BILL ANALYSIS
AB 554
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Date of Hearing: May 20, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 554 (Furutani) - As Amended: May 6, 2009
Policy Committee: Education
Vote:11-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill increases the number of courses required for high
school graduation from 13 to 14 and offers pupils a choice
between a course in visual performing arts (VPA), foreign
language, or career technical education (CTE) to fulfill the
additional course requirement. Specifically, this bill:
Requires schools, to the extent practicable and for purposes of
requiring the additional course, to offer the courses within
their existing school calendars.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Annual GF/98 state reimbursable mandated costs, of at least
$105.7 million, to school districts to increase the number of
number of graduation requirements from 13 to 14, as specified.
2)One-time GF/98 state reimbursable mandated costs, of at least
$6 million, to school districts to increase the number of
graduation requirements, including offering CTE courses.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . Existing law requires pupils to meet the following
minimum course requirements in order to graduate from high
school:
---------------------------------------
| Subject |# of Courses |
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|-------------------------+-------------|
|English | 3 |
|-------------------------+-------------|
|Math | 2 |
|-------------------------+-------------|
|Science | 2 |
|-------------------------+-------------|
|Social Studies | 3 |
|-------------------------+-------------|
|VPA or Foreign Language | 1 |
|-------------------------+-------------|
|Physical Education | 2 |
|-------------------------+-------------|
|Total |13 |
---------------------------------------
Statute also authorizes a school district governing board to
specify additional requirements. For example, a governing
board may require pupils to complete community service hours
or additional coursework (i.e., CTE courses or courses to meet
the University of California or California State University
admission requirements).
According to the State Department of Education (SDE), there
were 589,233 high school students enrolled in CTE in 2007-08.
Also, SDE reports 25,752 CTE courses offered to pupils during
this time period. SDE states: "Over the last nine years, CTE
district course enrollments have declined by 254,239 students.
This is despite the fact that total high school student
enrollment continues to increase."
The author further states "California's ability to maintain a
competitive edge in the global economy requires a public
education system that is capable of producing a skilled and
competent workforce. CTE courses enhance the connection
between high school course work and its real-world
applications, as do the arts and foreign languages. There is a
need to increase student access to these courses."
2)Commission on State Mandates (CSM) Decision on Science high
school graduation requirement . As part of major education
reform legislation in the early 1980s, the Legislature
increased the state's high school graduation requirements.
Among other changes, the law required that all students
complete two high school science classes prior to receiving a
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diploma (the previous requirement was one science class). This
change increased the total number of state required courses
for graduation from 12 to 13, which remains current law. The
costs associated with providing an additional science class
were the basis of an eventual mandate claim. In 1987, CSM
determined that providing an additional science class imposes
a higher level of service on districts and, therefore,
constituted a reimbursable mandate.
The primary factor contributing to high mandate costs relates
to a statutory provision that provides school districts with
discretion in implementing the high school science graduation
requirement. This provision was interpreted differently by
various parties until a 2004 court ruling indicated that
school districts, under current law, have full discretion to
increase their total graduation requirements. Based on this
ruling, the CSM decided the state could not increase the
number of courses it requires for graduation above 12 without
providing reimbursement. As a result, the state is exposed to
paying the full cost of every additional science course for
the majority of school districts as far back as 1995-96.
According to the Legislative Analyst Office, the total cost of
these prior year claims is approximately $1.9 billion GF/98
and the on-going cost of the science graduation requirement is
$190 million GF/98.
This bill increases the number of courses required for high
school graduation from 13 to 14. Likewise, school districts
maintain the authority to establish additional course
requirements for graduation beyond the minimum specified in
statute. Given the CSM's decision on the science graduation
requirement and the state's current fiscal crisis, the
committee may wish to consider whether or not it is the
appropriate time to increase the number of courses required
for graduation.
3)CTE . In January 2007, the State Board of Education (SBE)
adopted the CTE Standards and Framework to guide CTE
curriculum discussions for grades 7-12 pupils with learning
goals in 58 career pathways organized around 15 industry
sectors. The CTE Framework is "is the blueprint for educators
to implement the CTE model curriculum standards adopted by the
SBE. It provides context for the content laid out in the
standards, discusses best practices, and explores important
issues in implementation."
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Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081