BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1955
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Date of Hearing: May 14, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1955 (Pan) - As Amended: May 1, 2014
Policy Committee: EducationVote:6-1
Health 16-2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI), starting July 1, 2014, to establish the
Healthy Kids, Healthy Minds Demonstration, to provide grants
over a three year period to local educational agencies (LEA) to
employ one full-time school nurse and one full-time mental
health professional, and ensure the schoolsite library is open
one hour before and three hours after the regular school day.
Authorizes the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt emergency
regulations to implement the program. Specifically, this bill:
1)Allows an LEA or schoolsite to participate if it has a
percentage of pupils who are either classified as an English
learner, eligible for a free or reduced-price meal, or are a
foster youth, in excess of 55% of the LEAs total school
enrollment.
2)Requires LEAs, at a minimum, to demonstrate employment of a
nurse, mental health professional and library staff can be met
with a combination of local funds and grant funding and can
show the proposed use of funds is consistent with its local
control and accountability plan (LCAP).
3)Requires, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the SPI to
reserve funds each year necessary to operate the demonstration
as a grant program.
4)Requires participating LEAs, with assistance from the
California Department of Education (CDE) to collect and
aggregate data from schoolsites under the jurisdiction of the
LEA, including, among other things, measuring changes in pupil
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absenteeism, school climate, reductions in the incidence of
violence, changes in health status among high-needs pupils,
and other relevant benchmarks as defined and determined by the
State Board of Education (SBE), and requires a participating
LEA to transmit this data to the CDE annually.
5)Encourages participating LEAs to offer library programs that
may include, but are not limited to, reading circles, tutoring
programs, online research, and parent outreach for homework
assistance, and requires, to the extent feasible, schoolsites
to make efforts to offer library programming with the
participation of certified bilingual staff.
6)Requires CDE to compile, analyze, and present the data on the
results of the demonstration project to the Legislature and
SBE no later than December 31, 2018. Sunsets the provisions of
this bill on January 1, 2019.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Unknown state costs, likely in the tens to hundreds of
millions of dollars. This bill does not specify total grant
funding, does not identify a funding source and does not limit
the number of grants awarded. There are approximately 10,000
school sites in California. Roughly 4,890 school sites have
EL, FRPM or FY student populations with in excess of 55%.
Annual costs to support staffing required under the grant
program are approximately $200,000. For illustration,
assuming each grantee provided 50% matching funds, and the
grant provided $100,000 to half of all eligible sites, total
grant costs would be $232 million.
2)General Fund administrative costs to CDE of approximately
$130,000 to provide assistance to school sites to collect and
aggregate data. CDE would also need to analyze and present
data on the results of the demonstration project to the
Legislature. Additional, unknown administrative costs to CDE
to recalculate and augment each LEAs base grant provided under
the Local Control Funding Formula.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . According to the author, school-based health services
can lead to academic improvements, improved attendance,
reduced suspension and expulsion rates and lower dropout
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rates. The California Federation of Teachers, is sponsoring
this bill and asserts school library programs and the presence
of school librarians can make differences in student success,
literacy, information technology skills and overall academic
achievement.
2)Interaction with LCFF base grant . In 2013, the state
implemented a new funding formula for schools known as the
Local Control Funding Formula. The new law replaces most
previously existing K-12 funding streams (revenue limit and
categorical programs) with per pupil grade span funding and
targeted funding for low income, English learner and foster
youth students. The Governor estimates the state will need to
invest $15.5 billion (plus cost of living increases) to fully
implement the LCFF over the next six years. As Proposition 98
funding increases, the state provides funding to move LEAs
closer to their full implementation target. For example, the
2013-14 Budget Act provided $2.1 billion towards
implementation of the LCFF. The Governor's January budget
proposes to provide an additional $4.5 billion in 2014-15 to
school districts for the LCFF. The Governor estimates this
funding closes approximately 28% of the remaining gap to full
implementation.
This bill requires grant funding to be added to a LEAs base
grant under LCFF for three years. This would have the effect
of moving the LEA closer to full implementation sooner but for
a limited amount of time. The committee may wish to consider
providing these funds outside of the LCFF formula given the
temporary nature of the funding.
Analysis Prepared by : Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081