Kindergarten: evaluation and annual reporting.

Existing law provides that school districts offering kindergarten may maintain kindergarten classes at different schoolsites for different lengths of time. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide the Legislature no later than July 1, 2017, with an evaluation of kindergarten program implementation in the state, including part-day and full-day kindergarten programs, as specified. The bill would make these provisions operative only upon an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes. The bill would require a local educational agency, commencing with the 2015–16 school year, to provide an annual report to the State Department of Education that contains information on the type of kindergarten program offered by the local educational agency, as provided, in a manner determined by the department. By expanding the duties of a local educational agency, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. 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.