BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 227
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 227 (Hall) - As Amended: April 6, 2011
Policy Committee: Education
Vote:7-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the guidelines and criteria school districts
use to develop their educational technology plans to include
information related to cyberbullying, the use of control
software, and pupil use of mobile communication technology.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Specifies that a school district that has a current
three-to-five year education technology plan (as of July 1,
2012) is not required to comply with the additional criteria
proposed in this measure until after the plan expires or is
voluntarily replaced.
2)Encourages school districts to partner with the California
Technology Assistance Project (CTAP), information technology
companies, and nonprofit organizations to develop tools to
supplement existing Internet safety curriculum, as specified.
FISCAL EFFECT
GF administrative costs, likely less than $50,000, to the State
Department of Education to update the guidelines and criteria
school districts use to develop and revise their education
technology plans, as specified.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . Cyberbullying is generally defined as the use of
information and communication technologies (i.e., cell phones,
email, instant messaging) to support deliberate, repeated, and
AB 227
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hostile behavior by an individual or group, which is intended
to harm others.
A 2006 poll conducted by Fight Crime Invest in Kids revealed
one in three teenagers and one in six preteens have been
victims of cyberbullying. According to the author, "Recent
incidents of harassment and cyberbullying across the country
have led to violence against youth and the tragic suicides of
middle, high school and college students. These tragedies have
raised a nationwide awareness of this crisis and a demand for
states to take a more active role to protect students from
bullying, intimidation and harassment."
2)Existing law . AB 2706 (Berg), Chapter 681, Statutes of 2004,
required school districts, as a condition of receiving an
education technology grant, to have a three to five-year
education technology plan.
3)State and federal education technology funding . As part of
the February 2009 budget package, SB 4 X3 (Ducheny), Chapter
12, Statutes of 2009, provided local education agencies (LEAs)
with unprecedented fiscal and policy flexibility related to
over 40 categorical programs, including CTAP (state technology
funds), between the 2008-09 fiscal year (FY) to the 2012-13
FY. Specifically, any LEA that received funding for specified
categorical programs in the 2008-09 FY is authorized to use
this funding for any other educational purpose until the
2012-13 FY. The LEA may choose to continue operating the
categorical program that it received funding for or redirect
it for any other educational purpose it deems appropriate. SB
70 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review), Chapter 7,
Statutes of 2011, extended this flexibility until the 2014-15
FY.
Prior to the enactment of AB 4 X3, school districts, as a
condition of receiving CTAP funding, were required to develop
and update their district technology plans, as specified.
This requirement is no longer operative during categorical
flexibility, which lasts until the 2014-15 FY. The proposed
2011 budget provides $17 million for CTAP, which school
districts may use for any other education purpose.
Under the federal Enhancing Education Through Technology
(EETT) program, school districts are required to update their
technology plans as a condition of receiving these funds.
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Funding is distributed via a formula and competitive grant
process. The formula grants provide funding for grades K-12
to assist eligible LEAs in using technology to enhance
teaching and learning. The competitive grants are used to
assist eligible districts in utilizing technology and
promoting learning. The 2010 Budget Act allocated $48.2 in
federal EETT program funding.
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081