BILL ANALYSIS
AB 434
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Date of Hearing: April 22, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 434 (Block) - As Introduced: February 24, 2009
Policy Committee: Education
Vote:10-1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill, for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 fiscal years (FYs) only,
reduces the local match requirement for the After School Safety
and Education (ASES) program from one-third to 15% of the local
agency's grant amount, as specified. Specifically, this bill:
Requires the cost of a program site supervisor to be considered
direct services to pupils, provided that at least 85% of the
site supervisor's time is spent at the program site.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)By reducing the ASES program local match from one-third to
15%, there is the potential effect of serving fewer pupils and
decreasing program quality. For example, if the 377 local
education agencies (LEAs) that received funds in 2008-09 were
to lower their match to 15% for two FYs as proposed by this
measure, there would be $95 million less in matching funds
statewide for ASES programs. Reduced local program funding
will lead to GF/98 cost pressure to increase the amount
allocated for the ASES program to maintain existing service
and/or quality levels.
2)The 2009 Budget Act allocates $547 million GF/98 for the ASES
program. According to the State Department of Education
(SDE), 377 LEAs received ASES grants serving 3,800 schools in
2008-09. Community organizations (e.g., non-profits, etc.)
and local governments may partner with a LEA to receive grants
to operate ASES programs provided that the LEA is the fiscal
agent for the program.
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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.
According to the SDE, over 300,000 pupils were served by ASES
programs in 2007-08.
Since the establishment of a state after school program in
1998, LEAs and their community partners have been required to
contribute a local match in addition to the state's grant
award. The rationale for the match requirement was that in
order for a local program to be successful LEAs should seek
support from the community, such as business, law enforcement,
etc, to aid in building and maintaining the program. Current
law requires the local match to be not less than one-third of
the total grant from the LEA. It further specifies that
facilities or space usage may fulfill no more than 25% of the
required local contribution. Maximum grant awards are
$112,500 per year for elementary schools and $150,000 per year
for middle or junior high schools based on a per pupil amount
of $7.50 per day. ASES programs are required to begin
immediately after school and continue until at least 6 pm.
According to the author, "With the current economic crisis
facing the state at all levels, school districts are not able
to secure and/or provide the necessary matching funds to draw
down this important funding for after school programs. This
bill would temporarily reduce, over the next two fiscal years,
the matching funds by nearly half. This would allow LEAs and
local governments to continue providing homework help,
tutoring, mentoring, time for organized physical activities,
and play time in a safe environment."
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2)Existing law requires an ASES provider to spend 85% of its
grant award on direct services to pupils and authorizes no
more than 15% of funds to be spent on administrative costs.
This bill specifies that the cost of a program site supervisor
shall be considered direct services provided that at least 85%
of the site supervisor's time is spent at the program site.
The term "direct services" is not defined in statute or
regulations. When SDE initiated ASES program reviews two years
ago, the issue of whether or not to count the site
supervisor's salary as direct or administrative costs was in
question. In most cases, the majority of an ASES site
supervisor's work is managing the program; therefore, the bulk
of his or her time is spent at the program site, which would
qualify as a direct service expenditure. The site supervisor's
remaining time may be spent at the LEA's main office
conducting administrative duties. This bill clarifies this
issue.
3)Proportionate reduction to local facility match . This measure
proposes to reduce the total local match from one-third to
15%. Current law specifies that facilities or space usage may
fulfill no more than 25% of the required local contribution
(i.e., the one-third). While this bill proposes to reduce the
local match, it does not reduce the 25% requirement that
facilities may count toward the local match. The committee
may wish to consider amending this bill to reduce the facility
percentage of the local match in proportion to the overall
match reduction.
4)Proposition 49, approved by the voters in 2002, expanded
existing before and after school programs and renamed them the
ASES program. Proposition 49 has the effect of requiring the
state to add approximately $428 million annually for before
and after school programs. As a result of the initiative,
state funding for after school programs is continuously
appropriated and no longer requires approval by the
Legislature as part of the annual Budget Act. The amount of
additional funding pursuant to Proposition 49 will be added to
the Proposition 98 base in future years. ASES, as modified by
Proposition 49, has two main goals: keeping students safe
after school and improving student academic outcomes.
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
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