SB 837, as amended, Steinberg. Early childhood education: professional development.
Existing law authorizes a school district or charter school to maintain a transitional kindergarten program and defines transitional kindergarten as the first year of a 2-year kindergarten program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer all California state preschool programs. Existing law requires those programs to include part-day age and developmentally appropriate programs designed to facilitate the transition to kindergarten for three- and four-year-old children.
Of the moneys appropriated in thebegin delete 2014 Annual Budget Act,end deletebegin insert Budget Act of 2014,end insert
this bill would allocate certain of those moneys for purposes of professional development for teachers in transitional kindergarten and teachers in the California state preschoolbegin delete programs,end deletebegin insert program,end insert as provided. The bill would require the State Department of Education to consult with various entities, including the California Community Colleges, for purposes of administering the above provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
(a) Of the moneys appropriated in Item
26110-196-0001 of the Budget Act of 2014, the sum of fifteen
3million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be allocated to thebegin delete departmentend delete
4begin insert State Department of Educationend insert to be used to fund professional
5development for teachers. The funds shall be allocated as follows:
6(1) (A) First priority shall be for professional development for
7transitional kindergarten teachers.
8(B) For purposes of this paragraph, professional development
9shall include, but shall not be limited to, all of the following:
10(i) Stipends for teachers to complete at least 24 units in early
11childhood education or childhood development, or a combination
12of both, pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) of Section
1348000begin insert of the Education Codeend insert.
14(ii) Strengthening teacher knowledge of the California Preschool
15Learning Foundations, as developed by the department.
16(2) Second priority shall be for professional development for
17teachers in the California state preschool program, pursuant to
18Article 7 (commencing with Section
8235) of Chapter 2 of Part 6
19of Division 1 of Title 1begin insert of the Education Codeend insert.
20(b) Of the moneys appropriated in Item 6110-196-0001 of the
21Budget Act of 2014, the sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000)
22shall be allocated to thebegin delete departmentend deletebegin insert State Department of Educationend insert
23 to be used for other professional development projects, not
24described in subdivision (a), for transitional kindergarten and
25California state preschool program teachers, as determined by the
26department.
27(c) Thebegin delete departmentend deletebegin insert
State Department of Educationend insert shall consult
28with the California Community Colleges,begin insert the California State
29University, resourceend insertbegin insert and referral programs,end insert the California Children
30and Families Commission, school administrators, and teachers in
31administering this section.
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