Career technical education: transportation for the 21st century partnership academies.

Existing law provides for the establishment of partnership academies by participating school districts and establishes criteria qualifying pupils in grades 10, 11, and 12 for enrollment in the academies. Existing law establishes the parameters for the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue grants to school districts maintaining high schools that meet the partnership academy eligibility requirements. This bill would establish one new category of partnership academies, the transportation for the 21st century partnership academy. Commencing with the 2013–14 school year, when funds become available for additional partnership academies, as specified, the Superintendent would be required to issue grants for the establishment of partnership academies in each geographical area of the California High-Speed Rail Project's planned 10 project sections, and would be required to give priority to partnership academies dedicated to educating pupils in transportation for the 21st century. The selection of school districts to establish the new partnership academies and the planning and development of the new partnership academies would be required to be conducted pursuant to the procedures and requirements established for all partnership academies under existing law. The bill would provide that the funding priorities it creates may be satisfied when the specified number of transportation for the 21st century partnership academies are funded, as specified. The bill, in the event a school district applies to convert an existing school program to a transportation for the 21st century partnership academy and meets all the specified criteria for that new partnership academy, would authorize the State Department of Education, in coordination with the Superintendent, to provide that academy with first-year implementation funds. In order to be eligible for funding for a transportation for the 21st century partnership academy, the bill would require the coursework and internship or preapprenticeship programs of the proposed academy to focus on the use of environmentally sound technologies and practices. The bill would require staff development opportunities to be included in the academy plans.