BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1174|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1174
Author: Lara (D), et al.
Amended: 4/23/14
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/30/14
AYES: Liu, Block, Correa, Galgiani, Hancock, Hueso, Huff,
Monning
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 5/23/14
AYES: De Le�n, Walters, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
SUBJECT : Multilingual education
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill amends and repeals various provisions of
statute implemented by the enactment of Proposition 227 of 1998,
to be submitted to voters for approval at the November 2016
statewide general election.
ANALYSIS : In 1998, statewide voters passed Proposition 227
which:
1.Requires that all children in California public schools be
taught English by being taught in English and that they be
placed in English language classrooms.
2.Requires that English learners (ELs) be educated through
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sheltered English immersion during a temporary transition
period not to exceed one year.
3.Requires that, once ELs had a good working knowledge of
English, they be transferred to English language mainstream
classrooms.
The proposition permits schools to provide classes in a language
other than English under a parent initiated waiver process under
the following circumstances:
1.The child is at least ten years old and the school principal
and teachers agree that learning in another language would be
better for the child.
2.The child has been in a class using English for at least 30
days and the principal, teachers, and head of the school
district agree that learning in another language would be
better for the student.
3.The child already is fluent in English and the parents want
the child to take classes in another language.
Requires parents/guardians to annually give written informed
consent and to personally visit the school to apply for the
waiver. The initiative requires individual schools to offer a
bilingual education class if 20 or more students in a given
grade level are granted a waiver, otherwise a student must be
allowed to transfer to a public school which does offer such a
class.
Additionally, the proposition requires the state to provide $50
million every year for ten years for English classes for adults
who promised to tutor EL students.
It also provides that its provisions could be amended by a
statue that becomes effective upon approval by voters or by a
statute that furthers the proposition's purpose if passed by a
two-thirds vote of each house and signed by the Governor.
This bill:
1.Amends and repeals provisions of the voter enacted initiative
Proposition 227 (of 1998) and renames the proposition as the
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California Education for a Global Economy Initiative
(California EdGE Initiative).
2.Deletes the sheltered English immersion requirement and waiver
provisions, and instead authorizes school districts and county
offices of education to determine the best language
instruction methods and language acquisition programs to
implement by consulting experts in the field, parents, and
engaging local communities.
3.Authorizes all parents to choose the language education model
that best suits their child.
4.Requires that a school in which 20 pupils or more of a given
grade level request a specific language program to offer such
a class; otherwise, they must allow the pupils to transfer to
a public school in which such a class is offered.
5.Deletes certain findings and declarations relative to English
language instruction, and replaces them with others relative
to multilingual skills and instruction.
6.Authorizes these education statutes to be amended by a
majority vote of each house of the Legislature and signed by
the Governor.
7.Requires that the provisions of this bill be submitted to the
voters at the November 2016 statewide general election.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Ballot costs: $275,000 - $660,000 in one-time costs to the
Secretary of State. Placing a measure on a statewide ballot
costs $55,000 - $66,000 per page; ballot measures range in
length, but average 10 pages in length.
Language education model choice: Potentially significant
additional local costs to provide access to any language
educational model that the parents of 20 or more students in
the same grade level request, or to facilitate their transfer
to a school that offers the requested model. State mandates
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enacted by the voters are not reimbursable. However, schools
are primarily funded by Proposition 98 General Fund dollars.
State-level oversight: Potentially significant increased
workload for the Department of Education to revise guidance
and oversight to ensure the state continues to meet federal
requirements to provide certain services to ELs, as a
protected class.
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/23/14)
California Council on Teacher Education
California Immigrant Policy Center
Early Edge California
Public Counsel
San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, the top
education systems in the world all require students to learn
multiple languages. Yet California, with its natural reserve of
diverse linguistic resources has failed to develop a
multilingual workforce. In this new globalized world, the
state's economic success depends upon our ability to prepare a
workforce educated to compete in a global economy, and able to
communicate with the world.
In addition, the Legislature has recently taken effort to
provide greater local control over funding and programs in our
K-12 schools.
According to the author, existing statute hinders the ability of
districts and schools to innovate, cultivate, and promote the
multilingual skills necessary to keep our state competitive
globally. Proposition 227 created major barriers to providing
multilingual classrooms. These barriers have resulted in a low
number of schools offering multilingual instruction and very
long enrollment waiting lists at those that do. Removing and
amending these provisions will make it easier for districts and
parents that desire to offer multilingual programs, and return
local control to districts and parents to drive the educational
model that works best for their children.
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PQ:e 5/25/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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