BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 842|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 842
Author: Torlakson (D)
Amended: 8/24/06
Vote: 21
SENATE VOTES NOT RELEVANT
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not available
SUBJECT : Teacher development: recruitment, training,
and retention
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill authorizes an array of initiatives to
improve the recruitment, training and retention of teachers
in Californias schools.
Assembly Amendments delete the prior version of the bill.
As it left the Senate, the bill, authored by Senator
Machado, related to domestic violence and required the
Attorney General to conduct a study of batterer's treatment
programs.
ANALYSIS :
This bill:
1. Authorizes funding to school districts for the purpose
of paying fees for teachers (to a maximum of $1,000 per
CONTINUED
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teacher) in California public school districts and
charter schools who seek certification from the National
Board for Professional Teaching Standard.
2. Amends exemptions from taking the California Basic
Educational Skills Test for certain certificated
persons.
3. Resumes the Governor's Teaching Fellowships Program
administered by the California State University (CSU),
to begin awarding fellowships in 2007-08 (to a maximum
of $20,000 over four years) to teaching credential
candidates during their candidacy and during years in
which they teach in high-priority schools, reduces
membership on the intersegmental review and selection
committee appointed by the Governor and requires an
annual report from CSU.
4. Establishes, until January 1, 2015, the California
Teacher Cadet Program (CTCP) to be operated by the
California Center on Teaching Careers, in conjunction
with the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the
Chancellor of CSU, to encourage high school pupils to
consider a career in teaching, requires CSU to establish
an advisory committee, to evaluate this program and
report to the Legislature by January 1, 2010, and
appropriates $475,000 for the support of various costs
associated with this program.
5. Expresses the intent of the Legislature to create a
competitive grant program for institutions of higher
education to collaborate with schools to create and
implement professional development schools for teacher
education.
Comments
According to the author, "More than 20,000 teachers are
under-prepared and each day more than 400,000 students are
being shortchanged by the serious lack of investment in
recruiting, training and retaining a diverse pool of
qualified teachers. The problem is particularly acute in
low-performing, "high-priority" schools, where a
significant number of students fail to meet rigorous state
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and federal academic performance standards. This bill,
through a multi-faceted approach seeks to provide more
opportunities and incentives that will help to deal with
the maldistribution of qualified teachers and combat the
looming shortage of teachers at a time when record numbers
are planning to retire and retention numbers for new
teachers have weakened."
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:
1. General Fund (GF) (Proposition 98) cost pressure up to
$2 million annually to pay fees for teachers seeking
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
certification.
2. GF pressure of up to several million initially, and over
$10 million within a few years for resumption of the
Governor's Teaching Fellowships Program.
3. One-time GF appropriation totaling $475,000 for the CTCP
and the advisory committee.
4. GF pressure of $3 million in 2007-08 for the competitive
grant program.
NC:mel 8/30/06 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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