CCEA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
October 1999

by Peter Birdsall

Opportunities for Funding for Continuation High Schools

This year's state budget contained a modest increase in funding for K-12 education.  A big difference from the recent past, however, is that several of the new programs included in the budget were focused on high schools.  As a result, there are opportunities for educators in continuation high schools to work with their districts to obtain resources for their schools.

SCHOOL SAFETY GRANTS

The state budget included establishment of a new school safety grant program.  The program was established by AB 1113 (Florez) and provides funding to school districts based on the number of students in grades 8-12.  In addition, the bill guarantees each school district at least $5,000 per school site serving students in any of grades 8-12. 

These funds go to the school district, so there is no requirement that the funds be spent at continuation high schools.  However, continuation high school students and schools help generate the funding received by the district.  Thus, it is important that educators in continuation high schools are aware of the funding and make their needs known.

The funding for this program will be allocated as an equal amount per pupil in grades 8-12.  We estimate this will equal about $40 per pupil.  The bill also requires that the funding allocation provide each school district, which serves any of grades 8 through 12, with a minimum total grant of $10,000 or $5,000 per school site, whichever is greater.  The funding may be used for any of the following purposes:

1. Providing schools with certificated personnel, including, but not limited to licensed or certificated school counselors, school social workers, school nurses, and school psychologists, who are trained in conflict resolution.  Any law enforcement personnel hired pursuant to this article shall be trained and sworn peace officers.

2. Providing effective and accessible on-campus communication devices and other school safety infrastructure needs related to the implementation of school safety plans.

3. Establishing an in-service training program for school staff to learn to identify at-risk pupils, to communicate effectively with those pupils, and to refer those pupils to appropriate counseling.

4. Establishing cooperative arrangements with local law enforcement agencies for appropriate school-community relationships.

5. For any other purpose that the school or school district determines that would materially contribute to meeting the goals and objectives of current law in providing for safe schools and preventing violence among pupils.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS/ STAFF DEVELOPMENT

The budget also contained additional one-time funding for staff development and instructional materials.  The Legislature focused most of this money on high schools.  As with the school safety grants, the funding goes to the school district. 

The language approved by the Legislature allocates $134 million on a one-time basis for instructional materials and staff development.  The funds are divided $40.2 million for grades  K-8 (slightly less than $10 per pupil) and $93.8 million for grades 9-12 (about $57 per pupil).  These funds may be used for "any of the following purposes, to assist them in implementing the new statewide accountability system:  (a) instructional materials, including sheltered English materials and types of materials specifically designed for English learners, (b) Staff Development Buyout Program, or (c) other staff development activities."

PARENT INVOLVEMENT GRANTS

As this newsletter goes to print, the Legislature is nearing the end of its 1999 legislative session.  One bill of interest to continuation high schools which appears likely to become law is AB 33 (Soto).  This measure would make grants of $25,000 (for schools of fewer than 1,000 students) available for school site parent involvement programs.  Given the specific requirements of the grants, continuation high schools may be among the schools best able to apply for these funds.

AB 33 would appropriate $15 million for grants that reflect the Governor's desire that schools focus on teachers making visits to students' homes.  Specifically, the bill provides one-time grants to schools in which a majority of teachers and parents agree to strengthen communication between schools and parents, and that establish a Parent/Teacher Involvement Program that meets the following criteria:

• At least 50% of the teachers at the school voluntarily agree to participate in visits to the homes of pupils or community meetings that are convenient to parents.

• At least 50% of the parents at a school have voluntarily signed parent/teacher/pupil contracts that require parental participation in home visits or community meetings.

• Teachers shall be compensated for their participating in home visits or community meetings at an hourly rate comparable to their regular base salary.

• Certification that teachers or teachers paired with instructional aides will conduct home visits to a substantial percentage of the pupils annually, or in the case of high schools, will hold at least monthly community-based meetings.

SHORT-TERM INDEPENDENT STUDY

It is important that continuation high school educators are aware of a change to independent study that was enacted as part of the state budget agreement.  AB 1115 (Strom-Martin) was enacted and includes a provision to no longer allow school districts and county offices of education to receive funding for ADA generated through independent study of less than five consecutive days.  This was an issue raised in the Governor's January budget proposal, where he proposed to disallow independent study of less than 10 days.  This proposal was rejected by both budget subcommittees. 

During the final two days of deliberations on the budget, this issue was raised again in the budget conference committee by the Department of Finance.  The committee agreed on a compromise of disallowing funding for independent study of less than five days, rather than the original proposal of ten day exclusions.