BILL NUMBER: SB 527 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senator Liu
FEBRUARY 26, 2015
An act to add Article 14 (commencing with Section 33480) to
Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
relating to education finance.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 527, as introduced, Liu. Education finance: Safe Neighborhoods
and Schools Fund Grant Program.
Existing law, the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, enacted by
Proposition 47, as approved by the voters at the November 4, 2014,
statewide general election, among other things, established the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools Fund, a continuously appropriated fund,
which is funded by savings that accrue to the state from the
implementation of the act. The act provides that, among other
purposes, 25% of the funds shall be disbursed to the State Department
of Education to administer a grant program to public agencies aimed
at improving outcomes for public school pupils by reducing truancy
and supporting pupils who are at risk of dropping out of school or
are victims of crime.
This bill would express findings and declarations of the
Legislature with respect to the purposes of the act. The bill would
specify the administrative duties and responsibilities of the State
Department of Education with respect to the administration,
commencing with the 2016-17 fiscal year, of a Safe Neighborhoods and
Schools Fund Grant Program, pursuant to which the department would
issue a request for proposal to school districts each fiscal year and
would make grants to applicant school districts. The bill would set
forth criteria to guide the department in awarding grants under the
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 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund has been established
by Proposition 47, approved by the voters at the November 4, 2014,
statewide general election. The funds transferred to the Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools Fund are to be used exclusively for the
purposes of the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.
(b) Twenty-five percent of the funds are disbursed to the State
Department of Education to administer a grant program to public
agencies aimed at improving outcomes for public school pupils in
kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, by reducing truancy and
supporting pupils who are at risk of dropping out of school or are
victims of crime.
(c) Studies estimate that between 3.3 million and 10 million
children in the United States witness violence in their own homes
each year.
(d) Children who have experienced early, chronic trauma, such as
family or community violence, can develop emotional, behavioral,
cognitive, and relationship difficulties that can adversely affect
their ability to learn and function well in school.
(e) Exposure to trauma is associated with a higher risk for
dropping out of school, and in turn, dropping out of school increases
the risk of being imprisoned.
(f) Behavioral problems among schoolage youth are associated with
high rates of depression, experiencing a traumatic or violent event,
and other significant home-life stresses.
(g) Sixty-five percent of pupils with an emotional disturbance
drop out of school. This dropout rate is higher than all other
disability categories.
(h) For pupils with these mental health concerns, the American
Academy of Pediatrics has found that suspension can increase stress
and may predispose them to antisocial behavior and even suicidal
ideation. Psychologists have similarly found that disciplinary
exclusion policies can increase pupil shame, alienation, rejection,
and breaking of healthy adult bonds, thereby exacerbating negative
mental health outcomes for young people.
(i) Studies have shown that one suspension greatly increases the
likelihood that a pupil will drop out and become involved in the
juvenile justice system.
(j) Removing pupils from school through disciplinary exclusion
also increases the risk that they will become victims of violent
crime.
(k) Research has shown that coordinated alignment of integrated
pupil supports is an approach, well-grounded in theory, research, and
community experience that has been shown to reduce truancy and
chronic absence, and to improve academic outcomes, school climate,
and a pupil's physical and mental health.
(l) Schools that address the "whole child" embrace youth
development principles and ensure the social-emotional health of
pupils, and create integrated and trauma-informed support systems
that have a stronger positive school culture, higher attendance,
higher graduation and achievement rates, and lower truancy rates.
(m) Pupils who attend schools where support systems are not easily
accessible by pupils and their families and where alignment of
support systems within the school and with community partners is
lacking are less likely to have access to programs that can address
the needs of vulnerable populations, thus exacerbating education and
health inequities.
(n) Schools that implement research-based, schoolwide approaches
to addressing social, emotional, and behavioral issues, such as
School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, restorative
justice, community schools strategies, and school-based mental
health and trauma-informed practices demonstrate strong educational
outcomes, including increases in attendance and achievement,
particularly for pupils of color and other at-risk populations.
SEC. 2. Article 14 (commencing with Section 33480) is added to
Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
to read:
Article 14. Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund Grant Program
33480. (a) The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund Grant Program
is hereby established under the administration of the department.
Grants shall be issued under this program commencing with the 2016-17
fiscal year. Pursuant to the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,
approved as Proposition 47 by the voters on November 4, 2014, the
Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund has been established under
Section 7599 of the Government Code, and funds are allocated to the
department from that fund under Section 7599.2 of the Government
Code. In administering the grant program, the department shall comply
with all of the following requirements in order to improve outcomes
for public school pupils by reducing truancy and supporting pupils
who are at risk of dropping out of school or are victims of crime:
(1) All school districts in the state shall be eligible to apply
for the grant program.
(2) The grant program shall reward school districts that have
demonstrated a commitment to, and developed a comprehensive plan for,
utilizing research-based strategies to increase attendance rates, to
reduce school removals of all types and referrals to police, to
address trauma, mental health needs and other social and emotional
factors that impact pupil outcomes, to address and to remedy school
pushout and dropout rates, coordinate pupil support programs with
community and other public agencies at schoolsites and across the
school district, and create a strong and supportive school culture
that identifies and addresses the needs of pupils, including victims
of crime, abuse, and neglect.
(3) A school district receiving a grant under this article shall
show at a minimum that it has designed, and is committed to
implementing, all of the following:
(A) A three-year plan, developed through its local control and
accountability plan or otherwise to accomplish all of the following:
(i) Significantly reduce class and school removals, absences,
violent incidents on campus, and referrals to police.
(ii) Implement research-based, whole school approaches, including,
but not necessarily limited to, schoolwide positive behavior
intervention and supports, restorative justice, community schools
strategies, trauma-informed practices, cultural competency,
social-emotional learning, and approaches to reengage pupils who have
been pushed out.
(iii) Identify and address disparities in any of the
aforementioned areas with respect to subgroups addressed by the local
control funding formula, including, but not necessarily limited to,
English learners, foster youth, low-income pupils, and pupils of
color.
(B) A robust data system to collect and disaggregate data related
to the subject matter referenced in subparagraph (A).
(C) A system for sharing this data on the aggregate level with the
school community on a regular basis and engaging all key
stakeholders, including, but not necessarily limited to, parents,
teachers, pupils, school administrators, and classified staff in the
process of pupil and school improvement.
(D) A teacher, principal, superintendent, and school board
evaluation system to assess effectiveness related to addressing the
social, emotional, and behavioral needs of pupils and developing
strong, supportive, and positive school climates.
(b) The department shall issue a request for proposal to all
school districts in the state for each fiscal year that there are
funds available from the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund. The
request for proposal shall be issued no later than in August of each
fiscal year, or earlier if funds become available sooner.
(c) The funds granted to school districts under this article shall
be utilized to further implementation of the three-year plan and the
other minimum commitments specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision
(a). Grants shall be awarded under this article no later than March
31 of each fiscal year.
(d) The department shall convene a stakeholder group, which shall
include at least one parent of a public school pupil and at least one
public school pupil, to assist in making determinations regarding
the awarding of grants and in assessing whether grant recipients are
meeting the minimum requirements set forth in paragraph (3) of
subdivision (a).