BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations
Mark DeSaulnier, Chair
Date of Hearing: March 10, 2010 2009-2010 Regular
Session
Consultant: Gideon L. Baum Fiscal:Yes
Urgency: No
Bill No: SB 956
Author: Romero
Version: As Introduced February 5, 2010
SUBJECT
Workforce development: California School Paraprofessional
Teacher Training Program.
KEY ISSUE
Should the Legislature redirect $5 million of Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) funds to the California School
Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program?
PURPOSE
To increase funding for the California School Paraprofessional
Teacher Training Program.
ANALYSIS
Existing federal law in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of
1998 requires all states to form state workforce investment
boards, and for Governors to designate local workforce
investment areas and oversee local workforce investment boards.
WIA requires that 85 percent of the federal funds supplied for
the Act go to the local workforce investment boards, with the
remainder allocated for state discretionary purposes.
Existing state law establishes the California Workforce
Investment Board (CWIB), and requires the CWIB to assist the
Governor with promoting the development, oversight, and
continuous development of a well-educated and highly skilled
workforce, and also assist in the development of the State
Workforce Investment Plan.
Existing state law creates the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing which, among other things, establishes
professional standards, assessments, and examinations for entry
and advancement in the education profession, as well structuring
and funding the California School Paraprofessional Teacher
Training Program.
Existing state law establishes the California School
Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program for the purpose of
recruiting school paraprofessionals to participate in a program
designed to encourage them to enroll in teacher training
programs and to provide instructional service as teachers in the
public schools.
This bill would require that the California Workforce Investment
Board allocate $5 million to the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing to increase spending for the California School
Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program.
COMMENTS
1. Background on the School Paraprofessional Teacher Training
Program:
The Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program (PTTP) was first
created by SB 1690 by Senator Roberti (Statutes of 1990,
Chapter 1444) as a pilot program to encourage
paraprofessionals, or skilled workers who are trained to
assist a teacher, to enroll in a teacher training program and
teach in a public school. The Program was then expanded in
1997 and made permanent, as well as put under the direction of
the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Most recently, SB
193 (Statutes of 2007, Chapter 554) by Senator Scott created
participation requirements for PTTP trainees, as well as
reporting requirements for the Commission.
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In order for a school district to participate in the Program,
they must first apply to the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing. The Commission, in consultation with the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the
Chancellor of the California State University, the President
of the University of California, and other private
institutions, selects 24 or more school districts or county
offices of education. The Commission is also required to
recruit at least 600 school paraprofessionals from at least 24
participating school districts or county offices of education.
The school districts or county offices of education are then
required to recruit participants for the Program, with the
participants organized into cohorts of individuals with
similar academic experience and qualifications. To the extent
possible, existing law requires that the members of each
cohort proceed through the same subject matter and credential
programs.
Existing law also requires that each cohort enrolls in the
same college or university, and caps the size of the PTTP
grant made available to the participants for training purposes
at $3,500, though participants may also receive federal or
non-profit grants. This bill does not impact the $3,500 cap
on state funds.
During the 2008-2009 Program Year, the PTTP trained 1,705
participants from 38 school districts or county offices of
education. The participants came from a wide variety of
backgrounds, and more than half were specializing in either
bilingual or special education training. While the program
notes that recent layoffs among certified teachers have
impacted the ability of graduates to find job placement, the
PTTP has focused on recruiting paraprofessionals seeking
science, mathematics and special education certification, as
well as working with local human resource divisions to not
only secure employment for PTTP participants but for program
graduates as well.
One significant challenge facing the PTTP has been access to
resources. In FY 1999-2000, the budget allocation for the
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Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations
PTTP was $11.478 million. Since then, the allocations have
decreased substantially. In FY 2008-09, the budget allocation
for the PTTP was $5.213 million, and the allocation was
basically flat for FY 2009-2010.
Another notable impact for PTTP funds was SBX3 4 (Statutes of
2009, Chapter 12), a budget bill which classified
Paraprofessional Teaching Training Program (PTTP) funds as a
Tier III program. This means that funds allocated to the PTTP
can be reallocated by local education agencies to other
educational purposes. Since the passage of SBX3 4, seven
local educational agencies redirected some or all of their
PTTP funds. This raises several challenges for this bill, as
the allocation of WIA dollars to non-job training purposes
would violate federal law.
2. Possible Amendments:
SB 956 seeks to redirect $5 million from the 15-percent
discretionary fund to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing
to increase spending for the California School
Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program. This committee may
wish to consider several amendments to clarify the goals of
the legislation:
a) Defining the appropriate fund:
While the 15% of WIA funds that the state receives is
colloquially referred to as a discretionary fund, it is
not defined as such in WIA. Rather, under 128(a) of 29
USC 2853, WIA empowers a state to set aside a reserve of
15 percent of less of the state's WIA allocation for
adult and youth training. The committee may wish to
specifically cite the federal section to avoid confusion.
b) SBX3 4 (Statutes of 2009, Chapter 12) and WIA Funds:
SBX3 4 (Statutes of 2009, Chapter 12), which was
discussed above, allows for the reallocation of PTTP
funds. Should WIA dollars be included with PTTP funds,
this could create a situation where WIA funds were not
spend on employment and training activities, which would
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violate federal law. The committee may wish to require
that the WIA funds used for PTTP purposes be spent only
for training, and prohibit the intermingling of PTTP
funds and WIA funds.
3. Proponent Arguments :
The author's office notes that the California Paraprofessional
Teacher Training Program (PTTP) has successfully recruited
school paraprofessionals to participate in local career
ladders that enable them to become certified classroom
teachers in public schools. The author's office also notes
demographics of teachers coming out of the PTTP tracks almost
exactly the ethnic makeup of California's student population
and that the retention rate for those participating in the
program is 85%, as opposed to the 50% retention rate of those
going through traditional teaching programs. Despite this,
over the past ten years the budget of the PTTP has been
slashed by almost 50 percent, from a high of $11.4 million in
2000 to less than $6 million today, and the author believes
that the addition of WIA funds will ensure the continuity of
the Program into the 21st Century.
4. Prior Legislation :
SB 193 (Scott), Statutes of 2007, Chapter 554, was discussed
above, created participation requirements for PTTP trainees,
as well as reporting requirements for the Commission.
SB 1690 (Roberti), Statutes of 1990, Chapter 1444, which was
discussed above, authorized the pilot program for the
Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program
SUPPORT
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
OPPOSITION
None on file.
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