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Teacher Layoffs Steinberg Measure Survives First Bout with Unions in Assembly Education Committee On Wednesday, members of the Assembly Education Committee took up over twenty Senate bills prior to the deadline for such measures to pass out of policy committees. For over five hours, advocates and legislators hammered out amendments and debated issues ranging from pupil surveys of their teachers to categorical flexibility to teacher layoffs. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s (D – Sacramento) Senate Bill 1285, dealing with teacher layoffs, became the focus of the first two hours of the hearing... Several Charter School Accountability Bills Heat Up Discussion in Senate Education Committee At Wednesday’s Senate Education Committee hearing, the contentious debate over the future of California’s charter schools was “up front and center.” Recently released studies have raised questions regarding the overall effectiveness of charter schools in closing the achievement gap between subgroups of California students. And pressure has been placed upon the legislature to strengthen accountability and oversight for charter schools... Bills on the Move 
With the July 2nd deadline for bills to pass out of policy committees fast approaching, legislators pushed over 50 bills through the education committees on Wednesday. Some major bills made it through, including Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s controversial SB 1285 dealing with teacher layoffs. Here are summaries of a few of the bills moving forward.
Curriculum & Instruction AB 2027 (Blumenfield D) Online education: school attendance. Assembly Education Chair Brownley Introduces $6.1 Billion K-14 School Facilities Bond A bill by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) that would authorize $4.6 billion in Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bonds for K-12 education projects will be heard by the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday. The Brownley bill – AB 220 – includes a proposed $2.5 billion for new construction of K-12 facilities, as well as $1 billion in K-12 modernization funds. There would also be bond funding for overcrowding relief grants, charter schools, career technical education, and other categories... Budget Watch Three Contending Budget Plans . . . Still No Solution As the Capitol approaches the start of the new fiscal year, the Democratic leadership faces not only a challenge from the Republicans but also from within their own party. Since Governor Schwarzenegger released his “May Revise” budget, both the Senate Democrats and Assembly Democrats have released their own separate plans for dealing with the budget shortfall of around $19 billion. Meanwhile, there has been little indication that the Budget Conference Committee will be able to piece together a budget from these three distinct plans any time soon... Bills on the Move
In addition to Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s new bill addressing teacher layoff issues, there are several important bills up for consideration in committee hearings next week. These bills address class size reduction penalties, high school graduation requirements, and online education. Here are summaries of a few of these bills.
Finance SB 1161 (Lowenthal D) Education: school finance. Governor Signs Deferral Pre-Payment Bill, AB 191 As we recently reported, (See June 17, 2010 EdBrief article Budget Conference Committee Takes Few Action on Education Funding) the legislature’s Budget Conference Committee announced that they were planning to introduce legislation that would speed up some deferral payments to school districts. The legislature did approve AB 191, which proposes to pay a portion of the July deferral payment in June. AB 191 was signed by the Governor on Wednesday... Steinberg Introduces Bill to Change Teacher Layoffs – Schwarzenegger Prefers Huff Version State Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) introduced legislation (SB 1285) on Monday that would make a number of changes in the way school districts can lay off teachers. Steinberg – while acknowledging that his bill would likely be controversial – said the legislation is needed “to protect students’ right to a quality education by preventing wildly disproportionate teacher layoffs and also improve the balance of teacher experience at California schools.” Steinberg’s bill comes partly in response to a recent court decision in the Los Angeles Unified School District... State Fingerprinting Requirement for Coaches, Volunteers Expected to be Delayed by One Year When Assembly Bill 1025 by Assemblywoman Connie Conway (R-Visalia) was signed into law last year, a number of questions and concerns immediately arose in the field regarding its fingerprinting requirements. As a result, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and several other education groups from both management and labor organized to address issues that were raised by the legislation. Another bill has been introduced that will delay implementation of AB 1025 for one year – until July 1, 2011 – which will create an opportunity to introduce clean-up legislation... Critics Decry "Texas Textbook Massacre" California Bill Would Ensure Curriculum Alterations Won't Affect Students Here One week after the Texas State Board of Education approved what critics termed “several extreme right-wing curriculum changes” to textbooks approved in that state, the California Senate responded last Friday by approving legislation written to ensure California textbooks are not affected by the Texas alterations. Due to the large number of public school students in that state, the changes in Texas could significantly influence textbooks throughout the country, since publishers often develop materials based on the standards of larger states... Bills on the Move
Last Friday was the fiscal deadline for the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees to approve bills introduced in their respective chambers. Below is a list of some of the bills that made it through the committees. Curriculum & Instruction AB 2027 (Blumenfield D) Online education: school attendance. Assembly Speaker Pérez Introduces Alternative Budget Solutions, Proposal Provides $5.8 Billion More To Schools In a surprise move, Assembly Speaker John Pérez introduced an alternative budget solutions package that essentially sells $9 billion in bonds to Wall Street bankers and securitizes those bonds with funds from the California Beverage Recycling Fund (CBR). In addition to the $9 billion in bond funding, the Speaker proposes additional revenue that includes:
Senate, Assembly Panels Block Governor's Proposed May Revise Cuts to Child Care Funds State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell on Tuesday commended the Senate Budget Subcommittees for blocking a proposal in the Governor’s May Revision to eliminate state-funded child care programs and support services. The item was heard before the Senate Education Budget Subcommittee Tuesday afternoon. Earlier this week O’Connell also applauded the Assembly Education Budget Subcommittee and the Assembly Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee for stopping the proposal last week... Trade-offs Involved in Substituting CTE for Language Courses Legislation Proposes Alternatives for Some High School Graduation Requirements In an attempt to address California’s devastating high school drop-out rates, Assembly Member Warren Furutani has proposed a change to high school graduation requirements. A 2006 study by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, “The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of a High School Dropout,” found that forty-seven percent of dropouts were disinterested in their classes. Nevertheless, the study’s survey also revealed that eighty-one percent of these students believed a high school graduation was necessary for success in life... Obama Administration Supports Allocating Emergency Funds to Save Teachers' Jobs In a White House blog posting last Thursday, Melody Barnes, director of the Obama Administration’s Domestic Policy Council, released a letter supporting House and Senate legislation that would allocate additional funding to preserve jobs for teachers in local schools. Barnes wrote “We know that economic prosperity and educational success go hand in hand, which is why the Obama Administration is concerned by looming state and local budget cuts that threaten the jobs of hundreds of thousands of teachers across the country... Bills on the Move
With the Governor’s revision to the budget sucking up all the political air in Sacramento, most bills with fiscal implications have been held up in the suspense files of both houses’ appropriations committees. Expect to see some intense lobbying in the coming weeks. Here is a breakdown of the more consequential measures stuck in appropriations committees. Finance AB 1683 (Torres D) Education: finance. Issue Could Heat Up with 2010 Census AB 2330 Aimed to Modify California Voting Rights Act Stymied in Assembly Committee A bill dealing with the manner in which the California Voting Rights Act can affect schools has been stymied in the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary. Assembly Bill 2330, Arambula, I-Fresno, would prevent people from suing a county office of education or school district for an alleged violation of the CVRA unless the person has first presented a written claim to the COE or district and they have had 30 days to respond. Currently the only option for a complainant is to first file a lawsuit... Bill Would Define Duties, Roles of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Board of Education, and Secretary of Education Senate Bill 1186 (Liu, D-Pasadena) could make a major shift in the way education is governed at the top in our state. The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), along with the Small School Districts Association, has already gone on record in support of the bill. “ACSA supports SB 1186 as a common-sense approach to bringing balance back to education governance,” said ACSA Legislative Advocate Sherry Skelly Griffith... Bills on the Move
Dozens of bills are piling up on the desks of Senate and Assembly committees this week as the May 7th deadline for bills to pass their policy committees approaches. Several key bills are to be heard for the first time in these committees along with one or two that ruffled feathers in previous weeks, back for additional hearings with amendments in tow. Here are summaries of those bills. Finance AB 2252 (Torrico D) California state preschool programs: funding. Senate, Assembly Committees Discuss New Bills Education Advocates Converge on Sacramento Advocates from all over California converged on the Capitol last week to voice opinions on education issues. Grassroots activists walked from Bakersfield to Sacramento in protest of education budget cuts while the typical jet-setters flew in from L.A. and D.C. to debate teacher seniority and layoff legislation. Education committees in both the Senate and Assembly convened on Wednesday to give all comers an opportunity to put their issues on the table... Senate Rejects Oropeza The California Senate has blocked one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's nominees to the state Board of Education (SBE), with Democrats claiming she had a conflict of interest. The Senate voted 17-11 Thursday – along party lines – to reject Jeannie Oropeza, who the Governor named to the SBE in March. The Democratic leadership, including Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, indicated they felt her regular job as Schwarzenegger's appointee specializing in education issues at the Department of Finance means she would not be a sufficiently independent voice on the SBE... Bills on the Move
Over 50 bills passed across the desks of members of the Senate and Assembly Education Committees on Wednesday, April 21st. Several of these pieces of legislation seek substantial changes to K-12 and higher education policy. Here is a breakdown of the more ambitious measures that passed the first test of the Legislature. Finance AB 2252 (Torrico D) California state preschool programs: funding. SB955, Governor-Backed Bill Proposes Major Changes, Teacher Layoffs Republican Bill Proposes Major Changes in Teacher Seniority, Layoffs and Dismissal Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched a push on Tuesday in support of a Republican bill containing a variety of changes in state education code that would have a major impact on relations between school districts and bargaining units representing teachers. Last week, Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) introduced a new version of his bill SB 955, which contains some sweeping changes.. Sen. Harkin Introduces Federal Bill to "Keep Our Educators Working" Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and of the Senate Appropriations panel that funds education initiatives, introduced federal legislation – the “Keep Our Educators Working” Act on Wednesday. The bill will create a $23 billion Education Jobs Fund to help keep teachers, principals, librarians and other school personnel on the job as states face crippling budget shortfalls... Bills on the Move
The Legislature took up a sizable chunk of bills in the past few weeks, but many are still on the agenda before the April 23rd deadline for bills with a fiscal component. Below are summaries of several of the measures that will be considered by the legislature in the coming week. Finance AB 2027 (Blumenfield D) Online education: school attendance. Bills on the Move
Last Wednesday, the Assembly took up 24 bills on a wide range of topics. Next Wednesday, April 14th, the Senate will take up a similarly large number of measures. Here are the summaries of the more substantial bills up for consideration. Finance SB 1136 (Cox) Education finance: revenue limit apportionments. California's Race to the Top Application Ranked 27th Out of 41, Well Down the List It wasn’t even close. California didn’t finish in the top half of applications for Phase 1 of federal Race to the Top funding, according to information released by the federal Department of Education on Monday. California’s application was ranked 27th among the 40 states (plus the District of Columbia) that filed applications for Phase 1 funding under RTTT. Fourteen applications were approved as finalists, with Tennessee ($500 million) and Delaware ($100 million) getting the largest awards... Bills on the Move
After Spring Recess, Legislators will return to take up an additional round of bills. Next Tuesday, April 6th, the Assembly Education Committee will hear testimony on twenty four bills. Topics under discussion include charter schools, pupil records, turning around the lowest-achieving schools, and of course...finance. Below are summaries of these bills. Finance AB 1683 (Torres) Education: finance. Social Studies Texts Revised San Francisco Legislator Objects to Texas Textbook Changes, Vows to Introduce Bill California State Senator Leland Yee, Ph.D. (D-San Francisco) will introduce legislation in Sacramento designed to ensure recent changes to school textbooks in Texas do not affect California’s curriculum. Earlier this month, the Texas State Board of Education approved several textbooks containing what Yee regards as “extreme right-wing curriculum changes.” Due to the number of public school students in the state, the changes in Texas could drastically influence textbooks used throughout the country... Duncan Lays Out Proposed NCLB Makeover, National Teachers Unions Take Dim View Education Secretary Arne Duncan outlined the Obama administration’s proposed makeover of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) at a press conference on Monday – one of the opening volleys in the Administration’s long-awaited plan to revise the Bush Administration’s widely unpopular No Child Left Behind legislation. Duncan said the Obama Administration proposes to phase out a number of provisions of No Child Left Behind... Bills on the Move
Legislation introduced last month is already being scheduled for policy hearings in the legislature. This week, we take a look at the bills piling up for the Assembly Education Committee on March 24th. Here is a list of those bills. Finance AB 1874 (Evans) Education finance: Vallejo City Unified School District. State Fiscal Stabilization Funds On Hold Feds Respond to Education Advocates, Demand Governor's Response to Questions About State's "Maintenance of Effort" The federal Department of Education says that California appears to have run afoul of federal “maintenance-of-effort” (MOE) requirements relating to federal funding for education that California hopes to receive in 2010 and 2011 under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) program (See the February 5, 2010 EdBrief article “Battle Brewing Between School Districts & State Over Federal Funds Application”). As a result, millions of dollars that the state planned to receive for education are now on hold... Bills on the Move
Following the Governor’s signing of ABX8 5, deferring funds for education as a one-time solution to the state’s cash flow problem, legislators approved ABX8 14 as a “clean-up bill” designed to assuage concerns voiced by school districts during the deferral hearing process. Additionally, the Senate Education Committee is preparing to hear the first round of this year’s new bills on March 24th. Here are the summaries for these bills as well as ABX8 14. Finance ABX8 14 (Committee on Budget) State cash resources. Senate Passes Deferral Clean Up Legislation Last month, the Governor signed into law AB8x5 which set out a host of deferrals for K-12, community colleges and other local governments. The deferrals contained in the bill were intended to help state government cope with cash flow problems and avoid higher state-level borrowing costs and the issuance of more IOUs. While these deferrals help the state address its cash flow problems, they do the exact opposite for school districts and other local governments by forcing these institutions to borrow more money for short-term loans, and reducing their available general fund dollars... John Pérez Sworn In as Assembly Speaker, Reflects on Education in Inaugural Remarks The new Speaker of the California Assembly – John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) was sworn in on Monday. His inaugural speech as Speaker did not contain a much in the way of policy statements relating to K-12 education, but it did include some personal recollections from his experience as a teenage high school student visiting the State Capitol, and working on homework with help from his father, who had a sixth-grade education. Here are some highlights drawn from those remarks... Governor Taps Reiss as Secretary of Education A newly released survey from the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the appointment of Bonnie Reiss as Secretary of Education on Tuesday. “Bonnie Reiss is a dynamic and driven advocate for public education in California. She is a proven ally in upholding the academic standards that make our public university system the best in the world,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I am confident that as Secretary of Education, Bonnie will fight to expand the educational opportunities available to all of our students... Bills on the Move ...
This week is all about the budget. After filling a $2 billion gap in the budget – out of $20 billion – earlier in the week, lawmakers looked to other fixes for the remaining funds. Up for debate are adjustments to state lottery revenues, funding deferrals to K-12 and higher education, and a complex gas tax swap. Here is a breakdown of the bills related to these issues. Finance AB 142 (Hayashi) California State Lottery. Survey Finds Voters Want K-12 Schools Funded A newly released survey from the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California found that most Californians would be willing to pay higher taxes to maintain current funding for public schools, and most favor spending cuts in prisons and corrections. The survey also found that Californians are feeling gloomy about the economy and pessimistic about the state’s direction. Their approval ratings for the governor (30 percent) and Legislature (18 percent) are near record lows... Bills on the Move ...
As the February 19th deadline for introducing bills approached, Legislators crammed hundreds of new bills into the Senate and Assembly. While the focus in the coming months will almost certainly remain fixed on the budget deficit, plenty of education issues are floating around for debate as well. Here are a few of the more interesting bills to keep an eye on this year. Finance AB 1851 (Norby) Education finance: inflation adjustment to revenue limits. Notes from the State Capitol Sacramento’s Buzzing with Activity . . . Cash-Ola. State Controller John Chiang announced that the State collected $1.28 billion more in tax revenue in January than what the Governor projected in his proposed 2010-11 budget. This announcement was in contrast to Chiang’s earlier statement that the State would face another cash crunch and dip into the “red” in April. The Controller now projects the State will run out of money in July. The recent bounce in revenue is good news, but it’s not clear if this increase represents a one-time jump due to stock market activity, or a sign of an improving economy... Battle Brewing Between School Districts and State Over Federal Funds Application While the Governor’s budget proposal takes center stage in Sacramento, several red flags are drawing the attention of education leaders throughout the state. Lobbyists for individual school districts and county offices of education such as San Diego, San Francisco, and San Bernardino County Office of Education are at odds with the administration over accounting tactics used in the state’s application for additional stimulus funds from the federal government... Assemblymember Hayashi Pushes Bills Designed to Reduce Injuries among High School Athletes Assemblymember Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward) convened a press conference Wednesday to discuss legislative efforts to reduce the incidence of multiple concussions among high school athletes. State leaders and advocates joined Hayashi to discuss the impact such injuries are having on student health and safety, including the risk of coma, brain damage, and even death. “Many high school students return to play too early after a head injury, placing them at risk for another concussion,” stated Assemblymember Hayashi... Bills on the Move ...
A number of bills passed the deadlines for two-year bills and successfully transitioned from 2009 to 2010, while several new bills were introduced in each house. Here are a few of the more interesting bills before the Legislature this winter. Curriculum & Instruction AB 391 (Torlakson) Pupil assessment: STAR Program. Assembly Republicans Select New Leader Following the election of John Pérez (D-Los Angeles) as the incoming Assembly Speaker earlier this month, the Assembly Republicans wasted little time in electing a successor to replace termed-out Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) as the new Republican Leader. Their pick – Martin Garrick (R-Carlsbad). Garrick represents the 74th Assembly District in northern San Diego County. He is the founder of Admiral Industries, a telecommunications company, and former official in the Reagan White House... MLK Birthday Speech in Atlanta Secretary Duncan Calls Education the "Civil Rights Issue of Our Generation" In a recent speech to more than a thousand elementary, high school and college students who gathered to celebrate the 81st birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan challenged America to realize King's vision through education. Calling education the “civil rights issue of our generation,” Duncan said, “Freedom is the ability to think and to pursue your own path—and only education can give you that freedom.”... Governor Signs RTTT Bills – Sweeping Changes to Open Enrollment and Parent Participation to Affect Schools With the stroke of his pen, Governor Schwarzenegger on Thursday signed into law a package of two bills reforming several major components of California’s education system, with potentially far-reaching implications for many school districts. Months of back and forth dialogue between legislators, interest groups, and administration officials culminated in several sweeping changes that address the four key reform areas in Obama’s Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative... Governor Proposes Higher Education Funding Initiative; Pits Colleges against Prisons When the Governor gave his State of the State Address early this week, one of the center pieces of his speech was his call for the State to start spending more money on higher education than it spends on prisons. The Governor called for a constitutional amendment that would mandate an increase in higher education funding, excluding community colleges, while reducing general fund support for prisons. This new call for increased spending for higher education was greeted with cautious optimism by the higher education community and with significant concern by some in the prisons and corrections industry... State Senate Passes Hastily-Drafted RTTT Legislation, SBX5 4 Heads to Assembly with Major Opposition In the latest flurry of legislative activity relating to California’s likely application for federal Race to the Top funds, a compromise bill swiftly advanced through the California Senate on Thursday. The process began when Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) pulled her bill ABX5 8, which had been approved by the California Assembly last week, after the Assembly Education Committee killed a competing measure, SBX5 1, which had been introduced by Sen. Gloria Romero (D-East Los Angeles)... January Deadline O'Connell, Thomas Announce Requirements for Local Education Agencies to Participate in Race to the Top In a development that will have many school district superintendents scrambling to meet a fast-approaching January deadline, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and Education Secretary Glen Thomas on Monday announced the release of key elements that will be included in California’s Race to the Top plan, as well as the requirements for local education agencies (LEAs) that want to participate in Race to the Top. (See links to the MOU documents in the lower part of the article)... Race to the Top Romero Bill Halted, Brownley Bill Approved by Assembly – Schwarzenegger Threatens Veto During two furious days of legislative activity, the Assembly Education Committee blocked Race to the Top-related legislation by Sen. Gloria Romero (D-East Los Angeles). Romero’s bill was supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, charter school advocates, and others – it was passed by the California Senate in November. Instead, the Assembly voted 47-25 on Thursday evening to approve a competing RTTT-related bill by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), supported by CTA, ACSA, and others... U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan Urges State Legislators to Rewrite Laws In remarks clearly intended to be heard in Sacramento, federal Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urged state legislators to become leaders of the school reform movement and urged them to carefully review their education codes to identify places where state law is impeding reform. Speaking on Thursday afternoon in San Diego to the fall forum of the National Conference of State Legislatures, Duncan said that legislators have the power to write laws that will create an environment where reforms can take root and improve the achievement of students... New Assembly Speaker Picked by Democratic Caucus After a fierce, but relatively short-lived battle between Assemblyman John Pérez and Assemblyman Kevin de León, the contest over who would become the next Assembly Speaker quickly came to an end on Thursday during a tense Democratic Caucus meeting where Pérez was selected by Democrats as their choice for Speaker. Pérez, who was just elected in November 2008, is the cousin of former Assembly Speaker and current LA Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa. Pérez also has ties to labor unions as a former representative of the United Food... Bills on the Move Several new special session bills were introduced in the Assembly before the Thanksgiving holiday. A summary of each bill is provided below. Human Resources ABX5 5 (Nestande) Education: teacher credentialing. Summary: This bill would authorize the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to approve an institution, including an institution of higher education... California Assembly Speaker Battle Heats Up – Two Los Angeles Legislators Fight for Votes Since the end of the legislative session in September, there have been ongoing rumors about various Assembly members jockeying to replace Karen Bass (D-LA) as Speaker of the Assembly next year. Speaker Bass is termed out in 2010 and is expected to keep with the term-limit era tradition of announcing a speakership transition in the early spring of her last year in elected office. According to Capitol sources, the field of contenders for Assembly Speaker has dwindled down from a group of about six serious candidates to two – Assembly members Kevin de León and John Pérez... Assembly RTTT Hearing Ends in a Massive Bill Wednesday’s final Assembly Education Committee hearing on Race to the Top came to a close with Chairwoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) introducing ABX5 8 as the Assembly’s flagship bill for this fifth extraordinary session. The hearing and subsequent legislation represent the culmination of a two month effort to solicit input on California’s RTTT application from various stakeholders. Since the committee’s first hearing on the subject back in late September, dozens of groups have testified about the many merits and potential perils to aligning California’s educational priorities with federal reform guidelines... Bills on the Move Several new special session bills were introduced in the Assembly before the Thanksgiving holiday. A summary of each bill is provided below. Human Resources ABX5 5 (Nestande) Education: teacher credentialing. Summary: This bill would authorize the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to approve an institution, including an institution of higher education... LAO Posts Grim Fiscal Forecast – $20 Billion Budget Deficit, Prop. 98 Owed $1 Billion The state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released its Fiscal Outlook for the State from 2009-10 through 2015. The LAO report confirms that while the national economy appears to be stabilizing, California is facing several more years of budget difficulties due to past budgeting practices and the impact the national recession is having on the state’s revenue picture. The LAO’s forecast of California’s General Fund revenues and expenditures shows that state government is facing $20.7 billion budget problem between now and the time the Legislature enacts a 2010-11 state budget plan... O'Connell and Schwarzenegger Urge Assembly to Speed Up Work on Race to the Top Legislation State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell joined Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday to urge the California State Assembly to accelerate work on Race to the Top (RTTT) bills in order to ensure California’s eligibility to compete for the unprecedented federal funds available through the Race to the Top. The Race to the Top competition is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)... Speaker and Assembly Education Chair Move Up RTTT Hearing, Set Dates for Votes Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) joined with Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Education, on Monday to announce the Assembly is accelerating its Race to the Top hearing schedule and the development of education reform legislation to help ensure California can apply for the first round of federal Race to the Top education grants. A committee hearing will be pushed up to Dec. 2, from Dec. 16, to help ensure California schools can compete to receive a significant share of the first round of Race to the Top grants... Governor Schwarzenegger: I Think There Will Be Across-the-Board Cuts Again To no one’s surprise, California’s budget situation appears to be getting worse. On Tuesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger predicted a new round of budget cuts, which he will probably propose in January. He estimated that the current fiscal year’s budget is $5 billion to $7 billion in the red, on top of the $7.4-billion deficit projected by his aides for the fiscal year that begins in July. In remarks on Tuesday at the signing ceremony for SBX7 7 (to rebuild California’s water system), the Governor fielded questions on other topics... California Senate Swiftly Approves RTTT Funding, Stirring Praise and Criticism A bipartisan bill aimed at improving California’s chances at receiving federal Race to the Top funding – which contains provisions that have generated some concern and even opposition in the K-12 education community – sailed through two committees and the California Senate this week. The Senate Education Committee voted 5-0 on Monday to approve SB X5 1. The Senate Appropriations Committee then approved the bill by a 7-3 margin on Tuesday. Later that day, the full Senate approved the bill just after midnight (technically Wednesday), by a 21-12 vote... Controversial Initiative Enters Circulation, Requires Schools to Offer Christmas Music California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced Monday that the proponents of a new initiative – requiring public schools to offer Christmas music – may begin collecting petition signatures for their measure. The California Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows: “REQUIRES PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO OFFER CHRISTMAS MUSIC. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Requires public schools to offer an opportunity for students to listen to or perform Christmas music during the holiday season... Bills on the Move
In this fifth extraordinary session of the Legislature, the Senate has passed two bills designed to support California’s application for federal Race to the Top funds. These bills survived the Senate Education Committee, Appropriations Committee, a vote on the Senate floor, and now await approval by the Assembly. Here is the latest summary of those bills. Human Resources New District of Choice Law: Will It Be a Detriment to Some and a Benefit to Others? A few weeks ago, Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 680 (Chapter 198/2009) into law. The bill extended the “District of Choice” (DOC) program until 2017 and made several significant changes beyond current law. The new law goes in effect on Jan1, 2010. The DOC is not a well known program in the annals of California K-12 policy. Under current law, a specific number of districts could be certified by the state to be DOC’s. This declaration allowed them to accept a specified number of inter-district transfers... Two-Year Education Bills Held Over at Capitol Although 2008-09 legislative session bills that were vetoed by the governor will have to start over, there are many two-year bills that are continuing through the legislative system. The following education bills did not make it to the governor’s desk, but may be taken up in the 2009-10 session: Assembly Bill 164, Mendoza (D-Artesia). School districts: compensation of district superintendents. This bill would require the governing board of a school district to include specified provisions in any contract for the services of a district superintendent, including the authority to terminate the superintendent... Bills on the Move
While the Senate Education Committee prepares for a series of hearings next week, the Assembly has sent the Governor a complex solution for the reductions made to QEIA schools in the last round of budget cuts. Also, Assemblyman Tom Torlakson recently introduced a bill addressing the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in California. Here is a summary of those bills. Finance Feds Announce Public Meetings on RTTT, No Meetings in California The U.S. Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it will hold public meetings in Boston, Atlanta and Denver – but not in California – during November and December, seeking comment that will influence upcoming Race to the Top Assessments and help states make plans to qualify for federal funding that will become available next year. Specifically, the goals for the meetings are two-fold: first to gather technical input to inform the development of a Race to the Top Assessment Competition; and second to enable states... Bills on the Move
As California begins the application process for federal Race to the Top funds, both the Senate and Assembly are working on several bills in this fifth extraordinary session to make the state’s application more competitive. Here is a synopsis of those bills. Human Resources ABX5 1 (Solorio) School accountability. State Senate Passes Latest QEIA Fix On Wednesday, the State Senate passed a number of bills in the Special Session that were not passed at the end of the regular session on September 11th. One of these bills was AB 3x 56 (Evans), which is the latest funding fix to the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) program. The state budget enacted during the summer created a convoluted mix of revenue limit cuts and funding swaps to try and sustain funding for the QEIA program... On Final Day for Action, Schwarzenegger Signs SB 19, Removing Barrier to RTTT Funding After keeping educators and political observers in suspense for several weeks, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 19 last Sunday, as part of an avalanche of bill-signings and vetoes announced on the final day for the Governor to act. (See an earlier EdBrief article about the political maneuvering surrounding SB 19 by clicking here.) State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell thanked Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing the bill... Bills on the Move
The Governor signed hundreds of bills this past Sunday and vetoed hundreds more in a whirlwind of legislative activity. Here is a list of some of those bills. Finance AB 851 (Brownley) Education finance. Assembly Education Committee and LAO Review Race to the Top Funding The Assembly Education Committee reviewed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and ARRA’s Race to the Top (RTTT) competitive grant program during a lengthy hearing at the state capitol last week. It was the first of four informational hearings to be held by the Assembly Education Committee on RTTT funding. The goal is to examine legislative action that would maximize California’s eligibility for funding, and convey information to school districts about the program... Will Governor Veto SB 19 (Simitian, D-San Jose) on Pupil Data, and Push to Link Teacher Pay to Test Results? State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, Democratic legislative leaders, and some newspaper editorials are urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign SB 19 – a bill by State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) that deletes existing language in an earlier Simitian bill (which became law in 2006) that – at least in the eyes of federal authorities – prevents the use of pupil data in teacher evaluation. Supporters of SB 19 say the Governor’s signature on the bill would put California in a position to receive some of the billions of dollars for education... Duncan Opens Dialog on Federal Education Policy; Says Some Parents See NCLB as "Toxic" Ever since President Barack Obama was elected last November, educators have been waiting to see what sort of changes he would propose to the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation drafted under his predecessor, President George W. Bush. On Thursday, Obama’s point man on the issue, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, finally initiated the discussion. Duncan’s speech was perhaps long on rhetoric and short on details, but it indicates that a long anticipated debate about federal education policy has now begun... CSBA Opposes Confirmation of State Board of Education Member Rae Belisle The California School Boards Association (CSBA) has come out swinging against State Board of Education (SBE) member Rae Belisle. Belisle was appointed to the SBE by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and took office on March 11. After observing Belisle’s performance at SBE meetings in March, May, and July, the CSBA sent a letter last Monday to Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento and Senate President Pro Tem), formally opposing Belisle’s confirmation. The Senate has until March 2010 to act on her appointment... Bills On the Move
With the adjournment of the legislative session last Friday, a number of bills were sent to the Governor for his signature or veto. Below is a list of some of those bills. Accountability & Assessment AB 167 (Adams) High school graduation: local requirements: foster children. Secretary Duncan: Another $6 Billion in Federal Race to the Top Funding in the Pipeline Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made a fast tour through Sacramento last Thursday, talking up the federal government’s Race to the Top (RTTT) program, with an eye toward the special legislative session currently underway in Sacramento to consider bills that would increase California’s eligibility for a portion of the roughly $4 billion in funding under the initial round of RTTT. Duncan said another $6 billion in RTTT funding will become available over the next two-to-five years... CTA Launches Radio, Newspaper Ad Campaign The California Teachers Association (CTA) is hitting the airwaves and newspapers with a new salvo of ads about funding for public education. The statewide radio and print campaign marks the ninth annual back-to-school campaign by CTA, designed to remind all Californians that public education is essential to building stronger local communities and a better California for all of us... "Race to the Top" Draws Support, Criticism, and Differing Interpretations at Legislative Hearing Many of California’s most prominent leaders in the area of K-12 education – as well as representatives of several major interest groups – staked out their positions on the federal “Race to the Top” (RTTT) program in a hearing at the State Capitol on Wednesday. And while most of the opinions expressed didn’t come as a major surprise, the hearing offered a quick, vivid cross section of the political landscape as the legislature moved into a special session to discuss California’s eligibility for what could be hundreds of millions of dollars in RTTT funds... Governor's Race To The Top Reform Bill Introduced with Bipartisan Sponsorship Education legislation proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger last week when he called a special session of the legislature was introduced on Thursday as the special session began. The bill was introduced by Senator Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), Senator Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose) and Senator Mark Wyland (R-Carlsbad). Schwarzenegger linked his proposal to the new administration in the nation’s capital, saying “The reforms outlined by President Obama and included in my bipartisan legislative measure will not only help... Bills On the Move
This week, the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees met to consider their “Suspense” Files. Below is a list of bills that that were either approved or held in the committees. Accountability & Assessment AB 167 (Adams) High school graduation: local requirements: foster children. Summary: Existing law prescribes the course of study a pupil is required to complete while in grades 9 to 12... SPI Hopeful Reveles Expresses Support to Aceves; Candidates File Six-Month Financial Reports Larry Aceves, a candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), with week picked up the endorsement of Francisco Reveles, a Sacramento educator who had been a rival in the race for schools chief. “I am proud to support Larry Aceves' campaign for Superintendent of Public Instruction because we need the strong leadership of a lifelong educator at a time when our schools and our students are facing unprecedented challenges,” Reveles said... Governor Calls Special Session, Proposes New Legislation for "Race to the Top" Requirements Citing a concern that current state law may leave California ineligible to apply for a portion of the $4.35 billion in federal funds under the “Race to the Top” program, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger moved on two fronts on Thursday. The Governor called another special session of the California legislature, and also announced a legislative package that he said would ensure that California meets the eligibility requirements for “Race to the Top.”... O'Connell, SPI Hopefuls Differ on What 2009 STAR Test Results Mean For California Schools Since roughly half of California’s students earned “proficient” scores (or higher) in several categories of the 2009 STAR test results, an oft-raised philosophical question comes to mind: Is the glass half full, or half empty? State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, and the three candidates who want to take over that job when O’Connell is termed out next year, took differing views of the STAR figures released by the California Department of Education on Tuesday... New SAB Subcommittee Hears from OPSC Staff, School Districts about Revised Audit Procedures The State Allocation Board’s new Audit Subcommittee held its first hearing on Tuesday at the state capitol, with the goal of “defining the scope of OPSC (Office of Public School Construction) Audit Authority.” Over the course of three hours of testimony, the hearing produced a good deal of talk about a “new day” featuring better cooperation between school districts and the OPSC – and a bit of static stemming regarding the OPSC’s procedures and attitude toward local districts... O'Connell Asks Governor, Legislature to Reconsider Instructional Material Suspension State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell would like the Governor and the Legislature to reconsider a provision of the new state budget that suspends the adoption of new school instructional materials for five years. The move was intended to save the state money, since state government provides funds to school districts to buy textbooks and related material. O’Connell warns that continuing to use old texts that are out of alignment with state standards will likely stall progress by students... Educators Offer Mixed Response to Budget Deal Virtually no one involved with K-12 education actually likes the budget deal announced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders of both parties on Monday night. Education took a lot of hits as the “Big Five” tried to close a $26 billion budget shortfall. But with a budget agreement long overdue, and the new school year beginning in a matter of weeks, is it worth opposing the budget compromise? Might it be better to reluctantly accept this deal and move on?... Senate Approves State Budget in Early Morning, Assembly Action Still Pending Slowly and painfully, the California Legislature began approving a complex package of more than 30 bills on Thursday, constituting the budget compromise announced on Monday night by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders of both parties. The budget proposal includes broad budget cuts for almost every program funded by state government, including education. Shortly after dawn on Friday morning, after working through the night, the California Senate completed action on the budget bills... Bills On the Move
This week, the Senate and Assembly Education Committee gathered to consider a number of bills. Below is a list of bills that were heard, as well as their current status. Accountability & Assessment AB 374 (Block) Consequences of dropping out notice. Summary: Existing law subjects each person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not exempted... Senate School Facilities Panel Sizes Up Need for Better Schools, and Smoother Review Process The Senate Select Committee on State School Facilities held a broad discussion of issues relating to school design, new construction and modernization on Tuesday at the State Capitol. Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach, and the committee chairman) opened the session by reminding everyone that the committee was holding its first meeting. Lowenthal sketched the size of the task before the committee by noting that California voters have, since 1998, approved over $35 billion in bond funding for school construction in the form of state ballot... Budget Agreement Could Be Near – But When Will Schwarzenegger, Legislators Close the Deal? As budget negotiations aimed at closing California’s $26 billion deficit continued behind closed doors in Sacramento this week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senate President pro tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass indicated on Monday that they were making progress toward a deal. Similar statements were heard again on Tuesday . . . and on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, Schwarzenegger told reporters that all parties were “very close” to an agreement. But the lack of an announcement of an agreement led some to speculate that negotiations had stalled... Proposition 98 Suspension Opposed, O'Connell and Others Object Should California suspend Proposition 98 – which guarantees a minimum funding level for K-14 education – as part of a plan to reduce the state’s mammoth $26 billion budget deficit? Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent somewhat mixed signals on that question last week. But the suggestion that Proposition 98 might be suspended triggered a quick rebuke from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and the California Teachers Association... Bills On the Move
This week, the Senate and Assembly Education Committee gathered to consider a number of bills. Below is a list of bills that were heard, as well as their current status. Accountability & Assessment AB 476 (Torlakson) The Standardized Testing and Reporting Program. Summary: Existing law establishes the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (the STAR Program)... Budget Wrangling Continues, State Readies IOUs The Democratic legislative majority, the Republican legislative minority and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to maneuver this week for the upper hand in the long-running three-way stalemate over California’s budget. But with the clock ticking, and State Controller John Chiang warning that he may be forced start issuing IOUs to pay most of the state bills unless a deal is made by July 1, a budget compromise did not appear imminent – at least not on Thursday afternoon... Framework of Possible Budget Deal Emerging As the summer temperatures rose in Sacramento this week, so did the budget conversations. This week the Joint Budget Conference Committee made the final votes to close the hearings on the state budget. This sets the stage for the state budget bills to be presented to the entire Senate and Assembly for a floor vote. There are several components of the budget which will be controversial, and may not become part of the final budget package. The items voted on in the conference committee have something for everyone to hate: cuts, taxes, changes to the California High School Exit Exam... Bills On the Move
This week, the Senate and Assembly Education Committee met to consider a number of bills. Below is a list of bills that were heard, as well as their current status. Attendance AB 796 (Carter) Pupil Attendance: Civic Engagement Activities. Summary: Existing law authorizes a pupil to be excused from school for specified reasons... Democrats Advance New Budget Proposal, Schwarzenegger Promises a Veto Another partisan budget confrontation is playing out in Sacramento, with Democratic leaders in the Legislature advancing a “shared pain” budget proposal that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger insists he’ll veto. For many political observers, who recall the long budget negotiations that stretched from last summer into February (which led to a special election on May 19, in which California voters decisively spiked a proposed budget compromise supported by the Legislature and the Governor), it feels like “déjà vu all over again,” to quote the baseball star Yogi Berra... Bills On the Move
This week, the Senate Education Committee met to consider a handful of Assembly education bills. Below is a list of bills that were heard, as well as their current status. Assessment & Accountability AB 167 (Adams) High School Graduation: Local Requirements: Foster Children. Summary: Existing law prescribes the course of study a pupil is required to complete while in grades 9 to 12... Legislators Whack Governor's Secretary of Education's Office After weeks of studying budget cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, legislators on the budget conference committee came up with a proposal of their own on Wednesday, voting to eliminate the state’s Secretary of Education (appointed by the Governor), as well as another agency not related to education, the state’s Office of Planning and Research. California’s Secretary of Education is essentially the top advisor to the Governor on education issues. The Secretary of Education heads a department with fewer than 20 employees... CSBA, ACSA Join Lawsuit to Ensure Repayment of $12 Billion in Prop. 98 Funds to Schools The California School Boards Association (CSBA) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) have joined the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99 as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state of California to ensure that nearly $12 billion be repaid to K-14 public education. The California Legislature suspended Proposition 98, the minimum funding guarantee for education, between the 2007 and 2009 fiscal years... SB 777 Challenge Dismissed Student Harassment Law Remains In Place This week, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge on tossed out a lawsuit against a state law that forbids harassment of public school kids because of their gender or sexual identity. The lawsuit was filed last year by the California Education Committee (a conservative public interest group). The lawsuit alleged that SB 777 (approved in 2007) would allow students to enter each others' locker rooms and was too vague to be properly implemented by school officials. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang's ruling stated that plaintiffs had failed to make their case... Bills On the Move
This week, most news coverage at the state capitol focused on budget issues. But in both houses of the legislature, the floor sessions were inundated with hundreds of bills. Here is a list of bills that went through the Senate and Assembly floor. Assessment & Accountability AB 1435 (V. Manuel Perez) Public school accountability. Summary: Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish an advisory committee... Governor Updates May Revise, Asks for Further Cuts to Education in Current Year's Budget The political maneuvering over the debt-ridden California state budget continues in Sacramento – and it looks like further budget cuts for education might be in store. Late last Friday, Gov. Schwarzenegger – through the state Department of Finance – issued an updated version of his May Revision to the budget. This latest version takes into account the continuing decline in state tax revenues, which are currently estimated to be running $3 billion lower than originally expected in the May 14 budget revision, released barely two weeks ago... LAO Report Calls for Upgrades in Education Programs for California's Foster Youth In a report on “The Education of Foster Youth” issued May 28, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) called for state government to “reprioritize the way existing funds are spent in order to improve educational opportunities for foster youth” – a high percentage of whom are performing below grade level. The report finds that California has approximately 73,000 youths who are dependents of the state, representing a disproportionately large 20 percent of foster youth nationally... Bills On the Move
On Thursday, hundreds of bills filed under suspense were heard before Assemblyman Kevin De Leon, chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and its members. Below is a list and summary of key bills that passed through the Committees’ Suspense File as well as some key bills that were held in committee and under submission. Assessment & Accountability AB 476 (Torlakson) The Standardized Testing and Reporting Program. Voters Said "No!" – But Most Just Stayed Home As many EdBrief readers are aware, the complex budget compromise hammered out in February behind closed doors between Governor Schwarzenegger, Democratic legislators, and a few Republican legislators was placed before California voters on Tuesday – and the voters basically sent most of the package down in flames. Many commentators observed that the voters “just said no,” and this point is hard to dispute. Propositions 1A, 1C, 1D, and 1E were rejected in every county, and they failed statewide by a roughly two-to-one margin... Bills On the Move
This week, hearings in the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees dominated the activity in the Capitol. Most of the authors of the bills waived presentation since their bills were referred to the Committees' Suspense File due to cost. Below is a list of key bills that went through the Committees. Assessment & Accountability AB 495 (Davis) Preschool: Data Collection. Summary: Existing law provides for the licensure of child day care centers... Sen. Romero Calls for Changes in Testing of California's English Learners Senator Gloria Romero, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, spoke at a rally in San Francisco on Monday, calling for fair enforcement of federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) testing requirements in a case challenging the state's refusal to test subject matter proficiency of California’s 1.6 million English Learner (EL) students in their native languages. Speaking on the steps of the Earl Warren State Building, Romero said “We gather here today on the steps of the courthouse—the halls of justice—to advocate for the rights of English Learner students... Governor's May Revise Cuts School Funding, Plan "B" Budget Offered if Ballot Measures Fail In an effort to spark voter interest in next Tuesday’s special election – and stem the tide of apathy among voters that many observers believe is carrying five budget-related ballot propositions toward likely defeat – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stirred things up on Thursday by releasing not one, but two versions of what the state’s 2009-10 budget could look like. The two versions of the so-called “May Revise” will also serve to frame the budget debate that will occur in the aftermath of the May 19 special election. Regardless of how that election turns out, all observers are anticipating that there will be further cuts in state funding, in multiple areas... Bills On the Move
This week, hearings in the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees dominated the activity in the Capitol. Below is a list of key bills that went to the Committees' Suspense File due to cost or was passed out of the Committee. Bills referred to the Suspense File will be considered for passage out of the committees in a few weeks. Career Technical Education SB 675 (Steinberg) Energy job training: Clean Technology and Renewable Energy Job Training, Career Technical Education, and Dropout Prevention Act of 2010. Bills On the Move
This week, hearings in the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees dominated the activity in the Capitol. Below is a list of key bills that went to the Committees’ Suspense File due to cost and will be reconsidered after the May Revise is released or was passed out of the Committee. Assessment and Accountability AB 518 (Mendoza) Public School Performance Accountability Program. Summary: Existing law establishes the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program... Propositions 1D and 1E Funding Shifts to Support the State Budget As a part of the February budget deal, the Governor and Legislature agreed to place six measures – Propositions 1A-1F – before the voters that collectively would establish a new budget spending cap, repay schools almost $9.3 billion, securitize lottery revenue, shift mental health funding and limit legislative salaries in budget deficit years. Propositions 1D and 1E both temporarily redirect hundreds of millions of dollars from voter approved initiatives to the State's General Fund... Proposition 1C Funding Boost, or Lottery Boondoggle? As a part of the hard-fought February budget deal, the Governor and Legislature agreed to place six measures – Propositions 1A through 1F – before the voters. Collectively, these propositions would establish a new budget spending cap, repay schools almost $9.3 billion, securitize lottery revenue, shift mental health funding and limit legislative salaries in budget deficit years... Prop. 1B Provides $9.3 Billion in Education Funding – But Only if Prop. 1A Passes As a part of the February budget deal, the Governor and Legislature agreed to place six measures – Proposition 1A through Proposition 1F – before the voters in May’s special election. These propositions collectively would establish a new budget spending cap, repay schools almost $9.3 billion, securitize lottery revenue, shift mental health funding and limit legislative salaries in budget deficit years... Proposition 1A – What Does it Do? As a part of the February budget deal, the Governor and Legislature agreed to place six measures – Propositions 1A through 1F – before the voters. Collectively, these propositions would establish a new budget spending cap, repay schools almost $9.3 billion, securitize lottery revenue, shift mental health funding and limit legislative salaries in budget deficit years... Legislation Would Extend 'Pink Slip Deadline' for School Districts from May 15 to June 15 A proposed bill in the California Assembly would extend the "pink slip deadline" for layoffs of certificated employees in California school districts from May 15 to June 15, for this year only. Assemblyman Jim Silva (R-Huntington Beach) introduced AB 32 as urgency legislation on April 21. The bill requires a two-thirds vote by the legislature for approval, and (with the Governor's signature) would take effect immediately... Bills On the Move
Here is a list of key bills that passed out of Assembly and Senate Education Committees this week: Assessment and Accountability SB 651 (Romero) Pupil retention Summary: This bill would require the Superintendent, on or before August 1, 2010, and annually thereafter, to submit to the Governor, the Legislature, and the state board, a report called the Annual Report on Dropouts in California... Bills On the Move
Here is a list of bills that are scheduled for next week's legislative hearings: Physical Education AB 81 (Strickland, Audra) Interscholastic Athletics: Pupils in Foster Care This bill would require that a foster child who changes residences pursuant to a court order or decision of a child welfare worker be immediately deemed to meet all residency requirements for participation in interscholastic sports or other extracurricular activities... Bill Targeting Superintendent Termination Clauses Pulled from Assembly Committee AB 164 (Mendoza, D-Artesia) is a bill that would prohibit K-adult superintendent contracts from containing severance and/or buyout clauses when a superintendent’s employment with a district is terminated by the board of trustees. Under current law, superintendent contracts may include a buyout clause not to exceed 18 months of the individuals contracted salary and benefits. The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) is strongly opposed to this measure . ACSA recognizes there are issues with the perception of a dismissal with pay for a school superintendent... Special Interests Focus on May 19 Election, Fate of State Budget At Stake California's May 19 special election – in which voters will decide the fate of six budget-related ballot propositions, which will have a considerable impact on state funding for K-12 education – is now barely a month away. And the contest is producing some "strange bedfellows" in the political realm. Endorsements, at this point, are all over the map. The six propositions – 1A through 1F – were placed before voters as part of the budget compromise reached in February this year, which was supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, legislative Democrats, and a few legislative Republicans – enough to reach the required two-thirds majority for passage... Bills On the Move
Here is a list of bills that are scheduled for next week's legislative hearings: Pupil Safety AB 100 (Price) Pupil Athletic Access and Safety Program Pilot Project This bill, subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or other statute, would require the department or its administering contracting entity, by May 1, 2010, to request and review proposals submitted by eligible entities for the Pupil Athletic Access and Safety Program pilot project... Governor Receives Federal Stimulus Funds, Dollars Should Flow to Districts in May California's elected officials want you to know that they're doing everything they can to get federal stimulus money out to schools. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said "I am committed to spending (American) Recovery (and Reinvestment) Act (ARRA) dollars efficiently and effectively, and to passing these dollars onto schools as quickly as possible to benefit students and protect jobs." The Governor's staff issued a press release Tuesday, saying that the Governor's California Recovery Task Force had asked the legislature for expedited budget authority... Bills On the Move
Here is a list of the bills that are scheduled for legislative hearings next week: Career Technical Education AB 3 (Fuentes) Energy & Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Program This bill would require the commission, by January 1, 2011, to establish a Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Program to ensure green collar career placement and advancement opportunities within California's renewable energy manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance... Rep. Honda Introduces Bill to Create National Commission to Study Education Disparities Congressman Mike Honda (D-Campbell) has reintroduced legislation to create a national commission charged with gathering public opinions and insights about how government can improve education and eliminate disparities in the educational system. The commission would be comprised of parents, teachers and experts on equity, civil rights, education policy, school finance, economic and taxation... Bills On the Move
Accountability & Assessment AB 72 (Duvall) Pupil Data This bill would require the StateChief Information Officer to manage the data of local educational agencies through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). The bill would authorize local educational agencies to share data with each other through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System... Treasurer, Finance Director Say Federal Stimulus Aid Won't Head Off New State Taxes, Program Cuts California state government got another dose of bad news on Friday morning, with developments that will likely result in higher taxes, further cuts to social services, and perhaps a reconsideration of the state's 2009-10 budget. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Department of Finance director Mike Genest announced that the state stands to receive $8.17 billion in federal stimulus funds toward the state's general fund – about $1.8 billion short of the $10 billion that would be needed (under the terms of the recent state budget compromise) to avoid implementation of $2.8 billion... Recently Introduced Bills
Curriculum & Instruction AB 97 (Torlakson) School Curriculum & Content Standards This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene an Academic Content and Performance Standards Review Panel for each of the curriculum area content standards adopted by the state board. Teachers appointed to the panels would be required to meet specified requirements, and in choosing members for the panels... LAO's Ideas for Federal Stimulus Dollars Trigger Intense Debate, Questions In a rare joint hearing between the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education and the Education Committee, legislators received testimony from the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), the California Department of Education (CDE) and the Department of Finance (DOF) about the status and potential uses of the federal stimulus dollars. While the bulk of the joint hearing was informational and non-controversial, the LAO's suggestions to use federal education stimulus dollars instead of state General Fund for various purposes raised eyebrows... Superintendent Severance Deals Could Be Limited Under Newly Introduced Legislation Two proposed bills would put limits and restrictions on the contracts between California school districts and superintendents. Senate Bill 307, introduced by Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose), would require the governing board of a school district to include the following provisions in any contract for the services of a district superintendent:
Recently Introduced Bills
AB 717 (Cook) Public School Instruction & Social Science: World War II Filipinos This bill would encourage instruction in social science for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to include instruction on World War II and the role of Filipinos in that war. AB 836 (Torlakson) Task Force for Education Technology This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish a task force for education technology... LAO Says State's Economy Still Deteriorating, New State Budget Already Needs $8 Billion Fix It's been less than a month since the Legislature and the Governor finally worked out a compromise budget plan to address a nearly $42 billion budget shortfall. And according to the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), during that brief time California's economy has faded to the point that state government is facing an additional multi-billion-dollar budget problem. That was the not-so-encouraging word from Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, who released his analysis of the 2009-2010 budget deal last Friday... Federal Stimulus Timeline for 2009-2010 Here’s a timeline of expected implementation of the American Recover and Reinvestment Act (known in common parlance as the “federal stimulus” package): By the end of March 2009
Recently Introduced Bills
AB 533 (Hayashi) Training for High School Coaches This bill, commencing December 31, 2010, would require each high school sports coach to complete a coaching education program that includes training in recognizing and managing the signs and symptoms of potentially catastrophic injuries, including but not limited to: head and neck injuries, concussions, second impact syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke, and cardiac arrest; emergency action planning;... American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Implementation Timeline State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF), ESEA Title I, Part A and IDEA, Part B will be available in two phases. Funds from these programs are to be delivered by formula from the US Department of Education to the State... Federal Stimulus Funds to Reach California Soon State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said on Monday that he’s hopeful that California will receive “the first pot of money” from the federal stimulus package “in the next 40 days.” O’Connell said that in terms of education, that the first installment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will include over $500 million in money for Title I programs (representing 50 percent of the $1.28 billion that California will receive) as well as over $500 million in money for IDEA grants... CTA Urges End to STAR testing for 2nd Graders, Drops Proposed Sales Tax Proposition The California Teachers Association – which isn't shy about aiming political messages directly at legislators or the general public when education issues are on the line – made several moves on the political chessboard in the state capitol during the last few days. Last Friday, the CTA and State Sen. Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) announced introduction of legislation that would exempt California second-graders from the state’s annual STAR testing (Standardized Testing and Reporting) system... Newly Introduced Bills
AB 36 (Furutani) Public Education & Readiness Year Program This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to develop a readiness year program in the public education system that provides basic skills training for individuals entering or reentering an academic institution... Governor Appoints Belisle, Angelis to SBE Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced two appointments to California's State Board of Education (SBE). Raneene (Rae) Belisle, who has been the president and chief executive officer for EdVoice since 2008, was appointed to the SBE. During 2007-2008, she was a special assistant to the Director of Finance. From 2004 to 2007, Belisle served as the General Counsel for the Sacramento County Office of Education. Previously she served as Executive Director of the California State Board of Education; Associate General Counsel... O'Connell Predicts "Record Layoffs" Due to "Unacceptable" Budget Cuts for Education In an effort to focus public attention on teacher layoffs and budget cuts for education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and representatives of four major education groups held a news conference on Wednesday. O'Connell picked up on the "Pink Friday" theme that the California Teachers Association has been stressing of late. He predicted "a record number of layoffs" will be announced by March 13, which is the state mandated deadline for notifying teachers that they might not have jobs come fall... Constitutional Convention Gathers Momentum A curious assortment of elected officials, think-tank-based policy wonks, frustrated business leaders and government reformers gathered on Tuesday at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento for a self-styled “California Constitutional Convention Summit,” to contemplate the possibility of a dramatic overhaul of state government. Motivated in large part by legislative gridlock in Sacramento, and the deteriorating condition of the state’s finances, highway system, and public schools and universities... Newly Introduced Bills
AB 35 (Furutani) Education & Workforce Preparation This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to develop a strategic plan for the education system regarding workforce preparation. AB 132 (Mendoza) School Safety & Immigration Investigation This bill would require that school safety plans include procedures to address immigration investigations... Governor Appoints Kathryn Radtkey-Gaither As Education Undersecretary Kathryn Radtkey-Gaither has been named as California’s Undersecretary of Education by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Glen Thomas, recently appointed as Secretary of Education, complimented the Governor on his appointment of Gaither. Thomas said “She brings extensive education finance and policy experience to the team. Kathy will be a tremendous asset to the education community during these tough fiscal times.”... Budget Compromise Finally Approved – Campaign Starts For May Special Election The California Legislature finally passed the Budget “Correction” Package around dawn on Thursday – and attention immediately shifted to the upcoming May 19 special election, which will include several ballot propositions that voters must approve if the budget compromise is to work. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a Thursday noon press conference, sounded like he was already in campaign mode. The Governor thanked legislators of both parties who had voted for the bill, saying their “action to solve the $42 billion deficit was difficult but courageous,”... Federal Education Stimulus Fact Sheets Over the last few weeks, State policymakers and educators have been eagerly waiting for Congress to approve a federal stimulus package. Congress finally acted and approved the more than $700 billion package last week. In effort to ensure EdBrief subscribers have access to quality information about the education sections of the stimulus bill, we have posted several Fact Sheets from the Chair of the Committee on Education & Labor, California Congressman George Miller. We encourage you to take a minute to review these brief summaries... 2009-10 Education Bills Introduced With the February 27, 2009 legislative bill introduction deadline around the corner, EdBrief will continue to provide our subscribers with brief summaries of all the key education-related proposals introduced in the legislature. As bills make their way through the legislative process, we will include updated information about these bills and their status. To date, some of the more interesting bills that have been introduced include... Two-Thirds Budget Vote Requirement Targeted, Petitions Submitted to Sec. of State On the heels of the recently passed state budget, two new budget-related initiatives where approved by the Secretary of State Office to begin the signature gathering process. The two measures will require approximately 694,354 signatures from registered voters. The proponents have until July 20, 2009 to secure the required number of signatures for each of these measures to qualify for a statewide election. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the first measure is as follows... Legislature Tries For Budget Majority – Again Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats will try one more time on Tuesday, hoping to secure a majority big enough to pass a budget compromise in the California Senate. Legislators spent most of the President’s Day weekend trying to convince one more Republican senator to vote in favor of the budget bill – and one more vote would be enough to give the proposed legislation enough votes to secure passage in the California Senate. (There are reportedly enough votes to get the package through the California Assembly)... "Breaking News" – This Story May be Updated As New Developments Emerge $787 Billion Stimulus Bill Moves Closer to Obama's Desk Having cleared the Senate on a 61-37 vote on Tuesday – including the critical support of three Republican senators – the federal stimulus bill went through conference committee on Wednesday, as Congressional negotiators quickly reached a compromise agreement reconciling the House and Senate versions of the legislation. The conference version of the bill – a $787 billion package overall – went back to the House on Friday, where it was approved on a 246-183 vote. As was the case when the stimulus bill first cleared the house, no House Republicans voted in favor... $787 Billion Stimulus Bill Does Not Inlcude $16 Billion for School Construction Having cleared the Senate on a 61-37 vote on Tuesday, the federal stimulus bill was sent to the President for his signature on Wednesday, as Congressional negotiators quickly reached a compromise agreement reconciling the House and Senate versions of the legislation. The final deal – a $787 billion package overall – was something of a disappointment for educators. Despite intensive lobbying by local school districts and governors, the version of the bill sent to the President does not include the $16 billion in funding for K-12 school construction and modernization... O'Connell's State of Education 2009: “Times Are Turbulent, With No Clear Skies Ahead” State Superintendent Jack O’Connell delivered his annual “State of Education” address on Monday – and it was his bleakest assessment to date. Here are some highlights:
Details of Senate Stimulus Bill Emerging Acknowledging that the federal stimulus bill is “evolving literally by the moment” as the legislation is being marked up in Senate committees, California Superintendent of Public Instruction offered a horseback assessment to school district administrators back home via a teleconference on Thursday afternoon. O’Connell was literally on the road as the teleconference was held. O’Connell said he’d spoken earlier in the day with Arne Duncan, the Obama Administration’s newly-sworn in Secretary of Education... Governor Taps Glen Thomas as Ed Secretary Glen Thomas was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday as California’s new Secretary of Education. Thomas – who is a Senior Advisor for Regional Support Services with Total School Solutions – brings over 30 years of experience in education to the job. Since 2007, Thomas has served as a consultant to the Association of California School Administrators and the California State Parent Teacher Association... Assembly, Senate Committee Chairs Named On Tuesday, Senate Pro Tempore, Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) announced full committee assignments for the new legislative session. Following his announcement, on Wednesday, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-LA) announced the new chairs of Assembly committees. In terms of education policy committees, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) – who was appointed last fall – will continue as the new chair of the Assembly Education Committee and Senator Gloria Romero (D-LA) will serve as the Senate Education chair... Governor's Office Proposes New Deferral, Cash flow Crunch for Schools Anticipated When the Governor released his 2009-10 proposed budget, he proposed another K-14 apportionment deferral. And now, a few days later, a new deferral is being discussed by the Administration that would extend a one-time deferral included in the current year budget. Similar to previous deferral proposals, this $2.5 billion deferral is intended to relieve the state of its cash flow problems. The Administration's proposal captures almost all of the July 2009 K-14 apportionment and about 60 percent of the August 2009 K-12 apportionment and would push the release of these funds into October 2009... Governor Focuses on Budget Deadlock in Brief "State of the State" Address Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's "State of the State Address" on Thursday (Jan. 15) was the briefest in recent memory, lasting barely ten minutes. The Governor focused on the ongoing negotiations addressing the enormous state budget deficit. Many of the Governor's remarks seemed geared more toward reaching the public via airtime on the evening news than toward personally swaying the stance of the legislators gathered in the Assembly Chambers. Schwarzenegger said that "our state is incapacitated until we resolve the budget crisis" and "the truth is that California is in a state of emergency."... Governor Releases 2009-10 Proposed Budget, Political Quagmire Intensifies "I'll be back" is the Governor's well-known one liner from the movie Terminator. Well, he's back participating in this real life, but surreal budget battle and he's once again proposing another budget that calls for major funding reductions, particularly in education. To his credit the Governor's New Years Eve budget continues to utilize a balanced approach to patch together a budget that can get the state through a few more months without going completely over the proverbial cliff... State Board of Education Update: Don't Say 'Foreign Language,' Say 'World Language' In marked contrast to November's meeting – which was highlighted by pointed criticism of the implementation of federal No Child Left Behind legislation – January's meeting of the State Board of Education (SBE) was a comparative walk in the sunshine. Most of Wednesday’s votes were unanimous, relatively few critical remarks were heard, and the board members took time to publicly praise each other's work. The SBE unanimously approved a set of World Language Content Standards – the first of their kind in the state... CTA Launches School Funding Initiative, $6 Billion for Schools Expected The California Teachers Association (CTA) is proposing a ballot initiative - the Public School Investment and Accountability Act (PSIAA) - that would set up a one-cent sales tax increase to support schools. The PSIAA will generate up to $6 billion annually to support class size reduction programs, buy textbooks and other curriculum, train teachers, hire counselors and librarians, and restore arts and career technical education programs, and support teacher salaries, but not school administrators... Court Rules on Algebra Mandate Controversy Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang favored the arguments made on Friday by the California School Boards Association (CSBA), Association of California School Administrators, and the California Teachers Association in a lawsuit against the State Board of Education. In a tentative ruling, Judge Chang granted a preliminary injunction that blocks the State Board of Education (SBE) from implementing a three-year plan for mandatory testing of all California eighth-graders for Algebra 1, which the SBE approved in July... Democrats Pass $18 Billion Budget Package, Governor Says He'll Veto the Bills The Democrats in the California legislature passed a package of budget bills on Thursday – and within hours, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he'll veto the legislation, saying it lacked the mortgage relief and economic stimulus proposals he'd asked for. "I will not sign the bills that they will send down to me," Schwarzenegger said late Thursday afternoon. "I was very disappointed. I though we had negotiated a very balanced kind of a compromise... Judge Rules State Must Pay for Mandated Programs In a ruling that could have far-reaching implications, a San Diego Superior Court Judge ruled this week that the state legislature's longstanding practice of deferring reimbursement to school districts for state-mandated programs is unconstitutional. Judge Charles R. Hayes prohibited the practice in the future. In his decision, Hayes wrote "since 2001-2002, the state has been only nominally funding certain state-mandated programs and 'deferring' payment of the balance... State Treasurer, Controller, LAO and Finance Chiefs Warn of State Budget Catastrophe The newly seated legislature got a lengthy description of the grim condition of California's finances, in an unusual session on Monday that featured presentations by Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, Department of Finance Director Mike Genest, Controller John Chiang, and Treasurer Bill Lockyer speaking before a joint session of the Assembly and Senate... New Measures of Cultural Climate Available Online The preliminary findings of the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) are now available online. The findings are from the first two years (2004-06) of data collected from 67,901 California school staff members on their perceptions of school climate at their school. This is the largest set of data on staff perceptions of the teaching and learning environments at California public schools. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell also announced... Here We Go Again. . . New Players, Same Game, Same Rhetoric, Same Budget Crisis Earlier this week, the California Legislature opened its new legislative session and swore in thirty-nine new legislators. While Monday was largely ceremonial – including the elections of the new Speaker and Senate Pro Tempore, and daylong receptions – the chronic budget deficit plaguing the state loomed over all the fanfare. Governor Schwarzenegger, apparently wanting to impress upon the new legislators the seriousness of the state's fiscal situation... O'Connell Calls For More Funding to Support Free and Reduced Priced Meals for Students The currently rising demand for free and reduced priced lunches in schools is another example of how the economic downturn is causing many families in California to turn to schools to help feed their children. As a result of rising demand, the State Superintendent of Instruction, Jack O'Connell (SPI) and the California Department of Education (CDE) are concerned that the Free and Reduced-Priced Meals program will most likely run out of state money for this fiscal year... LAO Recommends 14 Changes in Legislation The Legislative Analyst's Office released a "recommended legislation" proposal this week, designed to help the state "operate more effectively and efficiently." The proposal contains 14 points of interest to K-12 educators. On the financial side, the LAO proposes to "consolidate K-12 base revenue limits with seven categorical funding streams" into one base grant, which "would reduce district paperwork, clarify district funding levels and ensure future... O'Connell, Education Leaders Rally Against Cuts Many Californians are heading into vacation mode, rather than thinking about the state budget. In fact several school districts are taking the whole week off (and adding instructional days elsewhere in the school year), since the generally poor attendance during the three-days preceding Thanksgiving hurts their revenue-producing Average Daily Attendance figures. But last Friday, with the awareness that the California legislature is in special session... LAO Calls for Less Spending, More Revenues The California Legislative Analyst's Office released a Fiscal Outlook on Thursday, which restated many of the points made by LAO Mac Taylor in his Overview of Special Session Proposals on November 10th (See EdBrief Article: LAO Releases Analysis of Governor's Special Session Budget, and Offers "Alternatives"). The Fiscal Outlook's three-paragraph Summary says it all: "The state's struggling economy has severely reduced expected revenues... CTA Joins Lawsuit to Block Algebra Mandate Another big player – the California Teachers Association – has joined the lawsuit attempting to block the State Board of Education (SBE)'s new mandate to test all California eighth-graders for Algebra. The SBE adopted the algebra mandate – on what critics have termed insufficient public notice – in July. The California School Boards Association (CSBA) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) filed a lawsuit... LAO Releases Analysis of Governor's Special Session Budget, and Offers "Alternatives" The California Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) released an overview of the Governor's Special Session Proposals on Tuesday. The 28-page document included LAO Mac Taylor’s "alternatives for additional budget solutions," including $1 billion in mid-year cuts for education now, and another $2 billion next year. The first part of the report summarizes California's gloomy economic situation, with urgent bullet points that ring like a dire, tolling bell... Democrats Increase Seats in Legislature, But Voters Side with Governor on Redistricting Riding the "Democratic Tsunami" that swept the country, State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) was able to increase her party's membership with the election of two Democrats in what were formerly Republican seats. Assembly Democrats now control 50 of the 80 seats in the State Assembly, and are only four seats shy of having enough votes to pass a budget without Republican support... Governor Proposes $2.5 Billion in Education Cuts, Legislature Will Negotiate Reductions On Thursday, the Governor held a press conference to call for a Special Session of the Legislature and to announce his proposal to solve the estimated $11.2 billion current-year budget shortfall. The Governor proposes $4.5 billion in cuts and $4.4 billion in new revenues for the current-year budget. Under the Governor's proposal, education funding would be cut by $2.5 billion, including $332 million in community college reductions... CSBA, ACSA obtain restraining order, blocking SBE action on Algebra mandate The California School Boards Association (CSBA) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) won a temporary restraining order on Tuesday, preventing the State Board of Education (SBE) from proceeding with plans to implement mandatory algebra testing for all eighth-grade students. The matter began on July 9, when the SBE moved swiftly to adopt the new algebra testing requirement, over the objections of State Superintendent... Meetings Underway to Hammer Out Details for Federal Title 1—Program Improvement A select group of legislative staffers and education advocates came together on October 22 to discuss options for the Federal Title 1 Program Improvement funds. The main question is, how should California best use this money? Should it be one-time funds used for a one-time purpose, or ongoing funds for ongoing purposes?... Curriculum Bills Vetoed as Governor Pushes to Maintain Strength of State Board Many legislators authored bills in 2008 that would have altered California’s current content standards and curriculum frameworks. Many of these bills also attempted to change the State Board of Education’s (SBE) authority over this area of public school policy. Interestingly enough, every bill that we included in our recent piece, Get Ready for More Mandated Curriculum (Sept. 5, 2008), made it all the way to the Governor’s desk – and then met its demise... Which Education Bills Made the Cut? (Part III) This week Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finished vetoing over 35 percent of the bills on his desk. It appears that Schwarzenegger now holds the record in terms of number of bills rejected. Here’s a rundown of several education-related bills that were vetoed by the Governor... Which Education Bills Made the Cut? (Part II) The deadline for the Governor to sign – or veto – the bills passed by the legislature was Tuesday, September 30th. To keep you up-to-date on which bills made the cut, this article is part two of the bill update and includes the key bills that were signed into law by the Governor. The third part to this article includes all of the key bills that were vetoed by the Governor... Which Education Bills Made the Cut? (Part I) After the recent enactment of the 2008-09 budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger began determining the fate of over 850 bills waiting on his desk. Today is the deadline for the Governor to sign – or veto – the bills passed by the legislature. Starting with this update, we will provide you with a summary of some of the bills signed or vetoed by the Governor. Here is a summary of several bills vetoed by the Governor since this past Sunday... Nationwide Enrollment in Algebra 1 Rises, While Misplaced Students Struggle The Brookings Institute’s Brown Center on Education released a study this week indicating that while more students than ever may be taking algebra in eighth grade, they aren’t necessarily learning more. The new study finds that the nation’s push to challenge students by placing them in advanced math classes in eighth grade has yielded some unintended consequences, as some 120,000 middle-schoolers are now struggling in advanced classes for which they are unprepared... Governor Signs Budget – 85 Days Late After a record-setting 85 days, Governor Schwarzenegger signed the 2008-09 budget. This shaky $103.4 billion budget is held together by a combination of cuts, gimmicky revenue generating proposals and a prayer that voters will pass a ballot measure to modernize the Lottery and securitize Lottery revenue in order to generate $5 billion in 2009-10. According to the Governor, this budget holds State General Fund spending fairly level from 2007-08 to 2008-09, with a modest $100 million increase... Budget A Done Deal... After several days of high political drama around a potential veto of the state budget, state leaders now appear to have reached a budget agreement that will bring this record-setting budget battle to a close…at least for now. On Wednesday and Thursday, legislative leaders met with the Governor in order to resolve his concerns surrounding the provisions in the Rainy Day fund included in the budget as well as the proposal to accelerate tax receipt collections... Governor Confirms He Will Veto "House of Cards" Budget Approved by Legislature As the day began, we knew many of our readers would be clamoring for information about the budget passed by the legislature at 2:30 a.m. this morning. However, we thought it would be best for our subscribers if we all took a breath, examined any additional budget details, and tried to assess the political drama unfolding between the Governor and the legislature over his threat to veto the entire budget... Budget Deal Reached – Details a Little Murky The old saying “better late than never” seemed appropriate as legislative leaders announced Sunday that they have reached a budget deal. Seventy-six days after the start of the new fiscal year, the four legislative leaders announced the outline of their agreement. Both sides acknowledged that they did not get everything that they wanted, but the deal represents a compromise that should end the stalemate. Republicans won by preventing the Democrats from implementing new taxes on personal income... State Board of Education Meeting Summary The State Board of Education meeting this month brought out quite a few interested parties. The issue generating the most attention and buzz was the board’s decision in July to require the Algebra 1 test of all eighth-graders, and the recent lawsuit by the California School Boards Association (CSBA) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) against the State Board of Education because of that decision... David Long Steps Down as Secretary of Education David Long, California’s Secretary of Education since March 2007, has resigned. Long wrote a letter of resignation to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dated Wednesday, and the news became public late Thursday afternoon. In his three-paragraph letter, Long said “After much contemplation and reflection, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to move on to another chapter in my life... Rumors Abound – The Senate May Vote on the Governor's August Compromise Budget As we reported earlier this week, the state Senate rejected the Republican budget proposal. And as we predicted, the Governor’s August compromise budget was handily defeated in the Assembly the next day. These actions, along with the fiery debate that accompanied them, left many wondering how – and when – the budget situation would be resolved. Fast forward just a few days, and rumors were floating throughout the Capitol that the Senate would take up and possibly approve a similar version... Where Are They Now..... A Status Report of Key Bills Still Alive in the Legislature While California’s schools struggle to make time in their day to cover all that is required in the state curriculum frameworks, legislators continue to approve bills that require or encourage schools to teach additional subject matter. Many of these bills deal with the contributions of minorities to the State of California or the nation. The following bills were approved by the legislature and, if signed by the Governor, will change our state’s current frameworks and curriculum in the following ways... One Step Back, A Few Steps Forward for School Nutrition Programs This week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell announced the launch of the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS). CNIPS is a new Web-based system for local sponsors of federal food programs to more easily submit and track the status of their applications, claims, and commodity requests to the California Department of Education (CDE). When this site is completely finished, local education agencies (LEAs) and local programs sponsors should expect to have the ability to manage state and federal nutrition programs... Senate Democrats Reject Republican Budget Plan Late Monday, the Senate Democrats predictably rejected the Republican budget plan contained in AB 1793. The Republican plan calls for $1.6 billion in more cuts than the Governor’s August Compromise Budget, borrows against the Lottery, shifts $340 million from local redevelopment agencies and makes numerous reductions to health and welfare programs. The Republicans garnered only 13 votes in support (all Republican) of their proposal which fell dramatically short of the 27 votes needed to pass the Senate... Budget Impasse Enters Uncharted Territory With the end of the first week in September, the state’s budget stalemate surpassed all previous budget impasses, and entered uncharted waters. Entering this new territory brought additional partisan attacks, the release of a Republican budget proposal, and more public pronouncements by the Governor calling on the legislature to pass a budget. Responding to repeated criticisms from their Democratic colleagues and the press, Republican leaders finally introduced a budget proposal that outlines their solutions to solving the state’s budget crisis... Legislature Approves Bills to Expand Instructional Topics While California’s schools struggle to make time in their day to cover all that is required in the state curriculum frameworks, legislators continue to approve bills that require or encourage schools to teach additional subject matter. Many of these bills deal with the contributions of minorities to the State of California or the nation. The following bills were approved by the legislature and, if signed by the Governor, will change our state’s current frameworks and curriculum in the following ways.... O’Connell Releases 2008 API and AYP – Divergent Results Persist On Thursday, the California Department of Education (CDE) publicly released the 2008 Accountability Progress Report, consisting of the Academic Performance Index, along with Adequate Yearly Progress and Program Improvement information. Somewhat paradoxically, the state’s API went up in several areas, even as a larger number of California schools encountered issues with Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind legislation... The Algebra 1 Debate Continues, Focus Shifts To Supply of Math Teachers Over the past three months, we have been informing you of the debate surrounding the newly adopted Algebra 1 standard that requires 8th grade students to attain proficiency in Algebra 1 (See EdBrief Issues 30, 32, and 37). While much of the debate around this issue has centered on whether Algebra 1 is an appropriate standard for 8th grade math, not much of the discussion has focused on who will teach these courses in schools... New General Science Credential Approved To Ease Shortage Of Middle School Science Teachers The Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) announced recently the approval of a Foundation-Level General Science Credential, to ease the shortage of science teachers qualified to teach in California middle schools. The new General Science Credential authorizes instruction in general, introductory, and integrated science, K-8 grades. This new science credential responds to a recent analysis of teacher misassignment by the CTC which revealed that 20 percent of all science teachers are underprepared to teach science in California classrooms... |
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