BILL NUMBER: SB 527 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 6, 2016
AMENDED IN SENATE JANUARY 13, 2016
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 20, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Senator Liu
FEBRUARY 26, 2015
An act to add Article 14 10
(commencing with Section 33480) 33430)
to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of
of, and to repeal Section 33434 of, the
Education Code, relating to education finance.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 527, as amended, Liu. Education finance: Safe Neighborhoods and
Schools Planning Grants. Fund: Learning
Communities for School Success Program.
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 establish the Learning Communities for School
Success Program for the purpose of implementing that
grant program, subject to an appropriation to the Safe Neighborhoods
and Schools Fund in the annual Budget Act or another measure for the
purposes of the bill. The bill would specify the administrative
duties and responsibilities of the State Department of
Education department with respect to the
administration, subject to an
appropriation in the Budget Act of 2016 or another measure enacted
during the 2015-16 Regular Session of the Legislature, of Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools planning program, including
administering grants and coordinating assistance to
local educational agencies, as defined. The bill would set forth
criteria to guide the department in awarding planning
grants under the program, program
and would specify the purposes for which the planning
grant funds may be used. The bill would require the
department to submit a final evaluation of the program to the
Legislature on or before January 31, 2020.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all
of the following:
(a) The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, approved as
Proposition 47 by the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide
general election (the act), made significant changes to the state's
criminal justice system by reducing the penalties for certain
nonviolent, nonserious drug and property crimes. The act requires the
state savings realized from these criminal justice changes to be
deposited in the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund and spent on
prevention and support services with the intent of reducing crime,
including truancy and dropout prevention.
(b) The act requires 25 percent of the moneys deposited in the
Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund to be allocated to the State
Department of Education for administration of a grant program to
reduce truancy and support pupils who are at risk of dropping out of
school or who are victims of crime.
(c) In accordance with the act, the funding provided to K-12
education should be used to help build the capacity of local
educational agencies to identify and implement evidence-based,
nonpunitive programs and practices to keep our most vulnerable pupils
in school, consistent with each local educational agency's local
control and accountability plan, including, but not limited to, its
goals for pupil engagement and school climate.
(d) California needs to increase the knowledge base concerning
which strategies are most effective for improving pupil success and
eliminating the school-to-prison pipeline. One manner in which this
can be accomplished is for the local educational agencies
participating in the K-12 education grant program pursuant to the act
to report and evaluate outcomes using multiple measures, while
engaging in a broader community of practice that disseminates
promising and proven strategies to local educational agencies
statewide.
SEC. 2. Article 10 (commencing with Section 33430)
is added to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the
Education Code , to read:
Article 10. The Learning Communities for School Success
Program
33430. The Learning Communities for School Success Program is
hereby established for the purpose of implementing, pursuant to
paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 7599.2 of the Government
Code, the K-12 education portion of the Safe Neighborhoods and
Schools Act, as approved as Proposition 47 by the voters at the
November 4, 2014, statewide general election. Through this program,
the department shall administer grants and coordinate assistance to
local educational agencies to support the local educational agencies
in identifying and implementing evidence-based, nonpunitive programs
and practices that are aligned with the goals for pupils contained in
each of the local educational agency's local control and
accountability plan pursuant to Section 47606.5, 52060, or 52066, as
applicable.
33431. (a) A local educational agency that chooses to apply for
funding pursuant to this article shall submit an application to the
department to receive a grant, in a format and by a date determined
by the department. An application submitted to the department by a
local educational agency shall include, at a minimum, all of the
following:
(1) Information about the pupil and school needs within the local
educational agency.
(2) The activities the local educational agency will undertake
with the grant funding.
(3) How the activities specified in paragraph (2) support the
local educational agency's goals for pupils contained in its local
control and accountability plan
(4) How the local educational agency will measure outcomes
associated with the activities specified in subdivision (e) and
metrics reported in the local educational agency's local control and
accountability plan.
(b) An application shall be for three years of grant funding.
Consistent with the provisions of this article, the department may
establish requirements for grantees to meet at the end of the first
and second years of funding in order to receive funding for the
remaining grant period.
(c) The department shall determine eligibility for grants and the
distribution of grant funding based on all of the following factors:
(1) Pupil and school needs the local educational agency will
address with the grant funds.
(2) Number of pupils to be served with the grant funds.
(3) Number, size, and type of participating schools within the
local educational agency.
(4) Any challenges the local educational agency experiences in
building capacity for fulfilling the purposes of this article.
(5) The unique characteristics of small school districts, given
their challenges with economies of scale and access to services in
rural locations.
(d) (1) Before the initial application deadline, the department
shall conduct targeted outreach to local educational agencies that
are likely to be given priority pursuant to subdivision (b) of
Section 33432 and shall offer the local educational agencies
technical assistance as they develop their grant applications.
(2) The department may provide technical assistance with
application development to any local educational agency that requests
assistance. This may include assistance from external entities the
department may contract with as part of the training and technical
assistance structure established pursuant to Section 33433.
(e) The department shall issue application guidelines that
include, at a minimum, information on the outcome metrics the
department will use to evaluate the program. When determining outcome
metrics, the department shall consider metrics currently being
collected and used by existing federal, state, or local programs.
Consistent with the objective of the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools
Act to reduce crime, including truancy and dropout prevention, the
department shall consider using metrics for pupil truancy and school
dropout, among others.
(f) In meeting the requirements of this section, the department
shall consult with stakeholders, including, but not limited to,
representatives of local educational agencies, teachers and other
school personnel, parents, advocacy organizations with experience
working with target vulnerable populations, and parent- and
youth-serving community-based organizations. It the intent of the
Legislature that stakeholders provide input to the department on the
design of the application and review process, including the size of
the grant awards. The stakeholders shall not be involved in
determining who will be awarded grants.
33432. (a) A local educational agency that receives a grant shall
use the grant funds for planning, implementation, and evaluation of
activities in support of evidence-based, nonpunitive programs and
practices to keep the state's most vulnerable pupils in school,
consistent with the local educational agency's goals for the pupil
engagement and school climate state priorities as identified in its
local control and accountability plan pursuant to Section 47606.5,
52060, or 52066, as applicable. These activities may include, but are
not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Establishing a community school, as defined in Section 33435.
(2) Implementing activities or programs to improve attendance and
reduce chronic absenteeism, including, but not limited to, early
warning systems or early intervention programs.
(3) Implementing restorative practices, restorative justice
models, or other programs to improve retention rates, reduce
suspensions and other school removals, and reduce the referral of
pupils to law enforcement agencies.
(4) Implementing activities that advance social-emotional
learning, positive behavior interventions and supports, culturally
responsive practices, and trauma-informed strategies.
(5) Establishing partnerships with community-based organizations
or other relevant entities to support the implementation of
evidence-based, nonpunitive approaches to further the goals of the
program.
(b) In selecting grant recipients pursuant to this article, the
department shall give priority to a local educational agency that
meets any of the following criteria:
(1) (A) Has a high rate of chronic absenteeism, out-of-school
suspension, or school dropout for the general pupil population or for
a numerically significant pupil subgroup, as identified in a local
control and accountability plan pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (3) of
subdivision (a) of Section 52052.
(B) For purposes of this paragraph, "high rate" means a rate that
exceeds the state average.
(2) Is located in a community with a high crime rate.
(3) Has a significant representation of foster youth among its
pupil enrollment.
(c) A local educational agency that receives a grant shall provide
a local contribution of matching expenditures equal to at least 20
percent of the total grant award. This local contribution can be from
cash expenditures or in-kind contributions. A local educational
agency is encouraged to exceed the 20-percent match requirement to
enable the local educational agency to sustain the activities or
programs established under this article beyond the three-year grant
period.
(d) A local educational agency that receives a grant shall use the
grant funds to supplement and not supplant the existing resources
the local educational agency currently allocates for purposes
specified in this article.
(e) A local educational agency shall not use grant funds to pay
for law enforcement activities, including personnel or equipment.
33433. (a) The department shall use the funding the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools Act authorizes for administrative costs
pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 7599.2 of the Government Code,
which is no more than 5 percent of the annual funding the department
receives from the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund, for the
administrative costs of implementing this article, including, but not
limited to, administering grant awards, coordinating the training
and technical assistance structure described in subdivision (b), and
completing the evaluation pursuant to Section 33434.
(b) The department shall establish a structure to deliver training
and technical assistance to grantees using regional workshops and
technical assistance providers that have expertise on pupil
engagement, school climate, truancy reduction, and supporting pupils
who are at risk of dropping out of school or who are victims of
crime. The department may contract with those providers to assist the
grantees as well as to serve as a resource for other local
educational agencies that may use their own funding sources to engage
in this community of practice.
33434. (a) A local educational agency that receives grant funding
pursuant to this article shall evaluate and report to the governing
board of the school district, the county board of education, or its
chartering authority, as applicable, and the department the results
of the activities it undertakes pursuant to this article. The
department shall compile information from grantee reports as part of
an overall evaluation of the grant program implementation. The
department shall assess the benefits of participation in the program
and identify the pupil and school outcomes associated with the
strategies and programs implemented by grantees. The department shall
submit an interim report of preliminary evaluation findings to the
Legislature on or before January 31, 2019, and a final evaluation
report to the Legislature on or before January 31, 2020.
(b) (1) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall
be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this
section is repealed on January 31, 2024.
33435. For purposes of this article, the following definitions
apply:
(a) "Community school" means a public school that participates in
a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational,
developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services
through community-based organizations and public and private
partnerships with one or more community partners for the delivery of
community services that may be provided at a school site to pupils,
families, and community members.
(b) "Local educational agency" means a school district, county
office of education, or charter school.
33436. This article shall not become operative unless funds are
appropriated in the annual Budget Act or another statute to the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools Fund in accordance with the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools Act for the purposes specified in this
article.
SECTION 1. 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 Planning Grants
33480. (a) 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 to the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools Act, approved as Proposition 47 by the
voters on November 4, 2014, the department shall administer the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools planning grants for the purpose of
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.
(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.
(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:
(A) Chronic absenteeism.
(B) Pupil suspension.
(C) Dropout rates in middle or high schools.
(D) Foster youth.
(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:
(1) Local needs based on school-level data for any of the
following:
(A) Chronic absenteeism.
(B) Pupil suspensions.
(C) Dropout rates in middle or high schools.
(D) Local crime rates.
(E) The number of foster youth.
(2) A commitment to do all of the following:
(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.
(B) Address the needs of each pupil subgroup, as identified in the
LCAP of the local educational agency.
(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.
(D) Engage pupils, families, the community, and partners in
planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
(E) Maintain a team, including school personnel, that is
responsible for overall operations.
(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.
(3) How the program or strategies will be sustained subsequent to
the planning grant period.
(4) How the program or strategies will be monitored and evaluated.
(c) Planning grant funds pursuant to this article may be used for
any of the following purposes:
(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:
(A) Assessing and meeting academic, social, emotional, physical
health, and mental health needs of pupils.
(B) Identifying school and community resources, and developing
partnerships with community and service providers.
(C) Cross-agency collaboration.
(D) Integration of services.
(E) Establishment of a team, including school personnel, that is
responsible for overall operations.
(2) Technical assistance and professional development in community
schools strategies.
(3) Community schools planning activities.
(4) Initial costs of implementing new activities and services, or
improving or expanding upon existing activities and services.
(d) The department shall do all of the following:
(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:
(A) Chronic absenteeism.
(B) Pupil suspension.
(C) Middle or high school dropout rates.
(D) Foster youth.
(2) Provide training and technical assistance to local educational
agencies that receive funding pursuant to this article.
(3) Coordinate training and technical assistance for local
educational agencies that do not receive funding pursuant to this
article.
(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.
(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.