department in awarding begin insert planning end insert grants under the begin delete program. end delete begin insert program, and would specify the purposes for which the planning grant funds may be used. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

begin delete

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund has been
established by Proposition 47, approved by the voters at the
November 4, 2014, statewide general election. The funds
transferred to the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund are to be
used exclusively for the purposes of the Safe Neighborhoods and
Schools Act.

(b) Twenty-five percent of the funds are disbursed to the State
Department of Education to administer a grant program to public
agencies aimed at improving outcomes for public school pupils in
kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, by reducing truancy
and supporting pupils who are at risk of dropping out of school or
are victims of crime.

(c) Studies estimate that between 3.3 million and 10 million
children in the United States witness violence in their own homes
each year.

(d) Children who have experienced early, chronic trauma, such
as family or community violence, can develop emotional,
behavioral, cognitive, and relationship difficulties that can
adversely affect their ability to learn and function well in school.

(e) Exposure to trauma is associated with a higher risk for
dropping out of school, and in turn, dropping out of school
increases the risk of being imprisoned.

(f) Sixty-five percent of pupils with an emotional disturbance
drop out of school. This dropout rate is higher than all other
disability categories.

(g) For pupils with these mental health concerns, the American
Academy of Pediatrics has found that suspension can increase
stress and may predispose pupils to antisocial behavior and even
suicidal ideation. Psychologists have similarly found that
disciplinary exclusion policies can increase pupil shame, alienation,
rejection, and breaking of healthy adult bonds, thereby exacerbating
negative mental health outcomes for young people.

(h) Studies have shown that one suspension greatly increases
the likelihood that a pupil will drop out and become involved in
the juvenile justice system.

(i) Removing pupils from school through disciplinary exclusion
also increases the risk that they will become victims of violent
crime.

(j) Research has shown that coordinated alignment of integrated
pupil supports is an approach, well-grounded in theory, research,
and community experience that has been shown to reduce truancy
and chronic absence, and to improve academic outcomes, school
climate, and a pupil’s physical and mental health.

(k) Schools that address the “whole child” embrace youth
development principles and ensure the social-emotional health of
pupils, and create integrated and trauma-informed support systems
that have a stronger positive school culture, higher attendance,
higher graduation and achievement rates, and lower truancy rates.

(l) Pupils who attend schools where support systems are not
easily accessible by pupils and their families and where alignment
of support systems within the school and with community partners
is lacking are less likely to have access to programs that can address
the needs of vulnerable populations, thus exacerbating education
and health inequities.

(m) Schools that implement research-based, schoolwide
approaches to addressing social, emotional, and behavioral issues,
such as School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports,
restorative justice, community schools strategies, and school-based
mental health and trauma-informed practices demonstrate strong
educational outcomes, including increases in attendance and
achievement, particularly for pupils of color and other at-risk
populations.

(n) A recent study regarding implementation of restorative
justice practices in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)
from 2011 to 2014, inclusive, found that, among other things, there
was a 128 percent increase in the reading levels of 9th graders at
OUSD schools with restorative justice programs, compared to an
11 percent increase in reading levels at schools without these
programs. Four-year graduation rates increased by 60 percent at
schools with restorative justice programs, compared to a 7-percent
increase at other schools.

end delete

begin delete SEC. 2. end delete
begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

Article 14 (commencing with Section 33480) is
added to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

 

Article 14.  Safe Neighborhoods and Schools begin delete Fund Grant
Program end delete begin insert Planning Grants end insert

 

33480.  

(a)  begin delete The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund Grant
Program is hereby established under the administration of the
department. Grants shall be issued under this program commencing
with the 2016-17 fiscal year. Pursuant end delete begin insert Subject to an appropriation
in the Budget Act of 2016 or another measure enacted during the
2015-16 Regular Session of the Legislature, and from funds
available pursuant end insert to the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,
approved as Proposition 47 by the voters on November 4, 2014,
begin delete the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund has been established
under Section 7599 of the Government Code, and funds are
allocated to the department from that fund under Section 7599.2
of the Government Code. In administering the grant program, the
department shall comply with all of the following requirements in
order to improve end delete begin insert the department shall administer the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools planning grants for the purpose of
improving end insert outcomes for public school pupils by reducing truancy
and supporting pupils who are at risk of dropping out of school or
are victims of begin delete crime: end delete begin insert crime. end insert

(1) All local educational agencies in the state shall be eligible
to apply for the grant program. As used in this article, a “local
educational agency” is a school district, a county office of
education, or a charter school.

begin delete

(2) The grant program shall reward local educational agencies
that have developed a comprehensive plan and implementation
strategy utilizing research-based approaches to increase attendance
rates, reduce chronic absenteeism, remedy school push-out and
dropout rates, and reduce school removals of all types and referrals
to law enforcement agencies. The plan shall create a strong and
supportive school culture that identifies and addresses the needs
of pupils, including the victims of crime, abuse, and neglect, and
includes elements to address trauma, mental health needs, and
other social and emotional factors that impact pupil outcomes. The
plan shall coordinate pupil support programs with
community-based providers or public agencies, or both, at
schoolsites and across the local educational agency.

(3) A local educational agency receiving a grant under this
article shall show at a minimum that it has designed, and is
committed to implementing, all of the following:

(A) A three-year plan, developed through its local control and
accountability plan or otherwise, to accomplish all of the following:

(i) Significantly reduce class and school removals, absences,
violent incidents on campus, and referrals to law enforcement
agencies.

(ii) Implement one or more research-based, whole school
approaches, including, but not necessarily limited to, schoolwide
positive behavior intervention and supports, restorative justice,
community schools strategies, trauma-informed practices, cultural
competency and implicit bias professional development that
includes a focus on issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender pupils and pupils of color, social-emotional learning,
mental health support services, and strategies to reengage and
reconnect pupils who have been pushed out.

(iii) Identify and address disparities in any of the areas
mentioned in clauses (i) and (ii) with respect to subgroups
addressed by the local control funding formula, including, but not
necessarily limited to, English learners, foster youth, low-income
pupils, pupils with disabilities, and ethnic subgroups.

(B) A robust data system to collect and disaggregate data related
to the subject matter referenced in subparagraph (A). This system
shall include a survey that measures the pupils’ sense of safety
and pupil connectedness to monitor progress in these areas.

(C) A system for sharing this de-identified data on the aggregate
level and progress with respect to meeting the grant goals with the
school community on at least an annual basis and engaging and
partnering with all key stakeholders, including, but not necessarily
limited to, parents, teachers, pupils, school administrators,
classified staff, schoolsite councils, English language advisory
committees, and community-based organizations in the process
of pupil and school improvement.

(D) An evaluation system that involves key stakeholders,
including teachers, principals, superintendents, and members of
school district governing boards, to assess effectiveness related to
addressing the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of pupils
and developing strong, supportive, and positive school climates.

(b) The department shall issue a request for proposal to all local
educational agencies in the state for each fiscal year that there are
funds available from the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund.
Local educational agencies serving high percentages of
unduplicated pupils with high needs as defined in Sections
42238.01 and 42238.02 shall be prioritized to receive these funds.
The request for proposal shall be issued no later than in October
of each fiscal year, or earlier if funds become available sooner.
Grants shall be awarded under this article no later than April 15
of each fiscal year.

(c) The funds granted to local educational agencies under this
article shall be utilized only to

further implementation of the three-year plan and the other
minimum commitments specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision
(a) through each of the following:

(1) Professional development, training, and coaching for
teachers, school administrators, pupils, parents, counselors,
administrative staff, and members of school district governing
boards.

(2) Investments in social services, health, mental health,
restorative justice, and youth development staff, agencies, and
providers.

(3) Entering into agreements with institutions and
community-based nonprofit organizations that have a track record
of improving pupil outcomes and providing cultural competency
and anti-bias training, supporting parent leadership and
engagement, and providing nonpunitive pupil and family support
programs.

(d) The funds granted to local educational agencies under this
article shall not be used for either of the following purposes:

(1) To supplant existing funding allocated to meet the
requirements of the school climate, engagement, or other state
priority areas in the local control and accountability plans.

(2) For law enforcement agencies or entities, public or private.

(e) A local educational agency that has received funding
pursuant to this article shall submit annual outcomes-based data
for evaluation, in accordance with the requirements of paragraph
(3) of subdivision (a), to show progress in reducing the rate of
class and school removals, referrals to law enforcement agencies,
and dropout and truancy rates of targeted pupils. The department
shall consider the data submitted under this subdivision when
making determinations for eligibility for future funding under this
article.

(f) The department shall consult with a stakeholder group by
telephone, Web-based platform, or other effective means. This
stakeholder group, which shall include public school pupils, and
parents of public school pupils, representing impacted communities
from several regions in the state, shall assist in making
determinations regarding the awarding of grants, in assessing
whether grant recipients are meeting the minimum requirements
set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), and, starting in year
two of the grant cycle, in assisting with developing or amending
the requests for proposals.

end delete begin insert

(2) Priority for funding shall be local educational agencies that
are located in communities with high crime rates, as determined
by local crime statistics, or have high rates of any of the following,
as determined by school-level data:

end insert begin insert

(A) Chronic absenteeism.

end insert begin insert

(B) Pupil suspension.

end insert begin insert

(C) Dropout rates in middle or high schools.

end insert begin insert

(D) Foster youth.

end insert begin insert

(b) A local educational agency that chooses to apply for funding
pursuant to this article shall submit a plan to the department, in
a format and by a date determined by the department, that includes
a description of all of the following:

end insert begin insert

(1) Local needs based on school-level data for any of the
following:

end insert begin insert

(A) Chronic absenteeism.

end insert begin insert

(B) Pupil suspensions.

end insert begin insert

(C) Dropout rates in middle or high schools.

end insert begin insert

(D) Local crime rates.

end insert begin insert

(E) The number of foster youth.

end insert begin insert

(2) A commitment to do all of the following:

end insert begin insert

(A) Align the program or strategies to the local educational
agency’s local control and accountability plan (LCAP), and include
measurable goals in the local educational agency’s LCAP.

end insert begin insert

(B) Address the needs of each pupil subgroup, as identified in
the LCAP of the local educational agency.

end insert begin insert

(C) Implement a community schools strategy, pursuant to
paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), for the purpose of reducing
truancy and supporting pupils who are at risk of dropping out of
school or are victims of crime.

end insert begin insert

(D) Engage pupils, families, the community, and partners in
planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

end insert begin insert

(E) Maintain a team, including school personnel, that is
responsible for overall operations.

end insert begin insert

(F) Monitor and evaluate program or strategy outputs, including
the evaluation rubrics adopted by the state board, and provide a
report of outputs at a regularly scheduled public meeting of the
governing board of the local educational agency.

end insert begin insert

(3) How the program or strategies will be sustained subsequent
to the planning grant period.

end insert begin insert

(4) How the program or strategies will be monitored and
evaluated.

end insert begin insert

(c) Planning grant funds pursuant to this article may be used
for any of the following purposes:

end insert begin insert

(1) Development and initial implementation of a community
schools strategy, to coordinate and integrate delivery of
educational, developmental, family, health, and other
comprehensive services to pupils and their families through
community-based organizations and public and private
partnerships, which strategy shall include all of the following:

end insert begin insert

(A) Assessing and meeting academic, social, emotional, physical
health, and mental health needs of pupils.

end insert begin insert

(B) Identifying school and community resources, and developing
partnerships with community and service providers.

end insert begin insert

(C) Cross-agency collaboration.

end insert begin insert

(D) Integration of services.

end insert begin insert

(E) Establishment of a team, including school personnel, that
is responsible for overall operations.

end insert begin insert

(2) Technical assistance and professional development in
community schools strategies.

end insert begin insert

(3) Community schools planning activities.

end insert begin insert

(4) Initial costs of implementing new activities and services, or
improving or expanding upon existing activities and services.

end insert begin insert

(d) The department shall do all of the following:

end insert begin insert

(1) Conduct outreach regarding the Safe Neighborhood and
Schools planning grants to local educational agencies that are
located in communities with high crime rates, as determined by
local crime statistics, or have high rates of any of the following,
as determined by school-level data:

end insert begin insert

(A) Chronic absenteeism.

end insert begin insert

(B) Pupil suspension.

end insert begin insert

(C) Middle or high school dropout rates.

end insert begin insert

(D) Foster youth.

end insert begin insert

(2) Provide training and technical assistance to local
educational agencies that receive funding pursuant to this article.

end insert begin insert

(3) Coordinate training and technical assistance for local
educational agencies that do not receive funding pursuant to this
article.

end insert begin insert

(e) The department may use up to 5 percent of funds allocated
to the department pursuant to the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools
Act for administrative costs.

end insert begin insert

(f) Funds made available to a local educational agency pursuant
to this article may be used only to supplement, and not supplant,
any other federal, state, or local funds that would otherwise be
available to carry out the activities described in this article. It is
the intent of the Legislature that any ongoing costs for activities
pursuant to this article be paid for by the participating local
educational agency.

end insert