SB 421, as amended, Hernandez. Pupil instruction: examination fees: International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and advanced placement courses.
Existing law authorizes a system of incentives to encourage high schools to operate International Baccalaureate Diploma Programs, and to encourage pupils in these schools to enroll in, attempt, and pass the International Baccalaureate course of study and examinations that lead to the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, from funds appropriated for the purpose of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, to annually allocate to each school district, on behalf of each high school or middle school within the district that offers the program, up to $25,000 for each participating high school and middle school to cover the costs of professional development required by the program and to help pay the test fees for low- and middle-income pupils in need of financial assistance.
Existing law authorizes a school district receiving economic impact aid funds to expend any portion of those funds to pay for all or part of the costs of one or more advanced placement examinations that are charged to economically disadvantaged pupils, as defined.
This bill would establish a grant program, administered by the State Department of Education, for the purpose of awarding grantsbegin insert, beginning in the 2015-16 fiscal year,end insert to cover the costs of advanced placement examination fees or International Baccalaureate examination fees, or both, for eligible economically disadvantaged high school pupils, as defined. The bill would authorize a school district to apply to the department for grant funding under the program based on the number of economically disadvantaged pupils in the school district who will take the next offered advanced placement examinations and would require that grants be expended only to pay the fees required of eligible economically disadvantaged high school pupils to take an advanced placement or International Baccalaureate examination, or both. The bill would require funding priority be given to advanced placement examination fees if there is insufficient funding allocated to the grant program in a given fiscal year. The bill would require the department to make every effort to obtain and allocate federal funding for purposes of the program before expending any state funds and require all federal and state funds obtained by the department for the purpose of the program to be expended for those purposes only and prohibit those funds from being used to fund any other program.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 52244 is added to the Education Code,
2to read:
(a) There is hereby established a grant program for the
4purpose of awarding grantsbegin insert, beginning in the 2015-16 fiscal year,end insert
5 to cover the costs of advanced placement examination fees or
6International Baccalaureate examination fees, or both, for eligible
7economically disadvantaged high school pupils. The department
8shall administer this program.
9(b) An “eligible economically disadvantaged high school pupil”
10means a pupil who is either from a family whose annual household
11income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty level or a pupil
12who is eligible for a federal
free or reduced-price meal program.
P3 1(c) A school district may apply to the department for grant
2funding pursuant to this section, based on the number of
3economically disadvantaged pupils in the school district enrolled
4in advanced placement courses who will take the next offered
5advanced placement examinations. A school district that applies
6to the department for this purpose shall designate school district
7staff to whom pupils may submit applications for grants and shall
8institute a plan to notify pupils of the availability of financial
9assistance pursuant to this section. Grants shall be expended only
10to pay the fees required of eligible economically disadvantaged
11high school pupils to take an advanced placement or International
12Baccalaureate examination, or both.
13(d) An
eligible economically disadvantaged high school pupil
14who is enrolled in an advanced placement or International
15Baccalaureate course, or both, may apply to the designated school
16district staff for a grant pursuant to this section. A pupil who
17receives a grant shall pay five dollars ($5) of the examination fee.
18(e) School districts and county superintendents of schools may
19join together and form collaboratives or consortia in order to
20participate in the grant program established by this section.
21(f) Grants provided pursuant to this section may not be used to
22supplant fee waivers available to low-income pupils who take
23advanced placement or International Baccalaureate examinations.
24(g) If the total school district applications
exceed the total funds
25available pursuant to this section, the department shall prorate the
26grants based upon the ratio of the total amount requested to the
27total amount budgeted by the state for this purpose. Funding
28priority shall be given to advanced placement examination fees if
29there is insufficient funding allocated for the grant program in a
30given fiscal year.
31(h) To facilitate program administration and school district
32reimbursement, the department may enter into a contract with the
33provider of advanced placement or International Baccalaureate
34examinations. For purposes of the contract authorized pursuant to
35this subdivision, the department is exempt from the requirements
36of Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the
37Public Contract Code and from the requirements of Article 6
38(commencing with Section 999) of
Chapter 6 of Division 4 of the
39Military and Veterans Code.
P4 1(i) The department shall make every effort to obtain and allocate
2federal funding for purposes of this program before expending any
3state funds. All state and federal funds obtained by the department
4for purposes of this program shall be expended for these purposes
5only and are prohibited from being used to fund any other program.
O
96