BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 298
Author: De León (D), et al
Amended: 4/26/11
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 4/13/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Runner, Alquist, Hancock, Huff, Liu,
Price, Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 9-0, 5/26/11
AYES: Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Emmerson, Lieu, Pavley,
Price, Runner, Steinberg
SUBJECT : Charter schools: at-risk pupils: Los Angeles
County Board
of Education
SOURCE : Soledad Enrichment Action Charter School
DIGEST : This bill extends the authorization for the Los
Angeles County Board of Education to charter the Soledad
Enrichment Action Charter School, from June 30, 2013, to
June 30, 2018.
ANALYSIS : The Soledad school started in 1972 as a
non-charter "Alternative Education Program-Independent
Study Program" under the Los Angeles Unified School
District. When the program expanded to locations outside
city boundaries, it transitioned to become an "Alternative
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Education-Community School Program" under the Los Angeles
County Office of Education.
In 1997, teachers working under the county sponsored
"Community School Program" elected to become a charter
school. However, because at that time county offices of
education were only authorized to approve charter schools
through an appeal process, a new law was needed to address
this situation.
SB 1318 (Polanco), Chapter 58, Statutes of 1997, authorized
a charter school to be charted by the Los Angeles County
Board of Education and allowed the charter school to
receive the higher per-pupil funding of county community
schools. Subsequently, SB 1416 (Polanco), Chapter 467,
Statutes of 2002, extended this unique statutory
authorization until July 1, 2008, and require the
Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) to evaluate the Soledad
Enrichment Action (SEA) Charter School and report their
findings in the 2007 Budget Analysis. The LAO found that
it was difficult to evaluate the school because the
Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) fails to
define performance expectations in a way that permits
comparison among schools. Although the LAO staff was
unable to fulfill the specific evaluation requirements for
the SEA charter school, they did come to come conclusions
based on their site visit. The LAO found the school's
education program to be at least comparable to other
similar schools and, in some areas, the school offers
attractive features that many other alternative schools do
not.
This bill:
1.Authorizes a charter school, operating under a charter
approved before June 1, 1997 by the Los Angeles County
Board of Education to serve at-risk pupils, to operate
until June 30, 2018.
2.Provides that authority of the charter school to operate
after June 30, 2013, shall be subject to approval by the
Los Angeles County Board of Education.
3.Maintains the current authorization for the SEA charter
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school to be funded at the same rates for the same
categories of pupils as community schools and community
day schools in the same county.
4.Authorizes the SEA charter school to operate one or more
community ay schools, and be funded for not more than
2,000 units of average daily attendance in any fiscal
year, to the extent that funding is appropriated for the
purpose.
5.Requires the Los Angeles County Board of Education to
annually measure the performance of the SEA charter
school and annually report the measurement to the
California Department of Education, the Department of
Finance, the Assembly Education and Appropriations
Committees, and the Senate Education and Appropriations
Committees.
6.Requires the charter school to submit a plan for
improvement to the Los Angeles County Board of Education
if it fails to meet the performance criteria established
by the board.
7.States that the Legislature finds and declares that a
special law is necessary and that a general law cannot be
made applicable because of the unique circumstances
resulting from the intensely urbanized nature of the
County of Los Angeles.
Comments
Community day schools are typically operated by a county
office of education or a school district and serve
mandatory and other expelled students, students referred by
a school attendance review board, and other high-risk
youths. The 360-minute minimum instructional day includes
academic programs that provide curriculum and individual
attention to student learning modalities and abilities.
Community day schools generally have lower student-teacher
ratios and students benefit form support services that
include school counselors and psychologists, academic and
vocational counselors, and pupil discipline personnel.
Students also receive services form county offices of
education, law enforcement, probation, and human services
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agency personnel who work with at-risk youth. These
programs receive supplemental apportionment funding in
addition to the base revenue limit because of the
high-needs population they serve.
Compared to community day schools operated by most school
districts, SEA is large; the school's enrollment accounted
for 5.3 percent of the state's total enrollment in
community day and county community schools in 2008-09.
Extending the sunset date will allow these sites to
continue to serve the high-risk youths who would not have
anywhere else to go to school.
Why is the sunset date necessary ? In addition to the
authority to approve charter school petitions that are
denied by a school district, county boards of education may
also approve charter schools that will serve pupils for
whom the county office of education would otherwise be
responsible for providing direct education and related
services. While the Los Angeles County Board of Education
could renew the SEA charter without benefit of special
legislation, legislation is necessary to continue the
authority for the SEA to be funded at the same rates for
the same categories of pupils as community schools and
community day schools in Los Angeles County. Since this
unique school requires special provisions because it is
both a charter and community day school, it is appropriate
for it to be subject to additional public scrutiny through
the legislative process.
Prior Legislation
AB 177 (Bass), Chapter 525, Statutes of 2007, extended the
statutory authorization for SEA from June 30, 2008 to June
30, 2013. Passed the Senate with a vote of 38-0 on August
30, 2007.
SB 1416 (Polanco), Chapter 467, Statutes of 2002, extended
the statutory authorization for SEA from June 30, 2003
until June 30, 2008. Passed the Senate with a vote of 39-0
on August 27, 2002.
AB 696 (Washington), Chapter 19, Statutes of 2000, extended
the statutory authorization for SEA through June 30, 2003.
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Passed the Senate with a vote of 38-0 on April 13, 2000.
SB 1318 (Polanco), Chapter 58, Statutes of 1997, authorized
the SEA to operate under a charter approved by the Los
Angeles County Board of Education until June 30, 1999.
Passed the Senate with a vote of 37-0 on June 26, 1997.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13
2013-14 Fund
SEA sunset extension Potentially substantial on-going
costs. General*
*Counts toward meeting the Proposition 98 minimum funding
guarantee
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/26/11)
Soledad Enrichment Action Charter School (source)
Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor, City of Los Angeles
Atlantic Recovery Services
California Charter Schools Association
City of Huntington Park, Vice-Mayor Andy Molina
City of Long Beach, Councilmember Dee Andrews
City of South Gate, Councilmember Jorge Morales
City of Los Angeles, Councilmembers Richard Alarcon,
Bernard Parks, Jose Huizar, and Ed P. Reyes
Jon R. Gundry, Superintendent, Los Angeles County Schools
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Mark Ridley-Thomas
and Gloria Molina
Los Angeles Unified School District, Board President Monica
Garcia
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The SEA Charter School is similar
to a community day school and has served pupils in need of
assistance in Los Angeles County since 1997. The SEA
served 1,579 students in 2008-09, the most recent year for
which data are available, at 19 sites that are located
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across the Los Angeles basin. Most of these sites are
located in neighborhoods served by the Los Angeles Unified
School District, but the SEA also has school sites located
in Compton, Montebello, and Long Beach. In total, SEA
serves students from about 30 school districts in the
county.
CPM:cm 5/27/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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