School accountability: local control and accountability plans.

Existing law requires the State Board of Education to, on or before March 31, 2014, adopt a template for a local control and accountability plan (LCAP) and an annual update to the LCAP for use by school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools. Existing law, on or before January 31, 2022, requires the template adopted by the state board to require the inclusion of certain information, including, among other information, a description of the annual goals to be achieved for certain state priorities, as specified, a description of the specific actions that the school district, county office of education, or charter school will take during each year of the LCAP to achieve these goals, and an assessment of the effectiveness of the specific actions described in the existing LCAP toward achieving the goals, as provided. This bill would require the template adopted by the state board to instead require the inclusion of an assessment of the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the specific actions described in the existing LCAP toward achieving the goals, as provided. The bill would require actions that have not proven effective over a 3-year period of implementation to be changed and would require the description of changes to include an explanation of the reasons for lack of progress indicated by the analysis and how the action will be better addressed with a new or strengthened approach, except as provided. The bill would also require certain actions to be changed for each school within a school district, school operated by a county superintendent of schools, and charter school that for 2 consecutive years receives the lowest performance measure for purposes of the school climate state priority, as specified. Under existing law, the process of developing and annually updating the LCAP should support school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in, among other things, improvement across the state priorities, as provided. The bill would instead provide that the process of developing and annually updating the LCAP should support school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in, among other things, improvement across the state priorities, particularly to address and reduce disparities in opportunities and outcomes between pupil groups indicated by the California School Dashboard. By imposing new duties on local educational agencies, the bill would constitute 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 the statutory provisions noted above.