BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 590
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 590 (De León)
As Amended August 14, 2013
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :28-9
EDUCATION 5-2 APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Buchanan, Gonzalez, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Nazarian, Weber, Williams | |Bradford, |
| | | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Eggman, Gomez, Hall, |
| | | |Holden, Pan, Quirk, Weber |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Olsen, Chávez |Nays:|Harkey, Bigelow, |
| | | |Donnelly, Linder, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires a local education agency (LEA), if it expends
funds for professional development for any schoolsite staff, to
consider the needs of classified school employees.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Specifies professional development training for classified
school employees includes, but is not limited to any of the
following:
a) Pupil learning and achievement, including all of the
following:
i) Training for paraprofessionals to assist teachers
and administrators to improve the academic achievement of
pupils.
ii) Training to ensure the curriculum frameworks and
instructional materials are aligned to the common core
standards.
iii) Training in the management and use of state and
local pupil data to improve pupil learning.
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iv) Training on the best practices in the appropriate
interventions and assistance to at-risk pupils.
b) Pupil and campus safety, including training and staff
development in the latest and best practices for pupil
safety and campus safety.
c) Education technology, including management strategies
and best practices regarding the use of education
technology to improve pupil performance.
d) School facility maintenance and operations, including
new research and best practices in the operation and
maintenance of school facilities, such as green technology
and energy efficiency, that help reduce the use and the
cost of energy at schoolsites.
e) Special education, including training and staff
development on the best practices to meet the needs of
special education pupils, and to comply with any new state
and federal mandates.
f) School transportation and bus safety, including training
and staff development on the best practices and standards
for pupil transportation.
g) Parent involvement, including training and staff
development to enhance the ability of a school to increase
parent involvement at schoolsites.
h) Food service, including training and staff development
on new research and findings for food preparation to
provide nutritional meals and food management.
i) Health, counseling, and nursing services, including
training and staff development on the latest and best
practices for pupil health care and counseling needs.
j) Environmental safety, including training and staff
development on pesticides and other possibly toxic
substances so that they may be safely used at schoolsites.
1)Defines "Classified school employee" to mean a person employed
on a full-time or a part-time basis as a classified school
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employee at a community college, a public school, a charter
school, or a county office of education.
2)Defines "Local educational agency" to mean a school district,
a county office of education, a charter school, or a community
college district.
3)Makes legislative findings and declarations regarding the
vital role that classified employees play in public schools
and their need for professional development and training to
update their skills and to learn the best practices for vital
education programs, including campus safety, academic
achievement and curriculum standards, special education,
health care, child nutrition, pupil transportation,
environmental safety, and parental involvement.
4)Specifies that nothing in this measure prohibits an LEA from
providing professional development to teachers and
administrators.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, no direct General Fund/Proposition 98 state impact.
This bill, however, will create local pressure for LEAs to
expend funds on professional development training for classified
employees. With the passage of the Local Control Funding
Formula (LCFF), this statute appears contrary to the rationale
for the LCFF, which is to provide for maximum discretion to LEAs
to expend funds for programs and services LEAs determine best
meet the needs of their pupils.
COMMENTS : This bill requires a local education agency (LEA), if
it expends funds for professional development for any schoolsite
staff, to consider the needs of classified school employees.
Classified school employees include paraeducators, healthcare
professionals, office and clerical staff, bus drivers,
groundskeepers, custodians, information technology assistants,
instructional assistants, food service workers, and school
safety personnel. In these capacities, they frequently interact
with parents and students, and are important partners in
educational success. They are employed in public K-12 school
settings and have major responsibilities for reinforcing
classroom instruction and the health and safety of students.
Classified school employees include part time as well as full
time staff.
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According to the author, during the past few years, funding for
staff development in K-12 school districts and community
colleges has been severely cut due to state budget shortfalls.
Classified school employees were laid off and furloughed, and
training funds were reduced. Professional development helps
classified school employees continue to update their skills and
knowledge on the best practices to implement new statutory
requirements for student care, and to better assist students,
parents and other educators. Classified employees are on the
front lines working to ensure the safety and care of students on
campuses, so they are required to learn the best practices for
vital education programs, including: campus safety, academic
achievement and curriculum standards, special education, health
care, child nutrition, student transportation, environmental
safety, and parental involvement. Professional development
helps classified school employees continue to update their
skills and knowledge on the best practice to implement new
statutory requirements for student care, and to better assist
students, parents and other educators. Due to new duties and
responsibilities classified school employees have to learn
frequently, there is a need to adequately ensure funding for
training. Historically, California has a long history of
supporting professional development to teachers and classified
staff to implement new school reform or to provide needed
specialized services to students.
LCFF and Professional Development : With the recent passage of
the Budget Act and the implementation of the LCFF, the existing
professional development funding program will be wrapped into a
school district's base funding and will no longer be earmarked
for professional development. There will be $1.25 billion set
aside for one time common core implementation and districts may
choose to spend some of this funding on professional
development. Other than this one time funding, there will not
be state set aside funding for professional development on an
ongoing basis. Districts do receive Federal Title I funding,
which can be used on professional development. In fact,
districts with program improvement schools must set aside 10% of
its Title 1, Part A allocation for professional development
activities. Under this bill, districts that receive state or
federal funding and expend those funds for professional
development will be required to consider the professional
development needs of classified employees.
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Previous legislation : AB 406 (Yamada) in 2009, which was held
in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, would have created a
new grant program to fund training for classified school
employees.
Analysis Prepared by : Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0001849