BILL ANALYSIS
AB 364
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Date of Hearing: April 22, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 364 (Torlakson) - As Introduced: February 23, 2009
Policy Committee: Education
Vote:8-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the California After School Teacher
Pipeline (CASTP) program, until July 1, 2016, to recruit
qualified after school instructors to participate on a pilot
basis in the California Paraprofessional Teacher Training (CPTT)
program. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires $150,000 in the After School Education and Safety
(ASES) program administration funding, beginning in the
2009-10 fiscal year (FY), to be annually transferred from the
State Department of Education (SDE) to the Commission on
Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for the CASTP program.
2)Requires the CTC to select four local education agencies
(LEAs) currently receiving CPTT program funds to participate
in the CASTP program.
3)Requires the CTC to award a grant to selected CASTP program
participants that does not exceed $3,500 per after school
instructor, per year. This bill also authorizes the CTC to
award funding for "regular" after school instructors (who do
not participate in the CPTT program) to the extent that funds
are available, as specified.
4)Requires the CTC, on or before January 1, 2015, to report to
the Legislature regarding the CASTP program, as specified.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Reallocation of $150,000 GF/98 administrative funds from the
ASES program to the CTC to establish the CASTP program. For
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the 2008-09 FY, SDE received approximately $8.25 million GF/98
for administrative duties associated with the ASES program.
Of this amount, approximately $2.75 million goes directly to
SDE and the remaining amount, $5.5 million, provides technical
assistance to ASES grantees through various entities.
2)GF/98 cost pressure, likely in excess of $123,000, to the CTTP
program. This assumes a two percent participant increase in
this program beyond the approximately 1,726 paraprofessionals
being served by 37 LEAs in 2007-08. The 2009 Budget Act
allocates $5 million GF/98 for this program, which includes a
base reduction of 19.8%.
3)GF/98 cost pressure, likely in excess of $3.5 million, for the
CASTP program to serve approximately five percent of after
school staff in the state. While the bill does provide
$150,000 GF/98 for this program, this will only serve a total
of 42 after-school staff at a rate of $3,500. There are
approximately 20,000 after school staff in the state.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . The ASES program, as renamed and revised by
Proposition 49 in 2002, funds the establishment of local
before and after school education and enrichment programs.
These programs are created through partnerships between
schools and local community resources to provide literacy,
academic enrichment and safe alternatives for students in
kindergarten through ninth grade. Funding is designed to: (a)
maintain existing before and after school program funding and
(b) provide eligibility to all elementary and middle schools
that submit quality applications throughout California.
There are approximately 4,000 schools in the state that
operate an after school program. These programs employ
approximately 20,000 after school staff who directly supervise
students. According to the author, "Many of these after
school program staff are well suited and well qualified to
enter a teacher training program; however, not all are
employed by an LEA. Under current law, only employees of LEA's
are eligible to participate in the CPTT program. This bill
would enable after school program employees of a school's
partner agencies, such as a city, county, or non-profit
organization, to receive this benefit in a pilot. After school
employees are more likely to be representative of the
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community in which they work. In keeping with the original
intent of the CPTT program, providing a career ladder for
these after school instructors will diversify the teacher
workforce and encourage community members to work in their
local schools."
2)The California Paraprofessional Teacher Training (CPTT)
program , administered by the CTC, provides funding to LEAs to
defray the expenses of paraprofessional participants
completing requirements for a preliminary teaching credential.
Program participants are required to commit to completing
credential requirements and one year of classroom instruction
in the school district or county office of education (COE),
and in exchange they receive assistance for books, fees and
tuition while attending an institution of higher education.
Candidates who do not fulfill these requirements must repay
all of the assistance received from the program. LEAs receive
$3,500 per participant for this program.
3)Categorical Program Flexibility . As part of the February 2009
budget process, LEAs were provided with unprecedented fiscal
and policy flexibility related to categorical programs until
2013. Specifically, any LEA that received funding for
specified categorical programs in the 2008-09 fiscal year is
authorized to use this funding for any other educational
purpose. The LEA may choose to continue operating the
categorical program that it received funding for or redirect
it for any other educational purpose it deems appropriate.
The CPTT program falls within this flexibility.
The committee may wish to consider whether or not it is
appropriate to establish a new pilot program (i.e., CASTP)
that would not be subject to the full flexibility requirements
provided until 2013, like the majority of categorical
programs.
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081