California Continuation Education Association Document

Title:  Letter To Continuation Educators re: AB 2634

Author:  Janet Knoeppel

Date:  March 28, 2000

March 28, 2000

Dear Continuation High School Educator:

The continuation students in California need your help! As I’m sure you are aware, the California Continuation Education Association (CCEA) has been proactively working to have legislation passed which will help to equalize funding for our schools for nearly ten years. Thanks to these efforts we now receive a cost-of-living adjustment each year and it is distributed in an equalized manner. Today we are closer than we have ever been to achieving the goal of more adequate funding for our schools. Yet, we have far to go!

Assembly Member Thomas Calderon (D-Montebello) introduced AB 2634 on February 25, 2000. This bill will mean an enormous improvement for us in the following areas:

Funding: A continuation school will receive either $97,500 or $1,500 per prior year unit of ADA generated by the continuation high school, whichever is greater. This amount is in addition to the district’s current revenue limit.

Enrollment ratio: Enrollment will be limited to 20 students enrolled to each 1 full time equivalent teacher (FTE). No more classes above 20, regardless of attendance!

Counseling/Guidance services: Full time guidance services will be provided at every continuation high school on a daily basis, based on a ratio of no more than 300 students to each counselor.

Length of school day: Schools/districts will be encouraged to offer programs for students who desire, and are ready, to attend 4, 5, 6 or more hours per day. This will enable us to more effectively address state performance standards, the SAT-9 exam, the high school exit exam, providing algebra and geometry courses for our students, and ensure that a rigorous and challenging program is in place at all of our schools.

We foresee implementation of this measure over a 3 – 4 year period. The initial cost would be approximately $15 million, with full implementation at approximately $60 million.

Your CCEA Executive Board has visited key legislators and staff in Sacramento to help in the advancement of this bill. Now it is time for our voices to be heard from the grass roots. PLEASE take the time to either write or call your assembly member or state senator. Talk to them about AB 2634 and encourage them to lend their support. I have enclosed a sample letter you may send if that is the best way to contact your legislators. If it is an option for you, please consider visiting their field offices in person. If that is not possible, speak to the legislator’s staff. It is critical that our voices be heard. And it must happen NOW!

In addition, please contact your local School Board and urge them to send a resolution of support to their local Assembly Member and Senator. For those of you who are ACSA members, the Legislative Policy Committee has recommended supporting this bill.

Please contact me or any of the other CCEA Executive Board Members if you have questions. Thank you in advance, for your help in this important undertaking.

Sincerely,

Janet Knoeppel
State President