BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SB 527
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Author: |Liu |
|-----------+-----------------------------------------------------|
|Version: |April 20, 2015 Hearing |
| |Date: April 29, 2015 |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Consultant:|Lenin Del Castillo |
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Education finance: Safe Neighborhoods and Schools
Fund Grant Program
SUMMARY
This bill establishes various requirements for the grant program
authorized by the Safe Neighborhoods and School Act (approved by
voters as Proposition 47 in November 2014) for truancy and
dropout prevention. This program is to be administered by the
California Department of Education (CDE).
BACKGROUND
The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act was approved by voters as
Proposition 47 in November 2014 and makes significant changes to
the state's criminal justice system. It reduces the penalties
for certain non-violent, non-serious drug and property crimes,
and requires that the resulting state savings be spent on 1)
mental health and substance use services; 2) truancy and dropout
prevention; and 3) victim services. Further, Proposition 47
requires that 25 percent of the Safe Neighborhoods School Fund
be allocated to the CDE to administer a grant program to reduce
truancy, high school dropout, and student victimization rates.
ANALYSIS
This bill:
1. Adds various legislative findings and declarations,
including:
SB 527 (Liu) Page 2
of ?
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 CDE to administer a grand 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.
2. Establishes in statute the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools
Fund Grant Program under the administration of the
California Department of Education (CDE) and the Safe
Neighborhoods and School Fund (SNSF), pursuant to the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools Act, approved as Proposition 47
by voters on November 4, 2014.
3. Requires the CDE to comply with the following requirements
in order to improve 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:
SB 527 (Liu) Page 3
of ?
A. All local educational agencies (LEAs)
in the state shall be eligible to apply and specifies
that an LEA is a school district, county office of
education, or charter school.
B. The program shall reward LEAs 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. Requires the plan to create a
strong and supportive school culture that identifies
and addresses the needs of pupils, as specified, and
coordinate pupil support programs with community-based
providers or public agencies, or both, at school sites
and across the LEA.
C. An LEA receiving a grant shall show at
a minimum that it has designed, and is committed to
implementing, all of the following:
(1) A three-year plan,
developed through its local control and
accountability plan or otherwise, to accomplish
all of the following:
(a) Significantly reduce class and
school removals, absences, violent incidents
on campus, and referrals to law enforcement
agencies.
(b) Implement one or more
research-based, whole school approaches, as
specified, to reengage and reconnect pupils
who have been pushed out.
(c) Identify and address disparities
in areas, as specified, and with respect to
subgroups addressed by the Local Control
Funding Formula, including English learners,
foster youth, low-income pupils, pupils with
disabilities, and ethnic subgroups.
SB 527 (Liu) Page 4
of ?
(2) A robust data
system to collect and disaggregate data, as
specified, and that includes a survey that
measures the pupils' sense of safety and pupil
connectedness to monitor progress in these areas.
(3) 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, as specified.
(4) An evaluation
system that involves key stakeholders, as
specified, to assess effectiveness related to
addressing the social, emotional, and behavioral
needs of pupils and developing strong,
supportive, and positive school climates.
4. Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to
issue a request for proposal no later than October to all
local educational agencies (LEAs) in the state for each
fiscal year that there are funds available from the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools Fund. Provides that LEAs serving
high percentages of unduplicated pupils with high needs, as
specified, shall be prioritized to receive these funds.
Requires that grants be awarded no later than April 15 of
each fiscal year.
5. Requires that the funds provided to LEAs be utilized only
to further implementation of the three-year plan and the
other minimum commitments, as specified, through each of
the following:
A. Professional development, training, and
coaching for teachers, school administrators, pupils,
parents, counselors, administrative staff, and members
of school district governing boards.
B. Investments in social services, health,
mental health, restorative justice, and youth
development staff, agencies, and providers.
SB 527 (Liu) Page 5
of ?
C. 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.
6. Prohibits the funds from being used for either of the
following purposes:
A. To supplant existing funding to meet
the requirements of the school climate, engagement, or
other state priority areas in the local control and
accountability plans.
B. For law enforcement agencies or entities, public
or private.
7. Requires an LEA that has received funding to submit annual
outcomes-based data for evaluation, as specified, 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. Requires the CDE to
consider the data submitted when making determinations for
eligibility for future funding.
8. Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to
consult with a stakeholder group, as specified, in making
determinations regarding the awarding of grants, in
assessing whether grant recipients are meeting the minimum
requirements, as specified, and starting in year two of the
grant cycle, in assisting with developing or amending the
requests for proposals.
STAFF COMMENTS
1. Need for the bill. According to the author's office,
"positive school climate is directly related to academic
achievement. New Local Control Funding Formula state
priorities include a focus on improving school climate
measure in part by suspension and expulsion rates. Studies
have shown that one suspension greatly increases the
likelihood that a student will drop out and become involved
SB 527 (Liu) Page 6
of ?
in the juvenile justice system. Removing students from
school through the disciplinary exclusion also increase the
risk that they will become victims of violent crime.
Exposure to trauma is associated with a higher risk for
school dropout and in turn, dropping out of school
increases the risk of being imprisoned. Students of color,
foster youth, and students with disabilities are
disproportionately impacted by school removals. In
addition, behavioral problems among school-age youth are
associated with high rates of depression, experiencing a
traumatic or violent event, and other significant home-life
stress. 65 percent of students with an "emotional
disturbance" drop out of school. This dropout rate is the
highest of all other disability categories.
School-age youth who are depressed, have experienced a
traumatic or violent event, and other significant home-life
stresses are more likely to be suspended or expelled. The
American Academy of Pediatrics has found that suspension
can increase stress and may predispose students to
antisocial behavior and even suicidal ideation.
Psychologists have similarly found that disciplinary
exclusion policies can increase "student share, alienation,
rejection, and breaking of healthy adult bonds," thereby
exacerbating negative outcomes for young people."
This bill is intended to provide specificity in statute
regarding the awarding of the Safe Neighborhoods and
Schools grant funds. Specifically, it would target the
funding of grants towards local educational agencies (LEAs)
who have developed three plans in their local control
accountability plans (LCAPs) to develop research-based,
school wide approaches to addressing social, emotional, and
behavioral issues.
2. Report on Proposition 47. The Legislative Analyst's Office
(LAO) released a report on the Implementation of
Proposition 47 in February 2015. In the report, the LAO
indicates that while the state savings that will result
from Proposition 47 is subject to significant uncertainty,
annual savings will likely range from $100 million to $200
million beginning in 2016-17. The LAO also notes that
although Proposition 47 states that these savings shall be
deposited into a new state fund, the new Safe Neighborhood
SB 527 (Liu) Page 7
of ?
and Schools Fund (SNSF), and be allocated for grant
programs administered by specific departments, the
Legislature has the opportunity to provide direction on how
the funds are spent. Specifically, the Legislature could
weigh in on 1) how the individual departments should
distribute the funds and 2) how much state oversight to
provide to ensure that the funds are being spent
effectively.
Proposition 47 requires that 25 percent of the SNSF be allocated
to the California Department of Education (CDE) to administer a
grant program to reduce truancy, high school dropout, and
student victimization rates. The Legislative Analyst OfficeLAO
estimates that the amount available for this grant program will
likely total between $25 million and $50 million annually
beginning in 2016-17. The LAO recommended in its report that
the Legislature allocate the grants for truancy, high school
dropout prevention, and student victimization rates to school
districts that have notably high concentrations of English
learners, low-income, or foster youth, as these students are at
higher risk for these concerning outcomes.
3. Truancy in schools. California's compulsory education law
requires all students between the ages of six and 18 to
attend school full-time. Parents and legal guardians are
responsible for ensuring that children attend school. A
student who is absent from school without a valid excuse
for more than 30 minutes on three days in a school year is
considered a truant. The law requires that parents or
legal guardians are notified when their children has been
classified as a truant and reminded of their obligation to
compel the attendance of pupils at school. Upon a pupil's
third truancy in a school year and following a district's
effort to hold a conference with the parent or legal
guardian and the pupil, a pupil is classified as a habitual
truant and may be referred to a school attendance review
board (SARB) or to the local probation officer. Upon a
fourth truancy, students and/or their parents or legal
guardians may be fined. In 2012-13, the California
Department of Education (CDE) reported a truancy rate of
29.28% with 1.9 million students considered truants.
According to the CDE, students who are chronically absent
in lower grades are much less likely to be proficient
SB 527 (Liu) Page 8
of ?
readers and have higher levels of suspensions. Chronic
absence in the sixth grade is the most predictive indicator
that a student will not graduate from high school.
In 2013, the Attorney General's (AG's) office released a
report, "In School and On Track" on the truancy of
elementary school kids. The AG argues that truancy at the
elementary level has negative impacts on the students, who
are more likely to drop out of high school, public safety
when students become more likely to become involved with
gangs, substance abuse, and incarceration. There are also
negative impacts on school districts who attendance funding
and on the economy, due to lost economic productivity and
revenues.
SUPPORT
Advancement Project
Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
American Civil Liberties Union of California
Black Parallel School Board
Brotherhood Crusade
California Alliance of African American Educators
California Federation of Teachers
Californians for Justice
Californians United for a Responsible Budget
Centro CHA, Inc.
Children Now
Children's Defense Fund
Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth
Community Asset Development Redefining Education
Dizzy Feet Foundation
Dolores Huerta Foundation
Equal Justice Society
GSA Network of California
Labor/Community Strategy Center
Legal Services for Children
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy
Los Angeles Community Action Network
Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust
National Center for Youth Law
Our Family Coalition
SB 527 (Liu) Page 9
of ?
PICO California
Public Counsel
Social Justice Learning Institute
T.R.U.S.T. South LA
Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles
Visual and Performing Arts Education
Youth Justice Coalition
Youth Leadership Institute
OPPOSITION
None received.
-- END --