School finance: average daily enrollment.

Existing law requires the use of average daily attendance to compute revenue limits and school funding apportionments, as specified. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to equitably fund the services provided by each school district, county office of education, and charter school by the enrollment of pupils for which the school district, county office of education, or charter school is required to educate. The bill would replace average daily attendance with average daily enrollment, as defined, and would, commencing with the 2014–15 fiscal year, phase in the replacement of average daily attendance with average daily enrollment over 3 fiscal years, as specified. The bill would, commencing on July 1, 2016, provide that all statutory references to average daily attendance are deemed to refer to average daily enrollment, as defined. By requiring local educational agencies to use average daily enrollment instead of average daily attendance, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law deems a pupil an habitual truant if the pupil has been reported as a truant 3 or more times per school year, except that a pupil may not be deemed an habitual truant unless an appropriate district officer or employee has made a conscientious effort, as defined, to hold at least one conference with the pupil and a parent or guardian of the pupil, as specified. This bill would require the average daily enrollment funding of a pupil deemed a habitual truant, as specified, to be allocated for the sole purposes of securing pupil attendance and success in school by the governing board of a school district or county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.