Migrant education.

(1) Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt a state master plan for services to migrant children, as defined, that includes the provision of specified services and activities. Under existing law, a child may be deemed a "migrant child" for a period not to exceed 5 years during which the child resides in an area where programs are provided for migrant children. Existing law requires priority to be given to programs and activities for migrant children and prohibits migrant programs from being provided solely for children who have ceased to migrate. This bill would reduce the number of years a child may be deemed a migrant child from 5 years to 3 years. The bill would delete the provisions above regarding priority and the prohibition against programs solely for children who have ceased to migrate, and would instead specify that priority for services shall be consistent with federal law. (2) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish the service regional system as the primary method for the delivery of services to migrant children and requires that regions be contiguous, with no less than 1,500, and no more than 8,000, migratory children. The bill would delete the cap on the number of migratory children that may be served in a region. (3) Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to sponsor an annual State Parent Advisory Council Conference, and requires the council to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature, the State Board of Education, and the Governor regarding the status of the migrant education program. Existing law also requires the Superintendent and each operating agency to establish and implement training programs for members of the statewide and operating agency parent advisory councils to enable them to carry out their responsibilities. The bill would require the report to include an evaluation of the program, a review of annual needs, a year-end assessment, policy recommendations, and the data collected regarding the program. The bill would require the council to submit the report within 120 days from the conclusion of a training program on preparing the report provided by the Superintendent. (4) The bill also would make clarifying and nonsubstantive changes.