BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair
AB 2684 (Stone) - Average Daily Attendance: Service on a
Precinct Board
Amended: June 12, 2014 Policy Vote: Education 5-1
Urgency: Yes Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 4, 2014
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez
This bill may meet the criteria for referral to the Suspense
File.
Bill Summary: AB 2684 deems a pupil serving as a member of a
precinct board for an election to be participating in
independent study, as specified, for purposes of calculating
average daily attendance (ADA), thus allowing the school
district to generate state apportionment payments for the
pupil's absence. This bill is an urgency measure.
Fiscal Impact:
ADA: Unknown, but potentially significant, increase in ADA
to the extent that students who volunteer at polls during an
election decide to complete assignments as required by this
bill in order to have their absence from school treated as
"independent study" instead of simply an excused absence.
For each of those instances, a school would receive ADA for
that student.
Background: State support to school districts for general
purpose funding is driven by the school district's ADA. Student
ADA is generated by pupils actually attending classes "under the
immediate supervision" of a properly credentialed teacher.
Existing law allows a pupil to be excused from school if the
absence is due to specified reasons, including but not limited
to the following:
a) Due to his or her illness, or quarantine under the
direction of a county or city health officer;
b) For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometric,
or chiropractic services rendered;
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c) For the purpose of attending the funeral services, as
specified; and
d) For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct
board for an election pursuant to Elections Code Section
12302.
Existing law specifies, however, that excused absences are
deemed to be absences in computing average ADA and shall not
generate state apportionment payment, but does allow the pupil
to make up any missed classroom assignments or tests during the
absence. (Education Code � 48205)
Existing law allows pupils to work at polls if, at the time of
the election, they are 16 years of age, a citizen in good
standing attending a public or private secondary educational
institution, and has a grade point average of at least 2.5.
(Election Code � 12302)
Proposed Law: This bill deems a pupil serving as a member of a
precinct board for an election to be participating in
independent study for purposes of calculating average ADA, and
makes conforming changes to implement the provision. This bill
requires the pupil to complete all assignments and tests during
the pupil's absence and requires the pupil to complete a report
or written assignment on his or her activities while serving as
a member of a precinct board for an election.
Staff Comments: Existing law allows students an "excused
absence" to work at polls during an election. If a student is
absent for that reason, he or she is not considered truant, but
the school still cannot count the student toward its ADA for
that day. This type of absence is treated the same as a student
illness and other "excused" absences that do not generate ADA
because of statutory restrictions.
This bill would allow a school to claim ADA for precinct board
participation, but only if it is treated as independent study.
Specifically, in order to apportion ADA, the student must have a
teacher verify that: (1) the student completed all assignments
and tests during his or her absence, and (2) the student
completed a report or written assignment on his or her
activities while serving as a member of a precinct board for an
election. These requirements would necessitate some level of
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coordination between the student and the school to ensure
completion. Otherwise, while statute would still consider the
absence "excused", the nature of the absence alone would not
make it eligible for an ADA exemption. This bill does not modify
the statute excusing the student's absence; it just creates a
way for a school to generate ADA if the student meets the
independent study requirements.
In other words, there does not appear to be a consequence to the
student to not seek independent study. The absence is excused
either way. This bill's costs will not simply be driven by the
number of students that volunteer at polls on election day, but
rather the number that participate in a school's independent
study assignments in order to generate ADA.
The number of students that volunteer at polls during an
election is unknown, and it is unclear how many of them will let
schools know ahead of time that they will be absent and will
enter into independent study agreements.