BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    SB 1455


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          Date of Hearing:  June 28, 2016


                       ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS


                                 Jacqui Irwin, Chair


          SB  
          1455 (Block) - As Amended June 8, 2016


          SENATE VOTE:  38-0


          SUBJECT:  Pupil enrollment:  military dependents


          SUMMARY:  Provides that a student meets residency requirements  
          for school attendance if the student's parent is transferred or  
          is pending transfer to a military installation that is within  
          the boundaries of the school district.  Specifically, this bill:  
           


          1)Provides that a pupil complies with the residency requirements  
            for school attendance in a school district, if he or she is a  
            pupil whose parent is transferred or is pending transfer to a  
            military installation within the boundaries of the school  
            district while on active military duty pursuant to an official  
            military order.


          2)Defines "active military duty" to mean full-time military duty  
            status in the active uniformed service of the United States,  
            including members of the California National Guard and the  
            State Military Reserve on active duty orders pursuant to Title  
            10 or 32 of the United States Code or Part 1 (commencing with  








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            Section 100) of Division 2 of the Military and Veterans Code.


          3)Defines "military installation" to mean a base, camp, post,  
            station, yard, center, homeport facility for any ship, or  
            other activity under the jurisdiction of the Department of  
            Defense or the United States Coast Guard.


          4)Defines "parent" to mean the natural or adoptive parent or  
            guardian of a dependent child.


          5)Requires a school district to accept applications by  
            electronic means for enrollment, including enrollment in a  
            specific school or program within the school district, and  
            course registration for pupils.


          6)Requires the parent to provide proof of residence within 10  
            days after the published arrival date provided on official  
            documentation.


          7)Allows a parent to use any of the following addresses as  
            related to his or her military move:


             a)   A temporary on-base billeting facility;


             b)   A purchased or leased home or apartment; or 


             c)   Federal government or public-private venture off-base  
               military housing.


          EXISTING LAW:  The Interstate Compact on Education of Military  








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          Children, Education Code 49700, et seq., is the foundational  
          code here.


          FISCAL EFFECT:  According to the Senate Appropriations  
          Committee, "No anticipated significant costs to the state.  This  
          bill may result in a reimbursable state mandate but costs  
          associated with the requirement for a school district to accept  
          electronic applications for enrollment and course registration  
          are expected to be minor.  In addition, because state funding is  
          provided to school districts for student attendance, this  
          funding would likely offset any additional costs related to this  
          requirement.  





          COMMENTS:  According to the author:


               Need for the bill. It is common for military service  
               members to be reassigned to new duty stations every three  
               to four years, oftentimes requiring them and their families  
               to relocate.  Depending on mission and training  
               requirements for parents in the military, school-aged  
               children many times must move during the school year which  
               can significantly disadvantage them due to missed deadlines  
               for course and program enrollment and/or registration.   
               Currently, children of military service members  
               transferring on official military Permanent Change of  
               Station (PCS) orders to California are not eligible to  
               register in high school courses, enroll in specialized  
               academic programs, or submit their children's names for  
               consideration in random lotteries for charter or magnet  
               school entry until they are physically located within  
               district boundaries.  This bill allows the child to meet  
               residency requirements for school attendance if the child's  
               parent is transferred or is pending transfer to a military  








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               installation that is within the boundaries of the district  
               and allows military families to register for courses and  
               specialized programs remotely by electronic means.  This  
               will provide military children with equal opportunities to  
               access educational experiences as their civilian peers.

          The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military  
          Children.  The Compact is a voluntary agreement that provides  
          for the uniform treatment of military children who transfer  
          between school districts and states.  It allows for a consistent  
          policy structure in every state and district that chooses to  
          join to address student needs for military families when  
          relocating.  California officially joined the Compact upon the  
          passage of AB 343 (Saldana, Chapter 237, Statutes of 2009) and  
          has a state council that informs school districts of the terms  
          of the Compact.  

          While the Compact addresses enrollment, eligibility, placement  
          and graduation for students of military families, it does not  
          include application and course registration timelines.  Since  
          districts currently are not required to reserve spaces for  
          military children and parents might miss deadlines for  
          registration, this may cause students to have to shift their  
          course of study, possibly forcing them to take classes during  
          the summer or graduate later than their peers.  This bill seeks  
          to enhance protections for these students by allowing parents to  
          enroll their children remotely once the parents are transferred  
          or pending transfer.

          Specific Issues Facing Children of Military Families.  Due to  
          the transient nature of military assignments, children of  
          military families can be uniquely disadvantaged due to missed  
          deadlines.  In August 2015, according to Secretary of Defense  
          data, there were 58,287 school-aged children of military  
          families in California.  With military service members  
          reassigned to new duty stations every three or four years,  
          roughly one third of these students will need to transfer  
          schools in any given year.  









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          Although these families typically receive their military orders  
          in early to mid-spring detailing their next destination, they  
          are not able to begin preliminary enrollment and registration  
          for their school-aged children until they are physically in the  
          new school district.  Some heavily military-impacted districts  
          currently allow for online pre-registration for all incoming  
          students, but this does not allow for course registration or  
          application to specialized programs.


          Governor's Military Council Report.  In June 2015 Governor Brown  
          published his military council report which updated the public  
          on the status of military operations in California and outlined  
          recommendations on how they can be strengthened.  It was noted  
          that California has more than 30 major military installations,  
          by far the most of any U.S. state, and consequently is home to a  
          vast number of service members and their children.  


          To help support these families, the report specifically  
          mentioned that "state agencies should identify ways to  
          strengthen educational opportunities for children of military  
          families" as one of its main recommendations.  This bill is  
          aligned with the Military Council's recommendation by  
          facilitating the relocation process for military families to  
          help ease their children's transition to a new school. 


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:




          Support


          Association of California School Administrators









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          Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson


          United States Marine Corps, Brigadier General, Edward D. Banta




          Opposition


          None on file




          Analysis Prepared by:John Spangler / V.A. / (916)  
          319-3550