SB 1417

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law establishes a public school financing system that requires state funding for school districts and charter schools to be calculated pursuant to a local control funding formula, as specified. Existing law requires funding pursuant to the local control funding formula to include, in addition to a base grant, supplemental and concentration grant add-ons that are based on the percentage of pupils who are English learners, foster youth, or eligible for free or reduced-price meals, as specified, served by the school district or charter school. Existing law authorizes schools participating in certain federal school meals programs to establish a base year for purposes of calculating the number of pupils at the school who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals by determining each pupil's eligibility status in that base year and using that number to report eligibility for up to each of the following 3 school years. This bill would additionally allow schools participating in those federal school meals programs to establish a base year by carrying over the number of pupils at the school who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals from the school year in which the school applied to use a federal universal school meal provision. (2) Existing law requires a school district or county superintendent of schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to provide a needy pupil with one nutritionally adequate free or reduced-price meal during each schoolday, and authorizes the school district or county superintendent of schools to use funds available from any federal or state school meals program to comply with that requirement. Existing law sets the reimbursement rates a school receives for free or reduced-price meals sold or served to pupils in elementary, middle, or high schools in the annual Budget Act in prescribed amounts. Existing law generally requires a school district or a county superintendent of schools to provide breakfast and lunch free of charge to all pupils at a very high poverty school, as defined. This bill would provide that, on and after July 1, 2021, a school district, county superintendent of schools, or charter school that participates in a specified school meal service provision under federal law at a high poverty school, as defined, in its jurisdiction qualifies for supplemental state reimbursement, calculated as prescribed. The bill would require the supplemental state reimbursement to be provided, upon appropriation by the Legislature, in addition to existing state reimbursement for school meals.