BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 933 Page 1 Date of Hearing: June 29, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair SB 933 (Allen) - As Amended June 14, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Education |Vote:| | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill establishes the California Teacher Corps program to provide $60 million in one-time Proposition 98 funding for matching grants to local school districts to create or expand teacher residency programs. Grant funding can be used for master teacher stipends, stipends and tuition for residents, and costs of mentoring and induction. Specifically, this bill: 1)Defines a teacher residency program as a school-based teacher preparation program, accredited by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, where prospective teachers teach at least half the time alongside a teacher of record; receive instruction in SB 933 Page 2 the content area being taught and in classroom management; receive a stipend; and receive mentorship, as specified. 2) Appropriates $60 million from the General Fund to the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) on a one-time basis available for the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 fiscal years to make grants to LEAs to assist those agencies with the establishment, maintenance and expansion of teacher residency programs. Priority for grant funding is given to programs that target chronic teacher shortage areas, including special education and bilingual teachers. Requires grants to provide $20,000 per resident of the jurisdiction of the LEA, matched by that LEA. 3) Sets forth various program requirements, including requiring the participant to teach no fewer than nine months in a school chosen by the LEA that is the recipient of a grant. After completing an initial year of preparation, the bill requires the participant to agree to be placed as a teacher of record in a hard-to-staff school within the LEA for at least four years. If these conditions are not met, the participant is required to pay back the cost of the training on a pro rata basis, as specified. 4) Requires the SPI to conduct an evaluation of the program to determine its effectiveness in recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers in chronic teacher shortage areas, including special education and bilingual teachers, and hard to staff schools. FISCAL EFFECT: 1)One-time appropriation of $60 million (Proposition 98/GF). 2)General Fund administrative costs to the California Department of Education (CDE) of $275,000 for each year of the three year grant program ($825,000 total) to develop the competitive SB 933 Page 3 application process and provide ongoing technical assistance. The CDE also estimates General Fund costs of approximately $300,000 to complete the program evaluation. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. According to the author, "California is ranked last in student-to-teacher ratios out of all states. The state would need 135,000 additional teachers just to increase its ratio to the national average. At the same time, several other factors have exacerbated the teacher shortage, including the retirement of a large number of teachers, a decade of teacher layoffs, and a decline in enrollment for teacher credentialing programs. This decimated teaching pool has created a teacher shortage that threatens to leave classrooms empty. Studies show teachers in residency programs are 50% more likely to stay in the profession. Teacher training and mentorship is particularly crucial to meeting the needs of a student population that is increasingly diverse." 2)Comments. This bill includes an appropriation for $60 million (Proposition 98/GF) to be appropriated beginning with the 2016-17 fiscal year. This appropriation was not included in the 2016-17 Budget approved by the Legislature in June, currently pending signature by the Governor. The CDE has expressed concerns with the implantation dates in the bill. According to CDE, they would not be ready to allocate funds during the 2016-17 fiscal year, given the work involved in the development of the application for the first round of funding. The CDE indicates awards, and effective dates, would not be feasible until the 2017-18 school year, or the year following the appropriation. SB 933 Page 4 Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081