Existing law, the California Educational Facilities Authority Act, creates the California Educational Facilities Authority, the purpose of which is to provide institutions of higher education, including private colleges, with additional means for specified projects. The act defines "private college" or "private participating college" to mean a private college that neither restricts entry on racial or religious grounds nor requires students gaining admission to receive instruction in the tenets of a particular faith, and that participates with the authority in undertaking the financing and construction or acquisition of a project. This bill would recast the definition of a "private college" or "private participating college" to mean a private college that does not restrict the admission of a student based on his or her race or ethnicity, provided that the financing does not violate specified constitutional provisions.
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This measure would proclaim the month of March of every year as Read Across California Month and request that public and private stakeholders work together to raise awareness of the importance of reading to young children and the importance of independent reading among our pupils and citizens of California by encouraging everyone to read for 30 minutes for 30 days during the month of March of every year, in conjunction with the Read Across America campaign held annually on March 2.
This measure would recognize June 19, 2011, as Veterans of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Day, in memory of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for freedom and democracy and the victims of the Vietnam War, and in honor of the survivors, activists, and freedom fighters of that war.
This measure would recognize March 31, 2011, as the anniversary of the birth of César Chávez, and would call upon all Californians to participate in appropriate observances to remember César Chávez as a symbol of hope and justice to all persons.
This measure would continue designation and observance of the month of October as Italian American Heritage Month. This measure would also encourage the Legislature to continue the Italian American Legislator Project and welcome the exhibit "The Italian American Legislator Project of 2011: A Legacy of Service to the California Legislature" to the State Capitol Building in October 2011 and encourage all Californians, through the K–12 curriculum and otherwise, to learn about the history, role, and contributions of Italian Americans to the State of California.
Existing law, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, sets forth the procedures for incorporations and changes of organizations of cities, including procedures for disincorporation. This bill would provide that every city with a population of less than 150 people as of January 1, 2010, would be disincorporated into that city's respective county as of 91 days after the effective date of the bill, unless a county board of supervisors determines, by majority vote within the 90-day period following enactment of these provisions, that continuing such a city within that county's boundaries would serve a public purpose if the board of supervisors determines that the city is in an isolated rural location that makes it impractical for the residents of the community to organize in another form of local governance. The bill would also require the local agency formation commission within the county to oversee the terms and conditions of the disincorporation of the city, as specified. The bill would become operative only if AB 781 of the 2011–12 Regular Session is enacted.
(1) Existing law establishes the California School Finance Authority, and authorizes the authority to issue revenue bonds to finance a single or series of projects or financing of working capital for a single or several participating parties, defined as a school district, charter school, county office of education, or community college district that undertakes the financing or refinancing of a project or of working capital, or a joint venture school facility construction project. This bill would authorize the authority to issue revenue bonds to refinance those projects. (2) The Charter Schools Act of 1992 (Charter Schools Act) specifies the procedures for the submission, review, and approval or denial of a petition to establish a charter school. The Charter Schools Act limits the duration of charters to a period not to exceed 5 years and authorizes the chartering authority to grant one or more subsequent renewals for an additional period of 5 years. The Charter Schools Act prescribes the requirements a charter school must meet in order to have its charter renewed, including a requirement that a charter school that has been in operation for 4 years satisfy at least one of several specified criteria regarding academic performance. This bill would change the criteria a charter school is required to meet in order to have its charter renewed. The bill would authorize a charter school not meeting the renewal criteria to apply to the State Board of Education for a determination of academic eligibility for the renewal of its charter by submitting supporting evidence to the state board and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The bill would require the charter school to submit a copy of the application and supporting evidence to its charter authorizer. The bill would require the Superintendent and authorize the charter authorizer to make a recommendation to the state board on the application. The bill would require the state board to issue a positive determination of academic eligibility if the state board finds that the charter school clearly demonstrates that the academic performance of the school's pupils builds an expectation that the pupils will continue to improve academically and have the opportunity to be successful in college or career. A charter renewal based on a determination of academic eligibility would be granted for only 3 years. The bill also would make a conforming change. (3) Existing law establishes the Charter School Facility Grant Program to provide assistance with facility rent and lease costs for pupils in charter schools, and states the intent of the Legislature that not less than $18,000,000 annually be appropriated for purposes of the program. Eligibility for a grant is based on the percentage of pupils who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals and are enrolled in the charter school or reside in the attendance area of, or are enrolled in, the public elementary school where the charter school is physically located. Eligible schools receive up to $750 per unit of average daily attendance for a maximum of 75% of the annual facilities rent and lease costs for the charter school. Funds appropriated for purposes of the program are prohibited from being apportioned for units of average daily attendance generated through nonclassroom-based instruction, as defined, or for a school that does not comply with conditions or limitations set forth in regulations adopted by the state board. This bill would increase the amount eligible schools receive to $800 per unit of average daily attendance. The bill would require eligibility for this grant program to be expanded if funds remain after charter schools that meet the existing free and reduced-price meals threshold are funded. The bill would remove the prohibition against funding for units of average daily attendance that do not comply with conditions or limitations set forth in regulations, and would allow eligibility to be expanded, as specified, for charter schools that generate units of average daily attendance through nonclassroom-based instruction if the school operates facilities that provide direct instruction and support to enrolled pupils. The bill would require a charter school offering nonclassroom-based instruction and applying for funding to identify in apportionment reports the proportion of time pupils in the school are scheduled to receive classroom-based instruction.
(1) 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, and private, independent institutions of higher education as the 4 segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes a higher education accountability program under which the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges are required to prepare a list of reports on a regular basis and submit them to the Legislature and to state agencies. Under the program, the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) is required to submit annually a higher education report to the Legislature and the Governor that provides information on significant indicators of the performance of public colleges and universities. This bill would repeal the existing higher education accountability program and require the state to establish a new accountability framework for achieving prescribed educational and economic goals. The bill would require the Governor to convene a task force by July 1, 2012, to review the framework and recommend a set of overarching goals for the state's higher education institutions, as specified. The bill would urge the task force to consider issues that include 6 statewide policy questions. The bill would require the task force to report to the Legislature and the Governor on the recommended statewide goals and indicators of progress for higher education, as specified. (2) Existing law requires the 3 public segments of postsecondary education to present annual statistical reports on transfer patterns via the CPEC to the Governor and the Legislature. This bill would repeal this requirement.
Existing law requires each school district or county superintendent of schools maintaining any kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to provide for each needy pupil one nutritionally adequate free or reduced-price meal during each schoolday. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that the federal School Breakfast Program be made available in all schools where it is needed to provide adequate nutrition for children in attendance. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to, in cooperation with school districts and county superintendents of schools, provide information and limited financial assistance to encourage school breakfast program startup and expansion into all qualified schools. Existing law encourages school districts and charter schools that do not operate school breakfast programs to apply for funding to establish breakfast programs using funds appropriated for this purpose in the annual Budget Act. This bill would state findings and declarations regarding the importance of breakfast to the achievement of pupils. This bill would require school districts that elect to apply for funds under specified categorical programs to, in the process of the school district governing board approving the required application, use data required in the application, specifically, the number of pupils eligible for free and reduced-price meals, to assess and discuss, in a regularly scheduled public school district governing board meeting to review and consider approval of the required application, access to the federal School Breakfast Program and participation in the federal School Breakfast Program, as specified. The bill would require school districts that apply for those funds to include specified information in the application relating to school participation in the federal School Breakfast Program. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2017, or upon the occurrence of a specified event, whichever is later.