California Senate Bill SB590 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 590AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 3, 2013 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 24, 2013 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 23, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Senator De Len FEBRUARY 22, 2013 An act to add Article 9.5 (commencing with Section 45390) to Chapter 5 of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to school personnel. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 590, as amended, De Len. School personnel:  Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Program.   professional development for classified employees.  Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district to grant any classified employee a leave of absence not to exceed one year, as provided, for the purpose of permitting study by the employee or for the purpose of retraining the employee to meet changing conditions within the district. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to grant reimbursement of the costs, including tuition fees, to a permanent classified employee who satisfactorily completes approved training to improve his or her job knowledge, ability, or skill. This bill would  establish the Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Program under which local educational agencies, as defined, would be required to set aside a portion of the total funding received for professional development from state and federal sources, for   require a local educational agency, if it expends funds for professional development, to consider the needs of its  classified school employees, as defined, to update their skills and to learn best practices in various  optional  areas, including, among others, pupil learning and achievement, campus safety, and special education.  The bill would require a local educational agency to meet certain requirements as a condition of spending any of the funds, including, among others, developing a local plan to accelerate pupils' progress to academic proficiency. The bill would authorize the Superintendent of Public Instruction to restrict a local educational agency from spending the funds if the Superintendent determines that the local educational agency fails to meet the requirements, and to provide guidance on approved training programs.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  yes   no  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Article 9.5 (commencing with Section 45390) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read: Article 9.5.  Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Program   Professional Development for Classified School Employees   45390. This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Program.   45391.   45390.  The Legislature finds and declares  all   both  of the following: (a) Classified  school  employees play a vital role in the education of our pupils and students in our public schools and community colleges. They do the essential work that keeps our campuses safe, clean, and well maintained so that our pupils and students can get to school, focus on learning, and succeed at their highest levels. (b) Because classified  school  employees are on the front lines working to ensure the safety and care of pupils and students on our campuses, they need professional development and training to update their skills and to learn the best practices for vital education programs, including campus safety, academic achievement and curriculum standards, special education, health care, child nutrition, pupil transportation, environmental safety, and parental involvement.  (c) Funding for classified employee training comes from state, federal, and local funds, including all of the following:   (1) Chapter 313 of the Statutes of 1998 created the Instructional Time and Staff Development Reform Program to provide funding for staff development for classified school employees, and specified that school districts would be provided one hundred forty dollars ($140) per day for each participating classified school employee. This program has been block granted into the professional development block grant as enacted by Chapter 871 of the Statutes of 2004.   (2) Under Section 1116(c)(7)(A)(iii) of Title I of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.), a local educational agency that has been identified for school improvement must reserve and use 10 percent of its allocation under the act for professional development activities.   (3) Other state, federal, or local funding initiatives for professional development.   45392.   45391.  (a)  The Classified School Employee Staff Development and Training Program is hereby established. From funding available for professional development, local educational agencies shall set aside funding for professional development for   If a local educational agency expends funds for professional development, the local educational agency shall consider the needs of its  classified school employees. (b) For purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) "Classified school employee" means a person employed on a full-time or a part-time basis as a classified school employee at a community college, a public school, a charter school, or a county office of education. (2) "Local educational agency" means a school district, a county office of education, a charter school, or a community college district. (c)  A portion of the total funding for staff development from state or federal funds shall be set aside for professional  Professional    development training for classified school employees to update their skills and to learn best practices  for   may include, but is not limited to,  any of the following: (1) Pupil learning and achievement, including all of the following: (A) Training for paraprofessionals to assist teachers and administrators to improve the academic achievement of pupils. (B) Training to ensure the curriculum frameworks and instructional materials are aligned to the common core standards. (C) Training in the management and use of state and local pupil data to improve pupil learning. (D) Training on the best practices in the appropriate interventions and assistance to at-risk pupils. (2) Pupil and campus safety, including training and staff development in the latest and best practices for pupil safety and campus safety. (3) Education technology, including management strategies and best practices regarding the use of education technology to improve pupil performance. (4) School facility maintenance and operations, including new research and best practices in the operation and maintenance of school facilities, such as green technology and energy efficiency, that help reduce the use and the cost of energy at schoolsites. (5) Special education, including training and staff development on the best practices to meet the needs of special education pupils, and to comply with any new state and federal mandates. (6) School transportation and bus safety, including training and staff development on the best practices and standards for pupil transportation. (7) Parent involvement, including training and staff development to enhance the ability of a school to increase parent involvement at schoolsites. (8) Food service, including training and staff development on new research and findings for food preparation to provide nutritional meals and food management. (9) Health, counseling, and nursing services, including training and staff development on the latest and best practices for pupil health care and counseling needs. (10) Environmental safety, including training and staff development on pesticides and other possibly toxic substances so that they may be safely used at schoolsites.  45393. (a) As a condition of spending any of the funds set aside for professional development and training for classified school employees pursuant to Section 45392, a local educational agency shall meet all of the following requirements: (1) The local educational agency has a local plan, developed in conjunction with parents and classified staff, to accelerate pupils' progress to academic proficiency. The plan shall includean explanation of the manner in which the objectives of the professional development and training will be met. (2) The governing body of the local educational agency, at a regularly scheduled public meeting, has approved the plan and developed corresponding policies in support of the plan. (3) The local educational agency consults with the classified bargaining units. (b) If the Superintendent determines that a local educational agency fails to meet the requirements specified in subdivision (a), the Superintendent may restrict the local educational agency from spending the funds set aside pursuant to Section 45392, with emphasis on paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 45392. (c) The Superintendent may provide guidance on approved training programs. (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing new mandates on local educational agencies.