Regional occupational centers and programs.

Existing law establishes various categorical education programs, including regional occupational centers and programs, and appropriates the funding for those programs in the annual Budget Act. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, for the 2008–09 to 2012–13 fiscal years, inclusive, to apportion from the amount provided in the annual Budget Act for specified categorical education programs an amount based on the same relative proportion that the local educational agency received in the 2008–09 fiscal year for those programs and authorizes school districts, for those fiscal years, to use these funds, with specified exceptions, for any educational purpose, to the extent permitted by federal law. Existing law, for those fiscal years, deems local educational agencies that use these categorical education program funds for any educational purpose to be in compliance with the program and funding requirements of those categorical education programs. This bill, for the 2011–12 fiscal year, would restrict the authority of a school district to withdraw from a regional occupational center or program if the county board of education or the State Board of Education determines that doing so would negatively impact the career technical education services received by high school pupils of other school districts or charter schools in the region. The bill would require a recipient of funds allocated for career technical education services to expend those funds in accordance with the regional plan for occupational course sequences, in order to meet documented labor market demand, and focus on the needs of high school pupils. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations regarding career technical education programs organized and implemented as occupational course sequences.