(1) Existing law requires each local educational agency to designate a staff person as the educational liaison for foster children, as defined. Existing law requires the educational liaison to ensure and facilitate the proper educational placement, enrollment in school, and checkout from school of foster children, and to assist foster children when transferring from one school to another school or from one school district to another school district in ensuring the proper transfer of credits, records, and grades. This bill would require the educational liaison, if designated by the superintendent of the local educational agency, to notify the foster child's attorney and the appropriate representative of the county child welfare agency of pending expulsion proceedings if the decision to recommend expulsion is a discretionary act, pending proceedings to extend a suspension until an expulsion decision is rendered if the decision to recommend expulsion is a discretionary act, and, if the foster child is an individual with exceptional needs, pending manifestation determinations, as specified. This bill would authorize the foster child's caregiver or other person holding the right to make educational decisions for the child to provide the contact information of the child's attorney to the child's school district when the child has been placed outside of the county of jurisdiction for the child. (2) Existing law authorizes the district superintendent of schools or other person designated by the district superintendent of schools in writing to extend the suspension of a pupil until the governing board of the school district has rendered a decision in a case where expulsion from any school or suspension from the balance of the semester from continuation school is being processed by the governing board of the school district. Existing law requires that before such an extension is granted that the district superintendent of schools or the district superintendent's designee determine, following a meeting in which the pupil and the pupil's parent or guardian are invited to participate, that the presence of the pupil at the school or in an alternative school placement would cause a danger to persons or property or a threat of disrupting the instructional process. This bill would require, if the pupil is a foster child, as defined, the district superintendent of schools or the district superintendent's designee to invite the pupil's attorney and the appropriate representative of the county child welfare agency to that meeting. (3) Existing law authorizes the suspension or expulsion of an individual with exceptional needs in accordance with specified provisions. This bill would require, if the individual with exceptional needs is a foster child, as defined, and the local educational agency has proposed a change of placement due to an act for which a decision to recommend expulsion is at the discretion of the principal or the district superintendent of schools, the attorney for the individual with exceptional needs and the appropriate representative of the county child welfare agency to be invited to participate in the individualized education program team meeting that makes a manifestation determination. The bill would authorize that invitation to be made using the most cost-effective method possible. (4) Existing law requires the governing board of each school district to establish rules and regulations governing procedures for the expulsion of pupils and requires these procedures to include, but not necessarily be limited to, a hearing to determine whether the pupil should be expelled, and a written notice of the hearing forwarded to the pupil at least 10 calendar days prior to the date of the hearing. This bill would require, if the decision to recommend expulsion is a discretionary act and the pupil is a foster child, as defined, the governing board of the school district also to provide notice of the hearing to the pupil's attorney and an appropriate representative of the county child welfare agency at least 10 calendar days before the date of the hearing. The bill would authorize, if a recommendation of expulsion is required and the pupil is a foster child, the governing board of the school district also to provide the notice of the hearing to the pupil's attorney and an appropriate representative of the county child welfare agency at least 10 calendar days before the date of the hearing. The bill would authorize these notices to be made using the most cost-effective method possible. (5) Existing law requires a juvenile court to hold a detention hearing to determine whether a minor should be further detained when a minor has been taken into custody pursuant to specified provisions. Existing law also requires a court to appoint counsel for the child if the child is not represented by counsel, unless the court finds that the child would not benefit from the appointment of counsel. Existing law requires counsel appointed for the child to be charged in general with the representation of the child's interests. This bill would, at least once every year and if the list of educational liaisons is available on the Internet Web site of the State Department of Education, (A) require counsel appointed for the child to provide his or her contact information to the educational liaison of each local educational agency serving counsel's foster child clients in the county of jurisdiction, and (B) if counsel is part of a firm or organization, authorize the firm or organization to provide its contact information in lieu of contact information for the individual counsel. The bill would authorize the child's caregiver or other person holding the right to make educational decisions for the child to provide the contact information of the child's attorney to the child's local educational agency. (6) Existing law requires, when a child is placed in foster care, the case plan for each child to include a summary of the health and education information or records of the child. Existing law requires the health and education summary to include, but not be limited to, among other things, the names and addresses of the child's health, dental, and education providers. This bill would authorize the health and education summary also to include the name and contact information for the educational liaison of the child's local educational agency. (7) This bill would also make various nonsubstantive changes to the above provisions. (8) This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 48853.5 of the Education Code, proposed by SB 1568, to be operative only if SB 1568 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last. (9) This bill would incorporate additional changes in Sections 317 and 16010 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, proposed by AB 1712, to be operative only if AB 1712 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last.
Sponsored bills
Existing law establishes the University of California, and provides for its administration by the Regents of the University of California. Existing law, known as the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act, contains provisions relating to employer-employee relations between the State of California and the employees of state institutions of higher education, including the various campuses of the University of California and the California State University, as well as the Hastings College of the Law. These provisions assign major responsibilities for implementation to the Public Employment Relations Board. Under the act, an "employee" or "higher education employee" is defined as any employee of the Regents of the University of California, the Directors of the Hastings College of the Law, or the Trustees of the California State University. The act further provides that the board may find student employees whose employment is contingent on their status as students are employees only if the services they provide are unrelated to their educational objectives, or that those educational objectives are subordinate to the services they perform and that coverage under this chapter would further the purposes of the act. This bill would provide that student employees whose employment is contingent upon their status as students are employees or higher education employees for purposes of the act. In so doing, the bill would also delete the condition that students are employees or higher education employees only if the services they provide are unrelated to their educational objectives, or that those educational objectives are subordinate to the services they perform and that coverage under this chapter would further the purposes of the act.
Existing law authorizes the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to impose, in addition to any other tax that it is authorized to impose, a transactions and use tax at a rate of 0.5% for not more than 30 years for the funding of specified transportation-related purposes pursuant to an adopted expenditure plan, subject to voter approval. This bill would authorize the MTA to impose that transactions and use tax beyond its current duration, subject to voter approval. The bill would require the MTA to include, in the proposing ordinance, a new expenditure plan for the tax revenues. The bill would permit the MTA to secure bonded indebtedness payable from the proceeds of the tax imposed and would require that the proceeds from those bonds, and from the tax after repayment of bonded indebtedness, be used to accelerate the completion of specified projects and programs, and to fund specified operations. The bill would require the MTA to use any tax proceeds remaining after completion of designated capital projects and payment of bonded indebtedness for specified long-range transportation projects. The bill would make other related conforming changes.
(1) Existing law authorizes local educational agencies to use specified funds for any educational purpose, as provided, and requires instructional materials purchased by such a local educational agency to be materials adopted by the State Board of Education and be aligned with state standards, as specified. This bill would instead provide that the instructional materials purchased by such a local educational agency be aligned with state standards, as specified. (2) Existing law requires that, in order to be eligible for specified funds, a school district take steps to ensure that each pupil in each school in the school district has sufficient textbooks or instructional materials that are aligned to adopted content standards, as specified. Existing law establishes the Academic Content Standards Commission that is required to develop academic content standards in English language arts and mathematics. This bill would require a school district, in order to be eligible for specified funds, to ensure that there are sufficient textbooks or instructional materials that are aligned to specified adopted content standards or the content standards that were developed by the Academic Content Standards Commission and adopted by the state board. The bill also would, for the purpose of transitioning to instructional materials that are aligned with the common core academic content standards, state the intent of the Legislature that textbooks, instructional materials, and supplemental instructional materials be deemed to be aligned with the content standards and be deemed consistent with the content and cycles of the curriculum framework adopted by the state board, as specified, if the textbooks, instructional materials, supplemental instructional materials, or a combination of any such materials are aligned to the content standards adopted pursuant to specified provisions of law. (3) Existing law requires the state board to adopt basic instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, for governing boards, as defined, subject to specified provisions, including criteria established by the state board, as specified, provided that the criteria are approved by resolution at the time the resolution adopting the framework for the current adoption is approved, or at least 30 months before the date that the materials are to be approved for adoption. Existing law authorizes instructional materials to be submitted for adoption in certain subject areas according to 6- and 8-year submission cycles. This bill would add additional requirements for the review and adoption of instructional materials, including, but not limited to, changing the submission cycles to 8 years for all subject areas and requiring the State Department of Education to assess a reasonable fee on a publisher or manufacturer if it submits instructional materials for review after the applicable timeframe, and would provide that the criteria established by the state board for reviewing and adopting instructional materials are required to be approved by resolution at the time the resolution adopting the framework for the current adoption is approved, or at least 12 months before the date that the materials are to be approved for adoption. The bill would delete a provision that requires the state board to authorize a school district governing board, under specified circumstances, to use its instructional materials allowances to purchase materials as specified by the state board, in accordance with standards and procedures established by the state board. This bill would, among other things, require the department, before conducting an adoption of basic instructional materials for mathematics, to provide notice, as specified, to all publishers or manufacturers that each publisher or manufacturer is required to pay a fee, as specified, to offset the cost of conducting the adoption process. The bill would further authorize a local educational agency to use instructional materials that are aligned with academic content standards, as specified, including basic instructional materials that have not been adopted by the state board, and would require a majority of the participants of any review process conducted by the local educational agency to be classroom teachers who are assigned to the subject area or grade level of the materials. (4) Existing law requires the state board to give the Instructional Quality Commission a public hearing before making any adoption of instructional materials for use in elementary schools. This bill would require the state board to hold a public hearing before adopting instructional materials for use in elementary schools. The bill also would, upon review of the commission's recommendations for instructional materials, authorize the Superintendent of Public Instruction to make alternative recommendations for instructional materials, and would require the state board to consider the Superintendent's recommendations and comments from other advisory bodies and the public before making its decision to adopt instructional materials. (5) Existing law requires the state board to adopt revised curriculum frameworks and evaluation criteria that are aligned to the content standards adopted, as specified, for mathematics and English language arts no later than May 30, 2013, and May 30, 2014, respectively. This bill would instead require the state board to adopt a revised curriculum framework for mathematics no later than November 30, 2013. The bill would authorize the state board to adopt instructional materials for kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, that are aligned to content standards adopted, as specified, for mathematics no later than March 30, 2014, and would authorize the state board to adopt evaluation criteria for mathematics no later than March 31, 2013, as specified. The bill also would require the instructional materials adopted pursuant to these provisions to remain adopted until the next statewide adoption of instructional materials for mathematics. (6) Existing law establishes the Instructional Materials Funding Realignment Program to provide funding for instructional materials to school districts on the basis of an equal amount per pupil enrolled in public elementary and high schools, as specified. This bill would repeal the provisions relating to the Instructional Materials Funding Realignment Program. (7) This bill would provide that it would become operative only if AB 1719 of the 2011–12 Regular Session is also enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2013.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt basic instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, and authorizes the state board to establish criteria for that purpose. Existing law requires the state board in reviewing and adopting instructional materials to use specified criteria and ensure that, in its judgment, the submitted instructional materials meet all of the specified criteria. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to recommend, and the state board to approve, evaluation criteria to guide the development and review of supplemental instructional materials for English language arts and mathematics to provide a bridge between the California common core academic content standards and the standards-aligned instructional materials currently being used by local educational agencies. Existing law requires the state board to perform specified reviews and to approve or reject all, or a portion, of the list of supplemental instructional materials proposed by the department and authorizes the state board to add an item to that list, as specified. Existing law also permits the governing board of a school district to approve supplemental instructional materials other than those approved by the state board if the governing board performs specified reviews and determines that other supplemental instructional materials are aligned with the California common core academic content standards and meet the needs of the pupils of the district. Existing law requires supplemental instructional materials approved by the state board and the governing board of a school district to be reviewed by content review experts, as specified. This bill would require the department to recommend, and the state board to approve, evaluation criteria to guide the development and review of supplemental instructional materials for English learners. The bill would require the department to develop a list by March 1, 2014, of supplemental instructional materials for beginning through advanced levels of proficiency for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, that are aligned with the revised English language development standards. The bill would require content review experts, who are recommended by the department and approved by the state board, to review the supplemental instructional materials. The bill would appropriate $500,000 in one-time federal Title I carryover funds, as specified, from the Federal Trust Fund to the department for purposes of conducting this review. The bill would, by June 30, 2014, require the state board to approve or reject supplemental instructional materials, as specified. The bill would authorize the governing boards of school districts and county boards of education to approve supplemental instructional materials other than those approved by the state board if the governing board of a school district or county board of education performs specified reviews and determines that other supplemental instructional materials are aligned with the revised English language development standards and meet the needs of pupils of the district who are English learners. This bill would require the department, at least 30 days before the state board takes specified action, to develop a list of supplemental instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 7, inclusive, that are aligned with the California common core academic content standards for mathematics. The bill would require the department to recommend, and the state board to approve, content review experts to review supplemental instructional materials submitted for approval, as specified. The bill also would require the state board, on or before July 30, 2013, to perform specified reviews and to approve or reject all, or a portion, of the list of supplemental instructional materials proposed by the department and would authorize the state board to add an item to that list, as specified. The bill would require the department to use certain federal carryover funds to implement the development of this list of mathematics supplemental instructional materials. This bill would become operative contingent upon the enactment of AB 1246 of the 2011–12 Regular Session.
Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher Education Act, sets forth the missions and functions of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. The California State University, which is governed by the Trustees of the California State University (trustees) , and the University of California, which is governed by the Regents of the University of California (regents) , are 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education. The provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act by resolution to make them applicable. Under existing law, the California State University and the University of California are authorized to charge fees to students attending their respective institutions. This bill would establish the Working Families Student Fee Transparency and Accountability Act as a part of the Donahoe Higher Education Act, and would establish various policies relating to student fees and student financial aid at the University of California and the California State University. The bill would require the regents and the trustees to comply with prescribed public notice and student consultation procedures prior to adopting an increase in mandatory systemwide fees, and would prohibit them from adopting a mandatory systemwide fee increase before specified dates, except as specified. The bill would require the regents and the trustees, by April 2, 2013, to develop a list of factors that would be required to be taken into consideration when developing recommendations to adjust mandatory systemwide fees. The bill, commencing with the 2012–13 academic year, would require the trustees and the regents to provide annual reports on expenditures and financial aid to the Legislature, and would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to annually review and report to the Legislature its findings, conclusions, or recommendations regarding the implementation of policies implemented pursuant to the bill. Because the provisions of the bill would be added to the Donahoe Higher Education Act, they would apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents act by resolution to make them applicable.
Existing law requires the Instructional Quality Commission to recommend curriculum frameworks for adoption by the State Board of Education in accordance with regulations. Existing law defines "curriculum framework" as an outline of the components of a given course of study designed to provide state direction to school districts in the provision of instructional programs. This bill would require the commission and the state board to ensure that the health and science curriculum frameworks adopted in the course of the next submission cycle, as specified, include the subject of organ procurement and tissue donation, as appropriate.
Existing law establishes various programs for measuring pupil achievement, including the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, the high school exit examination, and English language development testing programs. Existing law requires that each pupil have an individual record of accomplishment by the end of grade 12 that includes the results of specified achievement tests, end-of-course exams, and vocational education certification exams. Existing law requires that pupil results or a record of accomplishment be private, and prohibits the release to any person without express written parental consent, subject to certain exceptions. This bill would require the State Department of Education to provide to a school district that is the chartering authority of a charter school, in accordance with a specified federal law relating to the disclosure of pupil records, individual pupil achievement data, including test results from the STAR Program, high school exit examination, and English language development tests, as well as pupil demographic data and program data, relating to pupils who attend the charter school, except as specified. The bill would require the department to provide this data, to the extent it has the data, along with the unique pupil identification number of each of those pupils, to the school district.
(1) Existing law vests with the Department of Parks and Recreation control of the state park system. Existing law requires the department to achieve any required budget reductions, as defined, by closing, partially closing, and reducing services at selected units of the state park system, based on specified factors. This bill would enact the California State Park Stewardship Act of 2012, which would require the department to develop a prioritized action plan to increase revenues and the collection of user fees at state parks. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature and the Governor on the prioritized action plan by July 1, 2013. (2) Existing law authorizes the department to enter into an operating agreement with a qualified nonprofit organization for the development, improvement, restoration, care, maintenance, administration, or operation of a unit or units, or portion of a unit, of the state park system, as identified by the Director of Parks and Recreation, as provided. Existing property tax law requires that all property subject to tax be assessed at its full value, and includes certain possessory interests among those property interests subject to tax. The California Constitution exempts certain property from property taxation, including property owned by the state. This bill would provide that a qualified nonprofit corporation that has entered into an agreement with the Department of Parks and Recreation is deemed to be an agent of the state for purposes of property taxation, and that any state-owned property, including possessory interests in that property, used or possessed by the qualified nonprofit organization for the development, improvement, restoration, care, maintenance, administration, or operation of a unit or units, or portion of a unit, of the state park system would be exempt from taxation under the exemption for property owned by the state. (3) Provisions relating to the administration of personal income taxes allow individual taxpayers to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of specified funds to be used for specified purposes. This bill would, for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2012, require the Franchise Tax Board to revise the individual taxpayer return form, as specified, to allow a taxpayer to designate an otherwise refundable amount in excess of tax liability to be deposited to the State Parks Protection Fund, which the bill would create. This bill would entitle a taxpayer making a contribution to receive a single state parks day use annual pass from the Department of Parks and Recreation if the price of the pass, as determined by the department, is less than or equal to the amount of the taxpayer's contribution. This bill would require moneys transferred to the State Parks Protection Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to the Franchise Tax Board and Controller, as provided, and to the Department of Parks and Recreation to cover the costs of the issuance of the passes to taxpayers, and for purposes related to the protection and preservation of state parks. This bill would also allow a deduction under the Personal Income Tax Law for any contribution amount in excess of the price of the pass received, if any. This bill would repeal these voluntary contribution provisions if contributions made on returns would be less than a specified amount, as provided. (4) Existing law provides that it is a misdemeanor for any officer or employee of the state to disclose certain tax information. This bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to provide necessary information, as provided, to the Department of Parks and Recreation so that individuals who deposited amounts equal to or in excess of the price of a state parks day use annual pass can be contacted. By changing the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law, the Donahoe Higher Education Act, sets forth the missions and functions of the public and independent institutions of higher education. The provisions of the Donahoe Higher Education Act apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable. Existing law exempts specified students from paying nonresident tuition at the California State University and the California Community Colleges and establishes financial aid programs for students, as specified. Existing law requires the governing board of each community college district to charge resident students a fee of $46 per unit per semester and to waive that fee for specified students. This bill would require students who are victims of trafficking, domestic violence, and other serious crimes who have been granted a specified status under federal law, to be exempt from paying nonresident tuition at the California State University and the California Community Colleges, and to be eligible to apply for, and participate in, all student financial aid programs and scholarships administered by a public postsecondary educational institution or the State of California, to the same extent as individuals who are admitted to the United States as refugees under specified federal law. The bill would request the University of California to adopt policies that are consistent with those provisions. The bill would also require community college districts to waive the fees of those students to the same extent as individuals who are admitted to the United States as refugees under specified federal law. To the extent the bill would place additional requirements on community college districts to exempt those students from nonresident tuition and to administer financial aid programs and scholarships, and provide fee waivers to those students, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.