BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
701 (Correa)
Hearing Date: 05/28/2009 Amended: 05/06/2009
Consultant: Dan Troy Policy Vote: ED 5-2
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BILL SUMMARY: SB 701 would require that the governance
structure of a multi-district special education local plan area
(SELPA) to include one school board member from each school
district within that SELPA.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Fund
State Mandate $500 $1,000 $1,000
General*
*Counts toward meeting the Proposition 98 minimum funding
guarantee
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STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE.
Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) are regional service
centers that ensure that special education services are
available for all students with disabilities with from birth
through age 22. The SELPA's responsibility is met through a
network of cooperative agreements among districts and agencies.
Most SELPAs coordinate services among several local education
agencies, though some are single-district entities. Governance
structure is detailed in the local plan, which is intended to
provide equity in allocation of resources to students within the
SELPA. Generally, SELPA governing boards will include district
superintendents and/or board members that are representative of
the region. There are approximately 120 SELPAs in the state.
By requiring each multi-district SELPA governance structure to
include a board member, this bill would create a reimbursable
state mandate. As districts would now be required to place a
board member on the SELPA governing boards, the state would
likely be obligated to pay costs for staffing, travel and other
costs associated with being a SELPA board member. These costs
would extend to approximately 950 school districts. Assuming
only $1,000 per district per year in reimbursable costs would
lead to annual costs of close to $950,000. Costs could
potentially be higher as the bill would require a revision to
each SELPA's governance plan, and it is likely that costs for
that activity would also be reimbursable.
As many SELPAs include dozens of districts, this bill could lead
to an unwieldy governance structure. Staff further notes that
while SELPAs help coordinate services throughout a region, it is
the school district that has ultimate responsibility for
developing the pupil's education plan. Each school district has
a role in determining the representatives of the SELPA governing
board and must also approve the plan.