Partnership academies.

Existing law provides for the establishment of partnership academies for pupils at risk of dropping out of school by participating school districts that meet specified eligibility requirements, and requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue grants to school districts for planning, establishing, and maintaining the partnership academies. The Superintendent is authorized to issue a maximum of 155 grants per year for purposes of planning partnership academies. Existing law sets forth criteria for a pupil to be considered at risk of dropping out of school. This bill would delete the limit on the number of grants the Superintendent is authorized to issue for planning partnership academies. The bill would expand the criteria for determining whether a pupil is at risk of dropping out of school, and would revise the requirements for the enrollment of pupils who are not at risk. The bill would require a school district to provide an assurance that each academy pupil will be provided with career technical courses in each grade level that are part of an occupational course sequence that targets comprehensive skills, and meets certain other requirements. The bill would make other conforming changes, and would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes. The bill would become operative on July 1, 2011, and would require its provisions to be implemented commencing with the 2011–12 school year.