BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1724
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1724 (Chesbro)
As Introduced February 3, 2010
2/3 vote. Urgency
EDUCATION 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Nestande, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Conway, Ammiano, |
| |Ammiano, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Arambula, Carter, Eng, | |Calderon, Coto, Davis, De |
| |Miller, | |Leon, Hall, Harkey, |
| |Norby, Torlakson | |Miller, Nielsen, Norby, |
| | | |Skinner, Solorio, |
| | | |Torlakson, Torrico |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Deems the Gasquet Mountain Elementary School and the
Margaret Keating Elementary School in the Del Norte County
Unified School District (DNCUSD) as necessary small schools.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Finds and declares that the DNCUSD is considered to be a large
unified school district that serves pupils from a wide and
varied geographic area. Within these areas, Gasquet Mountain
Elementary School and Margaret Keating Elementary School each
have an average daily attendance (ADA) of fewer than one
hundred. Pupils presently attending Gasquet Mountain
Elementary School and Margaret Keating Elementary School would
have to travel long distances over hazardous terrain in order
to attend other schools within the district.
2)Deems the Gasquet Mountain Elementary School and the Margaret
Keating Elementary School as necessary small schools and
specifies that these two schools shall receive necessary small
school apportionments commencing with the 2010-11 fiscal year.
3)Specifies that if the amount of ADA of the Gasquet Mountain
Elementary School or the Margaret Keating Elementary School
exceeds 100, that school shall no longer be entitled to
receive necessary small school apportionment.
4)Provides that due to the unique circumstances related to the
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DNCUSD, the Legislature finds and declares that a general
statute cannot be made as required by Section 16 of Article IV
of the California Constitution.
5)Contains an urgency clause in order to make necessary small
school apportionments available to the DNCUSD prior to the
2010-11 school year.
EXISTING LAW establishes alternative, generally higher, funding
allocations for school districts with one or more schools that
meet specified eligibility criteria for necessary small
elementary schools and necessary small high schools.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, General Fund cost of $134,072.
COMMENTS : Current law defines a necessary small school as an
elementary school with an ADA of less than 101, or a necessary
small high school with an ADA of no greater than 300, in school
districts with an ADA of less than 2,501 pupils. Necessary
small schools receive specified allowances based upon the size
of the small school as measured by the number of teachers and
students, and in lieu of revenue limited funding that would
usually be allocated per pupil in attendance. Current law also
specifies that once a high school is determined to be a
necessary small high school that designation may only be changed
upon review of the school qualification every five years. The
following chart shows the 2009-10 funding allocations for
necessary small elementary schools:
----------------------------------------------------------
| | | |
| Number of | Average Daily | Amount (2009-10) |
| Teachers | Attendance | |
|------------------+--------------------+------------------|
| 1 | 1 - 24 | $113,098 |
|------------------+--------------------+------------------|
| 2 | 25 - 48 | $226,197 |
|------------------+--------------------+------------------|
| 3 | 49 - 72 | $339,296 |
|------------------+--------------------+------------------|
| 4 | 73 - 96 |$452,395 |
| | | |
----------------------------------------------------------
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Several school districts have been statutorily allowed to
receive necessary small school allowances based upon local
circumstances even though they do not meet general qualification
requirements, including Death Valley Unified, Alum Rock Union
Elementary School District, Patterson Joint Unified School
District, and Sierra Sands Unified School District. Several
other districts have also received statutory necessary small
high school designations. In 2007, earlier versions of SB 667
(Hollingsworth), Chapter 559, Statutes of 2007 would have
enabled the Palomar Mountain Elementary School, formerly in the
Pauma Elementary School District, to continue receiving
necessary small schools funding following the merger of the
district with the Valley Center Union Elementary School
District, causing the district enrollment to exceed 2,501. The
bill signed by the Governor instead appropriated $55,000 to the
district without the necessary small school designation.
According to the DNCUSD, several Del Norte County school
districts and the County Office of Education unified in 1964,
which has increased efficiencies by having one school board and
one superintendent. The district has an enrollment of 3,418
pupils and a budget of $34.6 million with 11 schools. The
district is currently experiencing a $2.9 million budget deficit
with external pressure to close two schools. The Mountain
Elementary School, with an enrollment of 32 pupils, is a
kindergarten through grade 5 (K-5) school located in Gasquet,
approximately 19 miles east of Crescent City. Margaret Keating
Elementary School, with an enrollment of 86 pupils, is also a
K-5 school located in Klamath, approximately 20 miles south of
Crescent City. According to the superintendent of DNCUSD, both
schools are located in hard to reach areas. Bussing kids to
Crescent City schools would take between 30 to 60 minutes from
Gasquet and 30 to 50 minutes from Klamath through windy forest
roads that is susceptible to mud and rock slides during rainy
weather. Road repairs during non-winter months could also cause
delays. The DNCUSD superintendent further states, "These
communities have already seen their middle school aged children
transferred to in-town schools. We do not believe the youngest
children should be subject to this commute."
This bill would deem the Mountain Elementary School and the
Margaret Keating Elementary School as necessary small schools,
making them eligible for necessary small school funding in lieu
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of district revenue limit funding. With an estimated ADA of
29.5, Mountain Elementary School would generate $147,913 with a
revenue limit of $5,014 per ADA, but would receive $226,197 as a
necessary small school. With an estimated ADA of 79.1, Margaret
Keating Elementary School would generate $396,607 in revenue
limit funding but would receive $452,395 as a necessary small
school. The district gains $134,072 by designating these two
schools as necessary small schools. The benefit gained by
necessary small school funding is due in part to low revenue
limit funding during this budget crisis. The district should
consider whether the necessary small school designation is still
an advantage when revenue limit funding increases during better
budget times. The necessary small school designation is
permanent unless future legislation changes the designation or
when the district ADA reaches the ceiling of 100 for necessary
small school eligibility as specified by this bill. This bill
also contains an urgency clause to enable the DNCUSD to receive
necessary small school funding in the 2010-11 fiscal year.
Writing in support of the bill, the Small School Districts'
Association states, "After Proposition 13 and restructuring
necessary small school funding in SB 813 of 1983, necessary
small school funding was limited to school districts with 2500
or fewer students. The effect of the SB 813 provisions is to
deny funding for large geographic school districts that have
more than 2500 students but also have very remote schools.
Individual legislation during past years have addressed this
issue for school districts in Imperial, Santa Clara and other
counties within the state. AB 1724 is a continuation of the
policy that the supplemental funding be addressed on a
case-by-case basis."
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0004261