BILL ANALYSIS
SB 956
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Date of Hearing: June 23, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT
Sandre Swanson, Chair
SB 956 (Romero) - As Amended: June 1, 2010
SENATE VOTE : 21-13
SUBJECT : Workforce development: California School
Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program (PTTP).
SUMMARY : Requires five-million dollars appropriated from
federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds to be made
available to local education agencies to retrain teachers who
have been laid off or who are teaching out-of-field to become
qualified to teach science, math, or industrial and technology
education. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the Employment Development Department (EDD) to
allocate five-million dollars of the WIA state reserve to
local workforce investment boards to allocate to school
districts, county offices of education, or charter schools to
provide intensive test preparation courses for the purpose of
retraining laid off and out-of-field teachers to meet subject
matter competency requirements for teaching science,
mathematics, or industrial and technology education.
2)Specifies preferences for examination courses to be based on
the following priorities:
a) First priority shall be for retraining laid off
teachers in order to prepare them for obtaining subject
matter credentials in science or mathematics.
b) Second priority shall be for retraining teachers who
have been displaced and are currently teaching out of
their field of expertise or competency area.
1)Requires school districts, county offices of education, and
charter schools that receive funding from a local workforce
investment board to reimburse teachers who successfully pass a
subject matter competency assessment in the specified areas
for fees paid to take the examinations and any fees charged by
the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (Commission).
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EXISTING FEDERAL LAW establishes the federal Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, which 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 WIA go to the local workforce
investment boards, with the remaining 15 percent being allocated
for state discretionary purposes by the Governor.
EXISTING STATE LAW :
1)Requires the EDD to implement and administer California's
unemployment compensation program and to oversee various job,
information and training programs in the state.
2)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.
3)Creates the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (Commission)
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
(PTTP).
4)Establishes the PTTP 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.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee analysis the proposed 2010-11 Governor's Budget fully
allocates the WIA 15 percent discretionary funds. Any
appropriation of these funds for the purposes of this bill would
result in a reduction of funding for one or more programs,
assuming the appropriation is made in the budget year. A
similar, though unknown, fiscal impact would occur in whatever
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budget year the funds are appropriated.
COMMENTS : This bill proposes to allocate $5 million in WIA
discretionary funds to provide for specified teacher training.
Brief Background on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and
Workforce Development
The federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 established
an ongoing program to provide funding for, and to give direction
and support to, state workforce development activities. WIA
created incentives for the formation of integrated systems of
state workforce development boards, appointed by individual
state governors, and local workforce investment boards run by
local service providers and officials. WIA requires that 85
percent of the federal funds supplied for the Act go to the
local workforce investment boards, with the remaining 15 percent
being allocated by the Governor for state discretionary
purposes.
The statewide workforce investment system is comprised of 49
Local Workforce Investment Areas (Local Areas), each with its
own business-led Local Workforce Investment Board (Local Board).
These Local Boards work in concert with their local Chief
Elected Official to oversee the delivery of workforce services
relevant to their local residents and businesses. Critical to
their charge is their oversight of the local One-Stop Career
Centers which are the hub of the statewide service delivery
vehicle for workforce/education/business services. Workforce
funds allocated to Local Boards support the job training,
placement, and business services delivered though the One-Stop
Career Centers. These centers, through partnerships with other
local, state and federal agencies, education and economic
development organizations provide access to jobs, skill
development and business services vital to the social and
economic well-being of their communities.
The workforce system is governed by a federal/state/local
partnership. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), in
coordination with other federal agencies, oversees and
administers the nationwide system. The State Workforce and
One-Stop Career Center system is overseen by the Governor
through the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency
(Agency), which operates under the leadership of the Secretary
of Labor and Workforce Development. The Secretary represents the
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Governor and his administration on the California Workforce
Investment Board (CWIB). The State Employment Development
Department (EDD), also under the direction of the Agency
Secretary, is designated by the Governor as the administrator of
federal job training funds. The CWIB, which also reports
through the Agency, assists in developing statewide policy to
impact workforce preparation and supply, and advises the
Governor and Secretary on strategies to meet the needs of a
diverse population and constantly changing economy.
The 2010-2011 State Budget and the Governor's 15% Discretionary
WIA Funding
The Governor's May Revision for State Fiscal Year 2010-2011
provides for $73.3 in WIA discretionary 15 percent funds.
Of this total, $27.5 million is allocated for WIA administration
and program services.
The remaining $45.8 million is divided over the following three
categories:
1) Growth Industries - High Wage/High Skill Job
Training$4.6 million
2) Industries with a Statewide Need/Expansion of
Workforce$16.5 million
3) Removing Barriers for Special Needs Populations$24.7
million
The first category ("Growth Industries") includes funding for,
among other things, green technology/green collar jobs,
incentive grants, regional economic stimulus, and Employment
Training Panel (ETP) projects. The second category ("Industries
with a Statewide Need") includes funding for the Nurse Education
Initiative, the Nursing Skills Initiative, the Allied Health
Initiative and related projects. The third category ("Removing
Barriers for Special Needs Populations") includes, among other
things, funding for CDCR and EDD parolee services, veterans
services, and youth, young adults, low-wage earners, and special
needs populations (including at risk youth/youthful offender
gang prevention) programs.
During this year's budget process, the Senate approved the
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Governor's WIA budget adjustments, but withheld approval on the
specific allocations in the Governor's expenditure plan for the
15 percent discretionary funds to place the item into
conference. Therefore, the allocation of the Governor's 15
percent discretionary funds is currently an item pending before
the Budget Conference Committee.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT :
According to the author's office, the chronic shortage of math
and science teachers is correlated with lower scores on the
California Standards Tests and difficulty passing the California
High School Exit Examination. The shortage of fully
credentialed teachers not only prevents many pupils from
achieving proficiency in these critical content areas, but
impedes the ability of students to acquire skills that prepare
them for college and careers after high school.
According to supporters of this bill, high quality mathematics
and science education for all pupils is essential to help them
develop the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed for college
and careers after they leave high school since California is
experiencing mathematics achievement gap compared to most other
states. Increasingly, key sectors of California's economy,
including health care, energy, and infrastructure require
workers who have science, technology, engineering, and math
skills, however, many of the state's high schools have a
shortage of teachers who are qualified to teach these subjects.
The Los Angeles County Office of Education, writing in support
of this bill, states:
"Despite the key role that teachers play in educating
California's students, the state continues to face a
shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers.
More than 88,000 California students are enrolled in middle
school algebra classes in which the teacher may not be
adequately prepared to teach the subject.
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California is experiencing an achievement gap in which our
students, on average, perform below students from most
other states on standardized tests. Out of 50 states,
California ranks 44th among fourth graders, and 46th among
eighth graders, on the 2009 Mathematics Section of the
National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP)
examination?
?We believe that passage of [this bill] would be a wise
investment that will result in a significant increase of
qualified teachers of science, mathematics, industrial, and
technology education. This investment will ultimately
result in a better-trained workforce and a more robust
outlook for California's economic future."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION :
This measure is opposed by the California Teachers Association
(CTA), who states the following in opposition to this bill:
"When the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 defined the
benchmarks of teacher preparation, licensing, and hiring,
California was purposeful in defining multiple pathways for
the state's workforce to meet the federal mandates.
Teachers with single subject certification are required to
demonstrate "subject matter competency" in each subject
they teach (1) by completion of an approved undergraduate
subject matter program or (2) by passing all portions of
the appropriate Commission-approved subject matter
examination or (3) by examination.
Currently, the only Commission-approved subject-matter
examinations used to verify subject matter competence is
the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET).
CTA has never been silent in its concerns that test only
certification in math and science means that people who are
smart enough to pass a certification test are granted by
assumption the capacity and skill set to teach math and
science well. High quality teaching results from
purposeful growth in content competence and pedagogy?
?California's students are entitled to teachers who know
their subjects, understand their students and what they
need, and have developed the skills to make learning
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rigorous and relevant. CTA believes meaningful
professional development is essential to help educators
more ably address the learning needs of every student.
Professional development refines and expands pedagogical
repertoire, content, knowledge and the skill to integrate
both. [This bill] falls short in ensuring that goal. The
price being paid by students who need quality teaching is
unacceptable
[This bill] compromises quality teaching in an effort to
recruit a sufficient quantity of teachers to fill math and
science classrooms. California has had a chronic shortage
of qualified teachers in certain subjects including
mathematics and science. The shortage is particularly
severe in low-income communities and rural areas.
According to the Center for the Future of Teaching and
Learning, inexperienced and underprepared teachers are too
often concentrated in schools that are structured for
failure rather than success.
CTA believes that teacher shortages should never justify
placing underprepared teachers in math and science
classrooms. The real staffing problem is not that there
are too few teachers. The real problem is that schools
are unable to retain a sufficient number of teachers with
both the proper certification and training. For four
consecutive years, California schools were forced to
decimate their own workforce in response to the state's
serious fiscal dilemma.
Quality preparation and professional development as well as
strong licensure and certification standards are not
barriers to providing California schools with a sufficient
quantity of highly effective educators. There is no basis
for sacrificing these standards of quality - even
temporarily. In fact, taking a shortcut around
quality-assurance measures only assures a failure of the
state's goal to equip schools with a viable education
workforce?
?The role of the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) is to
assist the Governor in designing a statewide plan and
establishing appropriate policy for workforce development
programs. Projects will focus training and job placement
entrants in industries that are experiencing a shortage of
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skilled workers. The governor's discretionary fund
provides targeted assistance to WIB projects across the
state for incentives, training, and other ideas for
developing and building the state's declining workforce.
How many student programs for summer job
training or high school dropout prevention programs
will not be funded because of this diversion of funds?
How many WIBs will be squeezed out of the
competitive grants for a smaller pool of funds because
of this diversion of funds?
How many adult education programs will miss
the opportunity to fund innovative business
partnerships for certification training because of
this diversion of funds?
[This bill] mistakes the symptoms of teacher supply with
the problems of quality teaching. The bill lowers the
standards for creating a well-trained cadre of math and
science teachers, undercuts the role of teacher preparation
and professional development, and makes teacher licensure a
bureaucratic barrier to be side-stepped instead of a mark
of quality. Most importantly, this stop-gap hiring scheme
resurrects the mythology that 'anyone can teach' math and
science."
COMMITTEE STAFF COMMENT :
This bill is double referred to Assembly Education Committee.
PRIOR LEGISLATION :
SB 193 (Scott) Chapter 554, Statutes of 2007, created
participation requirements for PTTP trainees, as well as
reporting requirements for the Commission.
SB 858 (Scott) of 2007 would have established a grant program
for the purpose of encouraging experienced teachers to become
qualified to teach math or science. This bill was held by the
Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1690 (Roberti) Chapter 1444, Statutes of 1990, established
the pilot program for the California School Paraprofessional
Teacher Training Program (PTTP).
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
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Support
California Council on Teacher Education
Los Angeles County Office of Education
San Francisco Unified School District
Opposition
California Teachers Association
Analysis Prepared by : Ben Ebbink / L. & E. / (916) 319-2091