BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                            



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                                       CONSENT


          Bill No:  AB 1851
          Author:   Bradford (D)
          Amended:  5/14/14 in Assembly
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  7-0, 6/18/14
          AYES:  Liu, Wyland, Block, Correa, Hancock, Huff, Monning

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  74-1, 5/23/14 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    School attendance:  interdistrict attendance

           SOURCE  :     Los Angeles County Office of Education


           DIGEST  :    This bill extends the sunset date, from July 1, 2015  
          to July 1, 2018, that authorizes county boards of education  
          (CBEs), with countywide average daily attendance (ADA) greater  
          than 180,000, to determine whether a pupil who has filed an  
          interdistrict appeal should be permitted to attend in the  
          district in which the pupil desires to attend, within 40  
          schooldays.

          ANALYSIS  :    Existing law provides for several means to  
          authorize interdistrict attendance of a pupil who resides in one  
          school district but wishes to attend public school in another  
          school district.  The main authorization provides for  
          interdistrict attendance when both the district of residence and  
          district of proposed attendance agree.  This process allows the  
          parent or guardian of a pupil requesting interdistrict  
          attendance to appeal to the CBE in the event that either  
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          district refuses the requested transfer. In addition, current  
          law allows the governing board of a school district for a period  
          not to exceed two school months to provisionally admit to their  
          schools a pupil who resides in another district, pending a  
          decision of the two boards, or by the CBE upon appeal, regarding  
          the interdistrict attendance. The provisional attendance may be  
          counted by the district of attendance for revenue limit and  
          state apportionment purposes. 

          Existing law, specifies if either district fails to approve the  
          interdistrict attendance of a pupil, or in the case of the  
          failure or refusal of the districts to enter into an agreement,  
          the person having legal custody of the pupil may appeal to the  
          CBE and, requires the CBE to determine, within 30 calendar days,  
          whether the pupil should be permitted to attend in the district  
          in which the pupil desires; and, specifies that the CBE in a  
          Class 1 or Class 2 county shall, within 40 schooldays after the  
          appeal is filed, determine whether the pupil should be permitted  
          to attend in the district in which the pupil desires to attend  
          and the applicable period of time.  Specifies, in the event that  
          compliance by the CBE within the time requirement for  
          determining whether the pupil should be permitted to attend in  
          the district in which the pupil desires to attend is  
          impractical, the CBE or the county superintendent of schools,  
          for good cause, may extend the time period for up to an  
          additional five schooldays.

          Existing law defines "Class 1 County" to mean a county with  
          1994-95 countywide ADA of more than 500,000; and defines "Class  
          2 county" to mean a county with 1994-95 countywide ADA of at  
          least 180,000 but less than 500,000 ADA.

          This bill extends the sunset date, from July 1, 2015 to July 1,  
          2018, that authorizes CBEs, with countywide ADA greater than  
          180,000, to determine whether a pupil who has filed an  
          interdistrict appeal should be permitted to attend in the  
          district in which the pupil desires to attend, within 40  
          schooldays.

           Prior Legislation
           
          AB 1085 (Davis, Chapter 87, Statutes 2011) authorized CBEs, with  
          countywide ADA greater than 180,000, to determine whether a  
          pupil who has filed an interdistrict appeal should be permitted  

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          to attend in the district in which the pupil desires to attend,  
          within 40-schooldays; and, specifies that it is the intent of  
          the Legislature that school districts and CBEs make best efforts  
          to process interdistrict attendance appeals in an expeditious  
          fashion.  This authorization will sunset as of July 1, 2015.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No   Local:  
           No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  6/19/14)

          Los Angeles County Office of Education (source) 
          Fresno County Office of Education 
          Orange County Department of Education
          San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
          San Diego Office of Education
          Santa Clara Office of Education

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    According to the author's office, this  
          bill extends the sunset to July 1, 2018, the law that increased  
          the timeline for CBE in Class 1 and Class 2 counties to  
          determine, on appeal, whether a pupil should be permitted to  
          attend school in the district in which the pupil desires.  The  
          Los Angeles County Office of Education handles more transfer  
          appeals than any other county in the state.  The original sunset  
          is scheduled for July 1, 2015, and to-date it has been  
          successful.  The Los Angeles County Office of Education has  
          maintained its internal goal of continuing to process each case  
          in a timely, expeditious manner, with the 30 calendar days being  
          the goal.  Parents have also experienced more time to process  
          their appeals packets, resulting in fewer parents missing the  
          timelines than before.  When there are a large number of cases,  
          and when there are vacation days, family emergencies or other  
          issues, the extra time can make it easier on everyone.  The  
          original sunset date was inserted with the belief that this law  
          would no longer be necessary at some point.  Unfortunately, this  
          has not been the case, and the appeals have not decreased, but  
          rather increased to over 1,100 in 2012-13.  

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  74-1, 5/23/14
          AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,  
            Bocanegra, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon,  
            Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley, Dababneh,  
            Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Beth  

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            Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray,  
            Grove, Hagman, Hall, Holden, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine,  
            Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina,  
            Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan,  
            Patterson, Perea, John A. P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,  
            Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner,  
            Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
          NOES: Donnelly
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Bonilla, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, V. Manuel  
            P�rez, Vacancy


          PQ:nl  6/19/14   Senate Floor Analyses 

                           SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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