Education finance.

(1) The Child Care and Development Services Act has a purpose of providing a comprehensive, coordinated, and cost-effective system of child care and development services for children from infancy to 13 years of age and their parents, including a full range of supervision, health, and support services through full- and part-time programs. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop standards for the implementation of quality child care programs. Existing law authorizes the County of San Mateo, and as a pilot project, to develop an individualized county child care subsidy plan, as provided. Existing law requires the County of San Mateo to submit an annual report, until January 1, 2018, to the Legislature and other specified entities that summarizes the success of the plan, among other things. Existing law provides for the repeal of those provisions on January 1, 2019. This bill would authorize the County of San Mateo to implement the individualized county child care subsidy plan indefinitely and would make conforming changes. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations regarding the need for special legislation for the County of San Mateo. (2) Existing law establishes the Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending all segments of postsecondary education. The programs administered by the commission include the Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program and the Middle Class Scholarship Program. The Middle Class Scholarship Program provides that, subject to an available and sufficient appropriation, commencing with the 2014–15 academic year, an undergraduate student enrolled at the University of California or the California State University, and meeting certain requirements, is eligible for a scholarship award that, combined with other federal, state, and institutionally administered grants and fee waivers, is for an amount of up to 40% of the systemwide tuition and fees. Under existing law, to receive an award under the Middle Class Scholarship Program, a student is required to have an annual household income that does not exceed $150,000, satisfy specified requirements for a Cal Grant award, be a California resident or exempt from paying nonresident tuition, file specified financial aid forms, timely apply for publicly funded student financial aid for which he or she is eligible, maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average, be pursuing his or her first undergraduate baccalaureate degree or be enrolled in a specified professional teacher preparation program, and be enrolled at least part-time. The program provides that a student whose annual income exceeds $100,000, but does not exceed $150,000, and who otherwise meets the program requirements, receives a scholarship award that is reduced in accordance with prescribed calculations. This bill would require the commission, beginning with the 2016–17 academic year, to annually adjust these calculations to reflect changes in the cost of living, as defined. (3) Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires, commencing on January 1, 2014, and no later than July 1 of each even-numbered year, that the Legislative Analyst's Office, in consultation with the university, submit a report to the Legislature including specified data relating to the California State University Early Start Program. Existing law makes these provisions regarding the Early Start Program inoperative on July 1, 2018. This bill would instead require the Legislative Analyst's Office to submit the required report on or before January 1, 2018, rather than no later than July 1 of each even-numbered year. (4) Existing law authorizes the California State University to establish a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree pilot program at 3 campuses chosen by the trustees to award the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Existing law requires the university, the Legislative Analyst's Office, and the Department of Finance to jointly conduct a statewide evaluation of the degree pilot program and report the results to the Legislature and the Governor, in writing, on or before January 1, 2017. Existing law requires that evaluation to consider specified subjects. These provisions are repealed on January 1, 2021. This bill would delete the requirement of a joint statewide evaluation of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree pilot programs. The bill would instead require California State University to submit a report on these programs to the Legislature and Governor on or before March 1, 2016, considering most of the same subjects, except that the Legislative Analyst's Office would report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2017, on the pilot program's compliance with the law, and with recommendations for the program. The bill would require the California State University to provide, by July 1, 2016, the Legislative Analyst's Office with data deemed necessary by the office for its report. (5) Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 public segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research in the Office of the Governor to serve the Governor and his or her Cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research. The bill would require the Director of the Office of Planning and Research, or his or her designee, to administer a study to evaluate the admissions policies used by the University of California and the California State University and determine the number of students eligible for admission to those segments. The bill would require the office to submit a report summarizing the methodology and findings of this study to the Legislature and the Governor by December 1, 2016. The bill would provide that the Director of the Office of Planning and Research would use $1,000,000 appropriated in a specified statute for its costs pursuant to this provision. (6) Existing law appropriates $490,000,000 to school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and the state special schools in an equal amount per certificated staff in the 2014–2015 fiscal year.This bill would require that the money appropriated above be in an equal amount per full-time equivalent certificated staff, not to exceed the total certificated staff count for each eligible local educational agency, in the 2014–2015 fiscal year. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to make the calculations for the above appropriation using the data submitted through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System. (7) This bill would revise General Fund and federal trust fund appropriations in the Budget Act of 2015 relating to local assistance for child care and developmental programs. (8) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.