BILL ANALYSIS
AB 691
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 691 (Gilmore)
As Amended July 23, 2009
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |74-3 |(May 28, 2009) |SENATE: |36-0 |(August 31, |
| | | | | |2009) |
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Original Committee Reference: ED.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the Alpaugh Unified School District (AUSD),
beginning in fiscal year 2010-11, to operate one or more schools
in the school district on a four-day school week if the district
complies with the instructional time requirements and other
requirements for operating a four-day school week. Specifically,
this bill :
1)Provides that if any school in the AUSD operating a four-day
school week fails to meet its Academic Performance Index (API)
growth target for two consecutive years, the authority of that
school to operate a four-day school week shall be permanently
revoked.
2)Authorizes the State Board of Education (SBE) to waive minimum
time and five-consecutive-day program operating requirements for
preschools, before and after school programs, independent study
programs, child nutrition and food service programs, community
day schools, regional occupational centers or programs, and
continuation high schools that operate on a four-day school
week.
3)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to
reduce the AUSD's base revenue limit funding by amounts the
district received in instructional time incentive funding,
adjusted for cost-of-living since the inception of the
incentive, if the district does not maintain 180 days in a
school year and provide the instructional time required under
current law.
4)Specifies that if the AUSD operates one or more schools on a
four-day school week, the school district shall submit a report
to the California Department of Education (CDE), the Senate
Committee on Education and the Assembly Committee on Education
on or before January 15, 2015. The report shall include, but
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not necessarily be limited to, information on the following:
a) Programs the AUSD offered on the fifth schoolday and their
participation rates;
b) Whether the four-day school week schedule resulted in any
fiscal savings;
c) Impact on overall attendance of the schools operating a
four-day school week;
d) Programs for which the SPI waived minimum time and
five-consecutive-day requirements and the operational and
educational effect of the programs if they operated at less
time than required;
e) Impact on city crime statistics where the schools
operating a four-day school week are located, especially on
the day on which school otherwise be in session; and,
f) Information on the API for every year schools in the
district operated a four-day school week, including, but not
necessarily limited to, the base and growth API and whether
the schools met API growth targets.
5)Sunsets on January 1, 2016, and as of that date is repealed,
unless a statute enacted before January 1, 2016, deletes or
extends that date.
6)Finds and declares that the enactment of special law is
necessary due to the unique circumstances applicable to the
AUSD.
The Senate amendments authorize the SBE, rather than the SPI, to
waive minimum time and five-consecutive-day program operating
requirements for specified programs in schools operating on a
four-day school week, and make minor, technical changes.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was substantially similar to
the version passed by the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee,
pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS : Prior to 1983, school districts were required to
operate schools for five days and 175 days per year. The
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Hughes-Hart Educational Reform Act of 1983 (SB 813, Chapter 498,
Statutes of 1983) offered incentive funding for districts to offer
180 days of instruction each year. Current law authorizes seven
districts to operate on a four-day school week. According to the
CDE, only two districts, Pacific Unified School District (Monterey
County) and Leggett Valley Unified School District (Mendocino
County), operate on a four-day school week schedule, mainly due to
extreme weather or geographic conditions. Pacific Unified's
school year is 148 days and Leggett Valley operates between 142
and 166 days depending on the grade level. The other districts,
despite having received authorization, have chosen to continue
operating on a five-day school week schedule.
This bill authorizes the AUSD to operate on a four-day school week
schedule. According to the district, Alpaugh, an agricultural
community with a population of approximately 800, is located in
the now-dry Tulare Lake Basin situated between Interstate 5 and
Hwy 99, roughly 55 miles northwest of Bakersfield and 50 miles
southwest of Visalia. The district has an enrollment of 350
students, 90% of whom are Latino and 60% of whom are English
Learners. The AUSD does not have geographical or weather
challenges that prior districts that received similar
authorization have.
AUSD offers the following explanations for seeking a four-day
school week authorization:
1)Teacher recruitment and retention: According to the district,
teacher recruitment and retention is a challenge. The district
employs 22 teachers who live in nearby towns between 20 to 60
miles away. In 2005-06, the teacher turnover rate was 70% over
a year's time, due to mid-year departures, resignations, and non
re-elects. The four-day school week will reduce staff travel
time by 20%, result in less fuel expenses and wear and tear on
their vehicles, lower insurance rates, while reducing greenhouse
gasses and mitigating ongoing pollution. The district also
believes a four-day school week will attract teachers to work in
the district. Since January, the district hired five new
teachers who cited the potential of a four-day school week as a
reason for their interest in teaching in AUSD.
2)Reduce staff and pupil absences: The district believes a
four-day school week will result in a decrease in staff and
pupil absenteeism, which would reduce expenses for substitute
teachers and increase average daily attendance between 2-3%.
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3)Student preference: The districts surveyed students and found
that they prefer a four-day schedule, which would enable them to
complete school assignments, time to have a job to support their
families, time to spend with their parents and siblings, and an
additional day to participate in other educational activities
such as college or career technical education.
4)Fiscal solution: Any savings generated from lower utility
bills, staff efficiency, and the reallocation of resources is
applied directly to the current and looming funding shortfalls.
The financial savings have the potential to help offset the
ongoing deficit the district currently face, and help provide
financial stability.
Current law does not indicate the intent or reasons for
authorizing districts to operate one fewer day a week. Most of
the prior approvals were made due to climate and geographical
conditions that result in long and/or treacherous bus rides to and
from school. AUSD is seeking a four-day school week schedule for
teacher recruitment and retention purposes.
This bill, like other four-day school week bills, raises important
questions regarding the purpose for authorizing four-day school
week schedules. Should the Legislature limit such authorizations
to districts experiencing extreme climate and geographical
conditions? Are fiscal conditions or other motivations such as
teacher recruitment and retention good policy reasons for
eliminating one school day per week? In order to meet minimum
instructional time requirements, districts operating a four-day
school week schedule would have to lengthen instructional time in
a day. What are the effects of a longer school day on pupils,
teachers and parents? Would students learn just as much with one
extra hour per day for four days versus a regular school day
during the fifth day? What are the impacts on pupils, teachers
and parents on the day school is closed? Do parents have child
care for the day school is out? Is providing an opportunity for
students to work a good policy reason to reduce the school week by
one day?
Nationally, four-day school week schedules began in mostly rural
areas due to long travel time to and from school. There are more
than a dozen states that have experimented with a longer day,
shorter week schedule. Reports from those experiences have been
mixed.
According to the author, AUSD "faces challenges unique to rural,
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small districts in our state?.Energy, food service and
transportation are costly while teacher recruitment and retention
is no easy feat. A four-day school week allows rural districts
such as Alpaugh to recruit and retain educators by offering the
benefit of a shortened week that very few schools have the
opportunity to do. The passage of AB 691 will allow Alpaugh
Unified School District to not only save and [sic] estimated 20%
in operating costs, but provide an incentive for greater
recruitment and retention of teachers with its flexible,
family-friendly schedule."
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0002326