BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 798
AUTHOR: DeSaulnier
AMENDED: April 1, 2009
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 22, 2009
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Lynn Lorber
SUBJECT : 21st Century Before and After School Programs
SUMMARY
This bill reduces the percentage of 21st Century Community
Learning Centers funding that may be awarded to programs
serving high school pupils, increases daily rates and total
grant amounts for all 21st Century programs, and makes
related changes.
BACKGROUND
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st Century)
is a federally funded before and after school program that
provides disadvantaged K-12 pupils (50% or more eligibility
for free and reduced-price meals) with academic enrichment
and support. California's After School Education and
Safety (ASES) program and 21st Century programs are nearly
identical and can operate in tandem. Both programs are
administered by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
California receives approximately $130 million annually in
federal 21st Century funds. However, California is
currently funding $160 million worth of grants due to the
availability of carryover funds. According to the
statutorily required split between programs for elementary
and middle school pupils and programs for high school
pupils, 21st Century programs serving high school pupils
are currently funded with $80 million (there are three
cohorts that receive a series of five one-year grants).
Current law:
1) Provides that 50% of 21st Century grant funds may be
awarded to grantees serving elementary or middle
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school pupils, and 50% may be awarded to grantees
serving high school pupils.
2) Establishes a daily rate for both elementary and
middle school programs of $7.50 per pupil for the
after school component, and $5 per pupil for the
before school component. There is no daily rate for
high school programs.
3) Caps total grant amounts as follows:
a) For the after school component:
i) $112,500 for elementary school
programs.
ii) $150,000 for middle school
programs.
b) For the before school component:
i) $37,500 for elementary school
programs.
ii) $49,000 for middle school
programs.
Provides that the grant amount for high school
programs is $250,000.
ANALYSIS
This bill modifies the funding formula for federal 21st
Century Community Learning Centers programs, and makes
related changes. Specifically, this bill:
1) Increases the daily rate from $7.50 to $10 for the
after school component, and from $5 to $7 for the
before school component for 21st Century programs that
serve elementary and middle school pupils. There is
no daily rate for high school programs.
2) Establishes a daily rate of $20 for intersession
programs serving elementary and middle school pupils
that operate for a minimum of six hours, or a rate of
$10 (for after school component) and $7 (for before
school component) for programs that only operate for
three hours. The current daily rate for the
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supplemental grant (for intersession programs) is
$7.50 per pupil.
3) Decreases the percentage of 21st Century grant funds
that may be awarded to grantees operating an after
school program for high school pupils from 50% to 35%.
4) Establishes that 15% of 21st Century grant funds may
be awarded to grantees operating an after school
program during the summer that serves elementary and
middle school pupils.
5) Increases the maximum annual grant amounts for the
after school component as follows:
a) From $112,500 to $150,000 for elementary
school programs.
b) From $150,000 to $200,000 for middle school
programs.
6) Increases the maximum annual grant amounts for the
before school component as follows:
a) From $37,500 to $52,500 for elementary
school programs.
b) From $49,000 to $68,600 for middle school
programs.
7) Increases the amount of supplemental funding that may
be used for intersession programs, from 30% to 50%, of
the after school grant awarded that grantee.
8) Gives priority for new funding (at the higher rate) to
existing grantees. Current law gives priority only
for existing high school programs that apply for a new
grant.
9) Provides that elementary and middle school sites
serving an average daily attendance of 55 pupils or
less are entitled to supplemental compensation, on a
sliding scale, in order to ensure their capacity to
meet all federal grant requirements. This protects
small programs because the minimum grant level allowed
is $50,000. Small programs may actually receive a
smaller grant pursuant to this bill ($10 per pupil per
day, with 20 pupils for 180 days equals $36,000).
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10) Requires California Department of Education (CDE) to
periodically review the appropriateness of the
percentage splits between elementary/middle, high
school, and intersession programs, and authorizes CDE
to adjust the percentages with the consent of the
Advisory Committee on Before and After School
Programs.
11) Requires all sites operating during the summer that
are eligible to provide free meals and snacks,
pursuant to the USDA's Summer Food Service Program, to
offer free meals and snacks.
12) Consolidates funding, and therefore the application
for funding, for separate 21st Century funds (direct
grant and two opportunity grants).
13) Provides that the daily and maximum grant amount are
to be triggered only when CDE determines that
sufficient federal funds are available to ensure that
the cumulative number of pupils that can be served at
the higher rate is equal to or greater than the
cumulative number of pupils served under rates used in
the 2008-09 fiscal year.
14) Provides that these provisions are to become operative
only to the extent that federal funds are made
available for the purposes of these provisions, but
not before July 1, 2010.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Why reduce the percentage of funding for high school
programs ? Demand for after school programs at high
schools is dramatically less than for programs at
elementary and middle schools.
2) Increase rates or fund more programs ? The California
Department of Education (CDE) has received
applications for funding for elementary and middle
school programs totaling $140 million, but only $16
million is available to be awarded in the 2009-10
fiscal year. If additional federal 21st Century funds
become available to California, should additional
programs be funded or should the daily rates and total
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grant amounts be increased? Can quality programs
operate for a daily rate of $7.50 per pupil?
3) Advisory committee . This bill authorizes CDE to
adjust the percentages split between elementary/middle
school programs and high schools, with the consent of
the Advisory Committee on Before and After School
Programs. The CDE currently does not need the consent
of the advisory committee to take action. Some
members of the advisory committee are grantees. Staff
recommends an amendment to instead require CDE to
consult with the advisory committee.
4) Summer programs . This bill established a dedicated
percentage (15%) of 21st Century funding for programs
that operate only in the summer. These programs are
currently funded via the "supplemental grant," and
grantees must also operate a regular-year program to
be eligible for the supplemental grant. This bill
allows applicants to be awarded funding to solely
operate a summer program.
5) Prior legislation . SB 638 (Torlakson, Chapter 380,
2006) among other things, increased grant amounts for
ASES programs. While SB 638 did not directly address
21st Century programs, current law provides that grant
amounts for ASES and 21st Century programs are to be
the same.
SUPPORT
After School All-Stars, LA
Aim High
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees
Bay Area Partnership
Boy & Girls Clubs, California Alliance
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor
Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hollywood
Breakthrough Collaborative
California Food Policy Advocates
Central Valley Afterschool Foundation
Children Now
Contra Costa County Supervisor Gioia
Coachella Valley Unified School District Afterschool
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Programs
Cybermill
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
Girls Incorporated of Alameda County
LA's BEST
League of California Afterschool Providers
Long Beach Unified School District Wrap After School
Programs
San Francisco Department of Children Youth & Their Families
Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center
Woodcraft Rangers
YMCA of the East Bay, West Contra Costa Branch
OPPOSITION
None received.