SB 871

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law, on or before July 1, 2014, requires the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to adopt a local control and accountability plan and requires the governing board of each school district and each county board of education to update its local control and accountability plan on or before July 1 of each year. Existing law requires the local control and accountability plan to include certain elements, and requires the charter for a charter school to include some of those same elements. Existing law requires the State Board of Education, on or before October 1, 2016, to adopt evaluation rubrics to, among other things, assist a school district, county office of education, or charter school in evaluating its strengths, weaknesses, and areas that require improvement. Existing law establishes the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence for purposes of advising and assisting school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools in achieving the goals set forth in a local control and accountability plan. This bill would require the collaborative, commencing with the 2016–17 fiscal year, to establish a statewide process to provide professional development training to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools for the purpose of successfully utilizing the evaluation rubrics adopted by the state board and would encourage school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that participate in professional development training to include in the training all stakeholders that are involved in the development of a local control and accountability plan, as provided. The bill would require the professional development training to include, among other things, information on how the evaluation rubrics are used for the development and implementation of the local control and accountability plans and those similar elements in charter petitions, and information on how the evaluation rubrics will be used, in conjunction with local control and accountability plans, to establish a system of continuous improvement. The bill would require the collaborative to ensure that the professional development training is provided in each region of the state and is available to all school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools. The bill would require the collaborative to submit an implementation plan to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, the Director of Finance, and the Legislative Analyst's Office within 30 days of the state board's adoption of the evaluation rubrics, as specified. The bill also would require the collaborative, during the 2017–18 fiscal year, to conduct a survey of school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools on how they used the evaluation rubrics. The bill would authorize the collaborative to contract with one or more entities to develop, administer, monitor, and analyze the survey. The bill would require the collaborative, during the 2016–17 and 2017–18 fiscal years, to implement a pilot program that will inform its long-term efforts to advise and assist school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools in improving pupil outcomes. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to assign the collaborative to assist school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in the pilot program, as provided, but participation in the pilot program by a local educational agency would be voluntary. The bill would require the governing board of the collaborative to submit to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, the Director of Finance, and the Legislative Analyst's Office, an implementation plan for the pilot program on or before August 15, 2016, as specified, and a report about lessons learned from the pilot program and its implications for the ongoing work of the collaborative on or before November 1, 2018. The bill would make the implementation of its provisions contingent upon funds being appropriated for its purposes in the annual Budget Act or another enacted statute.