BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1777
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Date of Hearing: August 16, 2006
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Judy Chu, Chair
SB 1777 (Alarcon) - As Amended: August 10, 2006
Policy Committee: Education Vote:7-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to establish a process to accept and review applications
from county offices of education (COEs) and school districts
requesting funding for foster children attending juvenile court
schools. It also sunsets these provisions on January 1, 2012.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the SPI to approve an application, if the applicant
meets either one of the following criteria: (a) a COE that
provides educational services to a foster child through a
juvenile court school, as specified, or (b) a school district
or COE that provides educational services to a pupil who is a
foster child transferring to a district or COE from a juvenile
detention hall or probation camp who has received educational
services through a juvenile court school.
2)Requires each COE that receives funding to designate staff
persons as transition counselors, as specified.
3)Requires each COE, beginning with the fiscal year (FY) 2006-07
until and including the FY 2010-11, to receive supplemental
funding, in addition to its revenue limit funding (general
purpose funding), as specified.
4)Requires a school district or COE that provides educational
services to foster children who transition to public school,
and is funded under these provisions, to receive funding in
any FY that funding is provided in the annual budget act for
these purposes, as specified.
5)Requires the State Department of Education (SDE) to submit a
SB 1777
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report, on or before January 1, 2010, to the Legislature
evaluating the effectiveness of the additional funding
provided by the SPI.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)GF (Proposition 98) cost pressure, of at least $600,000, to
provide funding for this pilot program.
2)GF administrative costs to the SDE of approximately $175,000
to implement the provisions of this bill.
3)The 2006 Budget Act provides $8.2 million for Foster Youth
Services programs, which (a) identify the needs of foster
youth, (b) provide educational and social support services,
and (c) improve student academic achievement and reduce
juvenile delinquency. Of this amount, $643,000 was provided
to serve COEs that operate juvenile court schools (see comment
#2 below).
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . According to Los Angeles County Office of Education
(LACOE), the sponsor of this bill, "A high percentage of
foster children are performing substantially below grade
level, are being retained at least one year in the same grade
level, and become school dropouts. Current funding levels are
inadequate to provide all the necessary educational services
for incarcerated foster youth who are enrolled in juvenile
court schools. Additionally, these students are significantly
at-risk for academic failure once they return to their home
school districts."
This bill proposes to provide additional funding to school
districts or COEs educating foster children in juvenile court
schools.
2)AB 1808, Chapter 75, Statutes of 2006 expanded the Foster
Youth Services education program. Prior to Chapter 75,
this program only served a consortium of six unified school
districts and districts that have children who reside in a
licensed or approved foster home. Chapter 75 expanded this
program to allow COEs, or a consortium of COEs, to apply to
the SPI for funding to serve foster youth who reside in a
licensed foster home or county-operated juvenile detention
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facility.
The committee may wish to consider the need for establishing a
supplemental funding program for COEs, if Chapter 75 already
expanded the current program for this purpose.
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081