Existing law establishes the Education Technology Grant Act of 2002 to provide technology education grants to school district applicants for schools serving pupils in grades 4 to 8, inclusive, consistently with federal law. Existing law defines "school district" for purposes of the act. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to that definition.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) generally requires all state and local governmental lead agencies to prepare, or cause to be prepared by contract, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on any discretionary project that they propose to carry out or approve that may result in a significant effect on the environment, that is, a substantial, or potentially substantial, adverse change in the physical conditions that exist within the area that will be affected by the project. Under existing law, a housing project qualifies for an exemption from CEQA if certain requirements are met, including the requirement that the site is not located within the boundaries of a state conservancy. This bill would eliminate the requirement that the site not be located within the boundaries of a state conservancy.
This measure would proclaim January 26, 2016, as India Republic Day, and would urge all Californians to join in celebrating India Republic Day.
(1) Existing law requires a school district, on or before July 1 of each year, to hold a hearing on, and adopt a budget for, the subsequent fiscal year. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district that proposes to adopt a budget that includes a combined assigned and unassigned ending fund balance in excess of the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties adopted by the State Board of Education to provide specified information for public review and discussion at the public hearing, including, among other things, the combined assigned and unassigned ending fund balance in excess of the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties for each fiscal year identified in the budget. This bill would instead require the governing board of a school district to provide the information for public review and discussion at the public hearing if the school district proposes to adopt a budget that includes a combined assigned and unassigned ending fund balance in the school district's general fund and special reserve fund for other than capital outlay projects in excess of the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties adopted by the state board. This bill would require the information about the combined assigned and unassigned ending fund balance in excess of the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties to include a description of the purposes for the amounts in each fund. The bill would require the governing board of a school district to adopt a policy setting the amounts of assigned and unassigned balances the governing board of the school district expects to be necessary to address economic uncertainties, funding volatility, cash flow, and savings for expenditures. By imposing additional duties on school districts, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to determine whether the adopted budget of a school district includes a combined assigned and unassigned ending fund balance that exceeds the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties and if so, to verify that the school district complied with the public review and disclosure requirements. This bill would instead require the county superintendent of schools to determine whether the adopted budget includes a combined assigned and unassigned ending fund balance in the school district's general fund and special reserve fund for other than capital outlay projects that exceeds the minimum recommended reserve for economic uncertainties. To the extent this requirement would impose additional duties on the county superintendent of schools, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law, unless the school district is granted an exemption, limits the amount of the combined assigned or unassigned ending fund balance contained in a school district's annual budget in any fiscal year immediately after a fiscal year in which a transfer is made into the Public School System Stabilization Account. Existing law establishes a formula for calculating the maximum amount allowable for school districts with less than 400,000 units of average daily attendance and establishes a formula for school districts with more than 400,000 units of average daily attendance, as specified. This bill would revise the formula for school districts with less than 400,000 units of average daily attendance and the formula for school districts with more than 400,000 units of average daily attendance, as specified. The bill also would make a technical change by deleting an obsolete provision. (3) 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.
Existing law vests in the State Department of Developmental Services jurisdiction over state hospitals, referred to as developmental centers, for the provision of residential care to individuals with developmental disabilities. Existing law requires the State Department of Developmental Services to comply with procedural requirements when closing a developmental center, including submitting a detailed plan to the Legislature and holding at least one public hearing. Under existing law, the department allocates funds to private nonprofit entities known as regional centers, which are required to provide, or arrange for the provision of, services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities. This bill would require the department to close the Sonoma Developmental Center no later than December 31, 2018, and the Fairview Developmental Center no later than December 31, 2021. The bill would require the department to submit a plan, as specified, to the Legislature prior to the closure of the Sonoma Developmental Center or the Fairview Developmental Center. Existing law requires the Director of General Services to lease specified property located at the Sonoma Developmental Center only for an agricultural or open-space purpose consistent with specified requirements. Existing provisions of the California Constitution, approved by the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, establish the Budget Stabilization Account in the General Fund and require the Controller, commencing with the 2015–16 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, to transfer from the General Fund to the account a specified percentage of estimated General Fund revenues. The bill would additionally require the director to lease all or part of the parcels at the Sonoma Developmental Center and the Fairview Developmental Center, as specified. The bill would require any use of these parcels to be ratified by a vote of the appropriate state and local government agencies with the authority over those local land use decisions, as specified. The bill would also require 50% of the net proceeds received by the state from the lease of these properties to go to the Budget Stabilization Account until the state's debts to which that fund is obligated are paid and, after that time, to the General Fund and the rest to be deposited in the Lanterman Act Community-Based Services Fund, which is created by the bill. The bill would require all moneys in the Lanterman Act Community-Based Services Fund to be continuously appropriated without regard to fiscal years to the State Department of Developmental Services to augment existing purchase of services funds used by regional centers to purchase services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities. By creating a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. This bill would also state the intent of the Legislature to transfer current funding for the operations of the Fairview Developmental Center and the Sonoma Developmental Center to fund purchase of services at regional centers. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Under existing law, when school employees are terminated pursuant to a reduction in workforce, a school district is required to terminate the employees in order of seniority. Existing law authorizes a school district to deviate from the order of seniority for those purposes for specified reasons. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2018, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2019. (2) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to terminate the services of any permanent or probationary certificated employees of the school district during the time period between 5 days after the enactment of the Budget Act and August 15 of the fiscal year to which the Budget Act applies if the governing board of the school district determines that its total revenue limit per unit of average daily attendance for the fiscal year of that Budget Act has not increased by at least 2%, and if the governing board of the school district determines it is therefore necessary to decrease the number of permanent employees in the school district. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2018, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2019. (3) Existing law provides that, when the services of permanent or probationary employees are terminated pursuant to a reduction in workforce, those terminated employees have a preferred right to reappointment and an opportunity for substitute service in order of seniority, as specified. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2018, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2019. (4) Existing law prohibits, for purposes of complying with those procedures, a school district from including time spent employed in an administrative position by a certificated employee, who transfers to a teaching position and who was initially employed in an administrative position on or after July 1, 1983, in determining seniority, except in the case of a schoolsite administrator, as specified. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2018, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2019. (5) Existing law prohibits a school district from counting as a part of the service required as a condition precedent to the classification of the employee as a permanent employee of the school district the period of absence for certain terminated probationary employees. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2018, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2019. (6) Existing law extends the effective period of specified rights, and provides additional rights to certain permanent certificated employees, as specified. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2018, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2019. (7) Existing law provides that certain statutory layoff provisions are inapplicable to certain probationary certificated employees who are covered by a collective agreement which contains provisions for the layoff and reassignment of those employees. This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2018, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2019. (8) This bill would require, by July 1, 2018, each governing board of a school district, in consultation with the exclusive representative of the certificated staff, if any, to adopt policies regarding the dismissal of permanent and probationary employees when a reduction in workforce is required due to declining enrollment or insufficient funding to be used commencing with the 2018–19 school year. The bill would require those adopted policies to include as a significant factor in determining the order of dismissal the evaluation rating of certificated employees, as specified. The bill would permit a school district to deviate from using the evaluation rating of certificated employees as a significant factor in determining the order of dismissal of certificated employees if the school district demonstrates specified conditions. By requiring school districts to perform additional duties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that, to the extent these provisions conflict with any provision of a collective bargaining agreement entered into before January 1, 2016, by a public school employer and an exclusive bargaining representative, the provisions shall not apply to the school district until the expiration or renewal of that collective bargaining agreement. (9) 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.
Existing provisions of the California Constitution establish the University of California as a public trust under the administration of the Regents of the University of California. The University of California system includes 10 campuses, which are located in Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. This bill would express findings and declarations of the Legislature relating to the role of the University of California with respect to access to health care in the San Joaquin Valley. The bill would appropriate $1,855,000 from the General Fund to the regents each fiscal year, commencing with the 2016–17 fiscal year, for allocation to the University of California to support expansion of the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education, as specified.
Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife, when income is derived directly from real property acquired and operated by the state as a wildlife management area, as defined, to pay annually to the county in which the property is located an amount equal to the county taxes levied upon the property at the time title to the property was transferred to the state, and any assessments levied upon the property by any irrigation, drainage, or reclamation district. This bill would appropriate $19,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to make payments to counties for unpaid amounts under these provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, allows various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow a deduction in computing adjusted gross income for those amounts contributed to a Coverdell education savings account, up to $750 per taxable year, as provided. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
(1) Existing law requires the State Board of Education to develop guidelines that school districts may use in the development of teacher evaluation procedures, and distribute such guidelines to every school district. This bill would require the state board to revise, update, and adopt guidelines that school districts may use in the development of teacher evaluation procedures by July 1, 2016. The bill would also require that the updated guidelines include a determination of a teacher's overall performance, as specified. (2) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district or a county board of education, as specified, after a public hearing on the matter, to request the state board to waive all or part of any section of the Education Code or any regulation adopted by the state board that implements a provision of the Education Code that may be waived, except for specified provisions. This bill would prohibit the state board from granting any waiver request by a governing board of a school district if the state board finds that the governing board of the school district is out of compliance with specified requirements relating to teacher evaluation. (3) Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that governing boards of school districts establish a uniform system of evaluation and assessment of the performance of all certificated personnel within each school district of the state. Existing law requires the governing board of each school district to establish standards of expected pupil achievement at each grade level in each area of study and to evaluate and assess certificated employee performance on a continuing basis as it reasonably relates to the progress of pupils toward the established standards and, if applicable, the state adopted academic content standards as measured by state adopted criterion referenced assessments, the instructional techniques and strategies used by the employee, the employee's adherence to curricular objectives, and the establishment and maintenance of a suitable learning environment, within the scope of the employee's responsibilities. Existing law authorizes school district governing boards to develop and adopt additional evaluation and assessment guidelines or criteria. This bill would encourage the governing board of a school district to use peer observation and surveys of parents and pupils as part of the evaluation and assessment guidelines and criteria. (4) Existing law requires that an evaluation and assessment of the performance of a certificated employee be made on a continuing basis, as provided. This bill would instead require an annual evaluation and assessment of the performance of a certificated employee. The bill would require the evaluation and assessment to include a determination of the teacher's performance, as specified. By requiring school districts to perform additional duties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that, to the extent these provisions conflict with any provision of a collective bargaining agreement entered into before January 1, 2016, by a public school employer and an exclusive bargaining representative, the provisions shall not apply to the school district until the expiration or renewal of that collective bargaining agreement. (5) This bill would update cross-references and would make other nonsubstantive changes. (6) 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.
