California Assembly Bill AB868 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: AB 868AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 23, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 4, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member  V. Manuel Perez   V. Manuel Perez  FEBRUARY 26, 2009  An act to amend Section 37710 of, and to add and repeal Section 37710.6 of, the Education Code, relating to school districts.   An act to add Section 78015.5 to the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.  LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 868, as amended,  V. Manuel Perez   V. Manuel Perez  .  Palo Verde Unified School District: four-day school week.   Community colleges: degree audit system.   Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts, administered by a governing board, throughout the state, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at the community college campuses maintained by the districts.   This bill would require every community college district to develop and implement an online degree audit system to provide students and counselors the ability to monitor student progress toward completion of a degree, a certification, or the credits required to transfer to the California State University or the University of California. The bill would require every community college office of admissions to preform an inquiry before the beginning of a semester or a quarter to identify students who are within 15 semester units or 22.5 quarter units of completing a degree, a certification, or transfer requirements and notify those students by e-mail and mail of the courses they still need for completion.   By requiring community college districts to develop and implement an online degree audit system, this 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.   Existing law authorizes various school districts to operate one or more schools in each district on a 4-day school week, if the school district complies with specified requirements, including instructional time requirements. Schools in the Death Valley Unified School District, the Potter Valley Community Unified School District, and certain school districts in San Diego County that operate on a 4-day school week are required to achieve their Academic Performance Index (API) growth targets in order to maintain the authority to operate on a 4-day school week, as specified. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to reduce the base revenue limit per unit of average daily attendance of a school district if one or more schools in its district that are on a 4-day school week provide fewer than 180 days of instruction, as specified.   This bill would extend that authorization and those requirements, including that participating schools achieve their API growth targets in order to maintain the authorization, to the Palo Verde Unified School District, beginning in the 2010-11 fiscal year. The bill also would authorize the State Board of Education to waive 5-consecutive-day operating requirements for preschools, before and after school programs, independent study programs, child nutrition and food service programs, community day schools, regional occupational centers or programs, and continuation high schools if the district would operate those programs on a 4-day week pursuant to the bill, provided that the district meets the minimum time requirement for each program. The bill would require the district to submit a report containing specified information to the State Department of Education, the Senate Committee on Education, and the Assembly Committee on Education on or before January 15, 2016, if the district operates one or more schools on a 4-day school week. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2015.   This bill would declare that, due to the unique circumstances applicable to the Palo Verde Unified School District, a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution, and the enactment of a special statute is therefore necessary.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program:  no   yes  . THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 78015.5 is added to the   Education Code  , to read:   78015.5. (a) Every community college district shall develop and implement an online degree audit system to provide students and counselors the ability to monitor student progress toward completion of a degree, a certification, or the credits required to transfer to the California State University or the University of California. (b) (1) Prior to the beginning of a semester or a quarter, every community college office of admissions shall perform an inquiry to identify the students who are within 15 semester units or 22.5 quarter units of completing a degree, a certification, or the credits required to transfer to the California State University or the University of California. (2) A community college office of admissions shall notify, by e-mail and mail, those students identified pursuant to paragraph (1) of the courses the student still needs to complete a degree, a certification, or transfer requirements.   SEC. 2.   If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.   SECTION 1.   Section 37710 of the Education Code is amended to read: 37710. If a school operating on a four-day school week pursuant to Section 37710.5, 37710.6, or 37711 fails to achieve its Academic Performance Index growth target pursuant to Section 52052, the authority of that school to operate on a four-day school week shall be permanently revoked commencing with the beginning of the following school year.   SEC. 2.   Section 37710.6 is added to the Education Code, to read: 37710.6. (a) Beginning with the 2010-11 fiscal year, the Palo Verde Unified School District may operate one or more schools in the school district on a four-day school week if the district complies with the instructional time requirements specified in Section 37701 and the other requirements of this chapter. The state board may waive five-consecutive-day operating requirements for any of the following programs that operate on a four-day week pursuant to this section, provided that the district meets the minimum time requirement for each program: (1) Preschools. (2) Before and after school programs. (3) Independent study programs. (4) Child nutrition and food service programs. (5) Community day schools. (6) Regional occupational centers or programs. (7) Continuation high schools. (b) If the school district operates one or more schools on a four-day week pursuant to this section, and the program for the school year provides fewer than the 180 days of instruction required under Section 46200, the Superintendent shall reduce the base revenue limit per unit of average daily attendance for that fiscal year by the amount the school district would have received for the increase received pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 46200, as adjusted in fiscal years subsequent to the 1984-85 fiscal year. If the school district operates one or more schools on a four-day school week pursuant to this section, and the program provides fewer than the minimum instructional minutes required under Section 46201, the Superintendent shall reduce the base revenue limit per unit of average daily attendance for that fiscal year in which the reduction occurs by the amount the school district would have received for the increase in the base revenue limit per unit of average daily attendance pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 46201, as adjusted in the 1987-88 fiscal year and fiscal years thereafter. (c) If the school district operates one or more schools on a four-day school week pursuant to this section, the school district shall submit a report to the department, the Senate Committee on Education, and the Assembly Committee on Education on or before January 15, 2015. The report shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, information on the following: (1) Programs the district offered on the fifth day and their participation rates. (2) Whether the four-day school week schedule resulted in any fiscal savings. (3) Impact on overall attendance of the schools operating a four-day school week. (4) Programs for which the Superintendent waived minimum time and five-consecutive-day requirements and the operational and educational effects of the programs if they operated at less time than required. (5) Impact on city crime statistics where the schools operating a four-day school week are located, especially on the day on which there is no school. (6) Information on the Academic Performance Index (API), as defined in Section 52052, for every year schools in the district operated a four-day school week, including, but not necessarily limited to, the base and growth API and whether the schools met API growth targets. (d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2016, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2016, deletes or extends that date.   SEC. 3.   The Legislature finds and declares that, due to the unique circumstances applicable to the Palo Verde Unified School District, a general law cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution, and the enactment of a special law is therefore necessary.