BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
167 (Adams)
Hearing Date: 06/29/2009 Amended: 06/17/2009
Consultant: Dan Troy Policy Vote: ED 8-0
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 167 would exempt pupils in foster care from
district graduation requirements that exceed state requirements
if the pupil transfers to the district, or transfers from one
high school to another within a district, in the 11th or 12th
grade. The bill would require the district to notify the pupil
if the exemption granted would affect the pupil's ability to
gain admission to postsecondary institution and to provide
information about transfer opportunities available through the
California Community Colleges.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Fund
Exemption notifications $75 to $150, annually
General*
* Counts toward meeting the Proposition 98 minimum funding
guarantee
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STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
In addition to passing both portions of the California High
School Exit Exam, current law requires the completion of the
following courses to receive a high school diploma:
Three years of English.
Two years of mathematics.
Two years of science, including biological and physical
science.
Three years of social studies, including: United States
history and geography, one semester of government and one
of economics.
One year of visual or performing arts or a foreign
language.
Two years of physical education, unless exempted.
Current law also allows school district governing boards to add
additional requirements beyond those specified in law, such as
health or other courses that meet requirements for admission to
the University of California or the California State University
(a-g requirements).
By waiving district-specific requirements, this bill would make
it easier for certain pupils in foster care to graduate by age
19 (foster care may extend to age 19 depending on certain
circumstances, including educational status). As exemption from
these requirements may prevent a pupil from meeting a-g
requirements, this bill would require districts to notify pupils
who receive exemptions if these exemptions will affect their
ability to gain admission to postsecondary educational
institutions and to provide information about community college
transfer opportunities.
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AB 167 (Adams)
Available data indicates that there are 73,000 children in
California's foster care system. Typically, these children will
transfer to new homes multiple times before exiting the system,
and these transfers will frequently move children to different
school districts. A report from the California Education
Collaborative for Children in Foster Care suggest that foster
youth face significant obstacles toward completing a high school
degree, as indicated by the fact that only 46 percent obtain a
diploma and less than 3 percent attend a four-year college.
Assuming 2,500 to 5,000 annual notifications are necessitated by
this bill, this bill would result in state reimbursable mandated
costs of $75,000 to $150,000.
AB 2138 (Adams, 2008), legislation substantially similar to this
bill, was vetoed by the Governor last year. The Governor's veto
message expressed concern that this bill would usurp the
authority of local school boards to establish their own
graduation requirements and noted that boards could exempt
students from local requirements at their own discretion.