Amended in Assembly July 1, 2014

Amended in Senate May 1, 2014

Amended in Senate April 21, 2014

Amended in Senate March 24, 2014

Senate Bill No. 1248

Introduced by Senator Lara

(Coauthor: Senator Wyland)

February 20, 2014

An act to amend Section 52074 of the Education Code, relating to public schools.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1248, as amended, Lara. California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.

Existing law, on or before July 1, 2014, requires the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to adopt a local control and accountability plan and requires the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to update its local control and accountability plan on or before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires of charter schools something similar to a local control and accountability plan.

Existing law establishes the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence for the purpose of advising and assisting school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools in achieving the goals set forth in a local control and accountability plan.

This bill would begin delete specify additional roles for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, including providing ongoing recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding how and if school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools are making progress in closing the pupil achievement gaps in their schools with respect to specified categories, providing recommendations as to the best practices being used to close the achievement gap, and providing recommendations on the collection and analysis of data that can provide comparisons of local control and accountability plans and pupil achievement data, and comparisons of schools of comparable size, type, and pupil demographics end delete begin insert also require the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to report to the State Board of Education by October 15, 2015, with recommendations for methods, study designs, and data needs for systematically evaluating the effectiveness of local control and accountability plans in closing the achievement gap and achieving specified state priorities, and with recommendations for methods for the statewide identification and dissemination of best practices in that regard. The bill would provide that certain moneys appropriated in the Budget Act of 2013 may be applied to the preparation of the report end insert .

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 52074 of the Education Code is amended
to read:

52074.  

(a) The California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence is hereby established.

(b) The purpose of the California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence is to do begin delete all end delete begin insert both end insert of the following:

(1) Advise and assist school districts, county superintendents
of schools, and charter schools in achieving the goals set forth in
a local control and accountability plan adopted pursuant to this
article.

begin delete

(2) Provide ongoing recommendations to the state board
regarding how and if school districts, county offices of education,
and charter schools are making progress in closing the pupil
achievement gaps in their schools identified and measured pursuant
to paragraphs (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8) of subdivision (d) of Section
52060, with respect to school districts, paragraphs (4), (5), (6),
(7), and (8) of subdivision (d) of Section 52066, with respect to
county offices of education, and similar provisions referenced in
Section 47606.5, with respect to charter schools, respectively.

(3) Provide recommendations to the state board as to the best
practices being used by school districts, county offices of
education, and charter schools to close the achievement gap relative
to pupil achievement as measured pursuant to paragraphs (4), (5),
(6), (7), and (8) of subdivision (d) of Section 52060, with respect
to school districts, paragraphs (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8) of
subdivision (d) of Section 52066, with respect to county offices
of education, and similar provisions referenced in Section 47606.5,
with respect to charter schools, respectively.

(4) Provide recommendations to the state board on the collection
and analysis of data that can provide comparisons of local control
and accountability plans and pupil achievement data for school
districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools,
and comparisons of schools of comparable size, type, and pupil
demographics.

end delete begin insert

(2) Report to the state board on or before October 15, 2015,
with recommendations for both of the following:

end insert begin insert

(A) Methods, study designs, and data needs for systematically
evaluating the effectiveness of local control and accountability
plans adopted pursuant to Section 52060 in closing the
achievement gap and achieving the state priorities established in
subdivision (d) of Section 52060.

end insert begin insert

(B) Methods for the statewide identification and dissemination
of best practices.

end insert

(c) The Superintendent shall, with the approval of the state
board, contract with a local educational agency, or consortium of
local educational agencies, to serve as the fiscal agent for the
California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. The
Superintendent shall apportion funds appropriated for the California
Collaborative for Educational Excellence to the fiscal agent.

(d) The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence
shall be governed by a board consisting of the following five
members:

(1) The Superintendent or his or her designee.

(2) The president of the state board or his or her designee.

(3) A county superintendent of schools appointed by the Senate
Committee on Rules.

(4) A teacher appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

(5) A superintendent of a school district appointed by the
Governor.

(e) At the direction of the governing board of the California
Collaborative for Educational Excellence, the fiscal agent shall
contract with individuals, local educational agencies, or
organizations with the expertise, experience, and a record of
success to carry out the purposes of this article. The areas of
expertise, experience, and record of success shall include, but are
not limited to, all of the following:

(1) State priorities as described in subdivision (d) of Section
52060.

(2) Improving the quality of teaching.

(3) Improving the quality of school district and schoolsite
leadership.

(4) Successfully addressing the needs of special pupil
populations, including, but not limited to, English learners, pupils
eligible to receive a free or reduced-price meal, pupils in foster
care, and individuals with exceptional needs.

(f) The Superintendent may direct the California Collaborative
for Educational Excellence to advise and assist a school district,
county superintendent of schools, or charter school in any of the
following circumstances:

(1) If the governing board of a school district, county board of
education, or governing body or a charter school requests the advice
and assistance of the California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence.

(2) If the county superintendent of schools of the county in
which the school district or charter school is located determines,
following the provision of technical assistance pursuant to Section
52071 or 47607.3, as applicable, that the advice and assistance of
the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is
necessary to help the school district or charter school accomplish
the goals described in the local control and accountability plan
adopted pursuant to this article.

(3) If the Superintendent determines that the advice and
assistance of the California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence is necessary to help the school district, county
superintendent of schools, or charter school accomplish the goals
set forth in the local control and accountability plan adopted
pursuant to this article.

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Moneys appropriated for the California Collaborative
for Educational Excellence in Item 6100-106-0001 of Section 2.00
of the Budget Act of 2013, as amended by Section 53 of Chapter
32 of the Statutes of 2014, may be applied to the preparation of
the report required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section
52074 of the Education Code. end insert