BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2437
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Date of Hearing: May 14, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 2437 (Hagman) - As Amended: May 1, 2014
Policy Committee: EducationVote:7-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California Department of Education (CDE)
to establish a competitive grant program to provide grants to
local education agencies (LEAs) for the construction of network
infrastructure necessary to administer computer-based
assessments. The bill appropriates $500 million General Fund
for the 2014-15 fiscal year for this program. Specifically this
bill:
1)Sets forth specific uses, including networking hardware,
software and provider services, and establishes priority for
LEAs that have little or no network connectivity.
2)Requires the CDE to develop guidelines with public input for
the implementation of the program. Requires the guidelines to
include: a maximum grant amount; a matching funds requirement,
based on a sliding scale and; the process for submitting
applications and determining awards.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)General Fund costs of $500 million pursuant to an
appropriation in this bill. Recent estimates to update
Broadband connectivity statewide are in the range of $360
million to $700 million. Additional cost pressures beyond the
appropriation in the bill could occur to the extent grant
funding does not meet network infrastructure and connectivity
needs or districts have difficulty meeting the matching
requirements.
2)General Fund administrative costs to CDE of approximately
$300,000 to $350,000 to administer the grant program. The
AB 2437
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bill authorizes an unspecified amount from the grant funding
to support CDE costs.
COMMENTS :
1)Purpose . According to the author, full implementation of these
tests will begin next year, however many schools throughout
California do not have the adequate levels of internet access
and infrastructure to administer these tests. Aside from the
new testing, technology has become an increasingly central
component of classroom instruction and will continue to
increase with the new standards. It is essential that we
bring our schools up to date with their network
infrastructure, bandwidth and internet accessibility.
2)Existing funding . The state provides $8 million to fund the
K-12 High Speed Network (K-12 HSN). The primary focus of the
K-12 high speed network is to connect schools, districts and
county offices of education with adequate high-speed bandwidth
through the California Research and Education Network
(CalREN). Approximately 793 schools connect to the CalREN.
However, the bandwidth available to schools through the CalREN
is significantly lower than the 100 Mbps necessary for the
Smarter Balance assessments.
The 2013-14 Budget Act provided $1.25 billion to LEAs for the
purpose of implementing Common Core Standards. The funds can
be used for professional development, instructional material
and expenditures to support technology-based instruction,
including expenditures necessary to support the administration
of computer-based assessments and provide high-speed,
high-bandwidth Internet connectivity for the purpose of
administration of computer-based assessments.
3)Related legislation . AB 2319 (Bonilla), pending in this
committee, establishes the Broadband Infrastructure Fund
Program to provide adequate Internet capacity to support new
content standards and assessments, and establishes the
Innovation, Training, and Common Core Implementation Fund to
support the integration of common core academic content
standards in instruction for grades K-12, inclusive, for
purposes of establishing quality instructional programs for
all pupils.
Analysis Prepared by : Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
AB 2437
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319-2081