School districts: governing boards: pupil members.

(1) Existing law requires the governing board of a school district maintaining one or more high schools to appoint to its membership one or more pupil members if pupils submit a petition to the governing board to make those appointments, as provided. Existing law gives each pupil member, among other things, the right to attend each and all meetings of the governing board of the school district, except executive sessions, and requires a pupil member to be seated with the members of the governing board of the school district and recognized as a full member of the governing board at the meetings, including receiving all open meeting materials presented to the board members at the same time the materials are presented to the board members. This bill would require a pupil member additionally to be appointed to subcommittees of the governing board in the same manner as other board members, require a pupil member to be made aware of the time commitment required to participate in subcommittee meetings and work, and authorize a pupil member to decline an appointment to a subcommittee. The bill would require a pupil member to be invited to attend other functions of the governing board of the school district such as forums, meetings with pupils and parents, and other general assemblies, and to also receive all materials received by other board members between open meetings, except for materials that pertain to closed session items. To the extent that these requirements would impose additional duties on school districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize subcommittee meetings to be scheduled in accordance with the availability of all members, including each pupil member. The bill would authorize the governing board of a school district to appoint a pupil to serve as an alternate pupil member who would fulfill all duties and have the same rights as a pupil member if the governing board determines the pupil member is not fulfilling their duties. (2) Existing law limits the amount of compensation a member of the governing board of a school district may receive for the member's services, but authorizes the governing board to increase the compensation of individual board members beyond those limits. Existing law entitles a pupil member to the mileage allowance to the same extent as regular board members, but prohibits compensation of a pupil member, as described above. This bill would authorize the governing board of a school district to award a pupil member elective course credit based on the number of equivalent daily instructional minutes for the pupil member's services provided. (3) The Ralph M. Brown Act, among other things, requires that all meetings of the legislative body, as defined, of a local agency be open and public and all persons be permitted to attend unless a closed session is authorized. This bill would expressly provide that pupil members are not members of a legislative body of a local agency for purposes of the act. (4) 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 the statutory provisions noted above.