BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 2216
AUTHOR: Muratsuchi
AMENDED: May 23, 2014
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 25, 2014
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lenin Del Castillo
SUBJECT : Regional occupational centers and programs.
SUMMARY
This bill seeks to preserve funding for Regional Occupational
Centers and Programs (ROC/Ps) by extending the existing
maintenance of effort requirement for school districts from
the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year to the end of the 2016-17
fiscal year.
BACKGROUND
Existing law establishes various career technical education
programs for public schools, including ROC/Ps that allow
students from multiple schools or districts to participate in
career technical training programs regardless of the
geographical location of their residence in a county or
region. Existing law authorizes the following types of
ROC/Ps operational models: (Education Code � 52300 et seq.)
1) County ROC/P: Existing law authorizes county
superintendents, with the consent of the State Board of
Education to establish and maintain a ROC/P to provide
education and training in career technical courses.
(Education Code � 52301(a))
2) Joint Powers Agency ROC/P: Existing law authorizes two
or more school districts to form a joint powers agency
for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a ROC/P
for students who are enrolled in those districts.
(Education Code � 52301(a)(2))
3) Single District ROC/P: Existing law authorizes certain
very large districts, who do not wish to be part of a
county ROC/P, to apply to the State Board of Education
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through their county superintendent for permission to
establish and maintain a ROC/P for students enrolled in
the district. The county superintendent may supervise
the establishment of the ROC/P.
(Education Code � 52301(b))
Existing law provides a "maintenance of effort" requirement
for ROC/P funding in which a school district, county office
of education, or joint powers agency for the 2013-14 and
2014-15 fiscal years, inclusive, must spend at least as much
on ROC/Ps as they did in the 2012-13 fiscal year.
ANALYSIS
This bill extends by two years the maintenance of effort
(MOE) requirement for school districts only to spend at least
as much on Regional Occupational Centers and Programs
(ROC/Ps) as they did in the 2012-13 from 2014-15 to 2016-17 .
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author's office,
"CTE programs play a vital role in engaging students and
helping them prepare for the transition to higher
education and the workforce. In particular, ROC/Ps have
offered courses for over forty years in areas ranging
from aerospace engineering to medical assistance. Each
year, these programs serve more than 400,000 students.
Studies have shown that students who engage in ROC/Ps
have improved their attendance rates, increased high
school grade point averages, enrolled in postsecondary
education in large numbers, and have more success in
securing raises and promotions on the job." AB 2216 is
intended to protect career technical education as a
priority and would extend the maintenance of effort
requirement for ROC/Ps for two more years.
2) Local Control Funding Formula . The 2013-14 Budget Act
restructured the existing K-12 finance system and
eliminated over 40 existing programs while implementing
a new formula known as the Local Control Funding Formula
(LCFF). The LCFF consolidates the vast majority of
state categorical programs and revenue limit
apportionments into a single source of funding. In
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addition, the statutory and programmatic requirements
for these programs were eliminated-the programs would be
deemed "discretionary" and programs in any of these
areas would be dependent on local district discretion.
The newly implemented LCFF rolls funding for ROC/Ps into
the new formula. However, for the 2013-14 and 2014-15
fiscal years only, current law requires school districts
and county superintendents, including joint powers
agencies, who spent funds for ROC/Ps in 2012-13 to
expend no less funding for those programs. As a
categorical program in 2012-13, the state provided
approximately $384 million in Proposition 98 General
Fund for ROC/Ps. It is unclear to what extent school
districts, county offices of education, and joint powers
agencies will continue to fund ROC/Ps after the 2014-15
fiscal year after the MOE requirement expires.
3) Committee amendments : Existing law authorizes three
types of ROC/Ps operational models-county office of
education programs, single district programs, and school
districts that form joint powers agencies. It appears
that the bill currently only applies to the MOE
requirement for school district ROC/Ps, not to all ROC/P
operational models. Therefore, staff recommends
amendments to make conforming changes to the MOE
requirement for all ROC/Ps, including county office of
education and joint powers agency models.
4) Related legislation .
AB 2033 (Salas) specifies the intent of the Legislature
to continue funding the Agricultural Career Technical
Education Incentive Program and require school districts
to demonstrate how the expenditure of the funds will be
consistent with their local control and accountability
plans. This bill will also be heard by this Committee
on June 25, 2014.
SB 660 (Hancock) establishes new reporting requirements,
effective for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 fiscal years, for
county offices of education and school districts that
operate or participate in Regional Occupational Centers
and Programs. This bill is pending in the Assembly
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Education Committee.
SUPPORT
California Business Education Association
California Manufacturers & Technology Association
California School Finance Reform Coalition
California State PTA
City of Hermosa Beach
City of Torrance
County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
Manhattan Beach Unified School District
Napa County Office of Education
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
Robinson Helicopter Company
South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Southern California Regional Occupational Center
Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce
Torrance Memorial Medical Center
Torrance Unified School District
OPPOSITION
None on file.