Following the introduction of a hostile companion bill , Assembly Bill 1164 ( Thurmond ), Assemblywoman Shirley Weber has asked for a delay until next year for her teacher tenure bill , AB 1220 .
AB 1220 allows for an optional third year of probation and requires an individual plan to direct improvement for the teacher . ACSA has been working closely with Weber to streamline the individual plan and to move the bill forward .
The bill passed overwhelmingly out of the Assembly last month over the objections of the California Teachers Association . ACSA members played a critical role in the successful movement of the bill .
However , AB 1164 , which is a last minute gut and amend legislation , would have forced negotiations to water down AB 1220 even further . AB 1164 contained all of the provisions ACSA opposes , such as requiring Peer Assistance and Review for third year probationary employees and increased due process to release those teacher candidates .
The “ plan ” forced on Weber was to pass both AB 1220 and AB 1164 out of the
Senate Education Committee in order for conversations to take place over the summer to try and reach a compromise .
Weber determined this is not in the best interest of her bill nor was it in the best interest of students and teachers . As a result , she decided to delay a vote in the Senate Education Committee until next year to allow more time for negotiations to continue .
Assemblyman Tony Thurmond followed Weber ’ s lead and decided to delay the vote on AB 1164 as well . Thurmond has entered the race for superintendent of public instruction .
Holding both bills is a win for ACSA , as the association is not being forced to compromise with the unions on a bill that will likely result in a process that is unworkable for members .
Another bill , AB 1217 ( Bocanegra ), was recently gutted and amended to establish a state school for instruction in science , technology , engineering and mathematics in Los Angeles County . The state school would be governed by a nonprofit public benefit corporation and overseen by the superintendent of public instruction .
This legislation has the state Legislature establishing a charter school and circumvents the current process for establishing a charter by either a local school district , a county office of education or the State Board of Education .
While ACSA is certainly supportive of STEM programs and local collaboration with industry and universities to prepare students for the 21st century , this bill sets a bad precedent , is counter to local control and will only lead to similar action by the Legislature if signed into law .
ACSA is actively working to oppose this bill ; however , the bill has political implications and is being pushed by billionaire Eli Broad .
Senate Bill 354 ( Portantino ) is also a concern to ACSA , as it would mandate real challenges .
SB 354 would require LEAs to communicate in the native language of a parent during the planning process for an individualized education program , and requires
July 24 , 2017 EDCAL 7
Bills still out there of concern to ACSA ; AB 1220 delayed
The following article was written by Rex Despain and Ken Reynolds with ACSA Partner4Purpose firm Isom Advisors , a Division of Urban Futures Inc ., providing bond campaign strategy and financial planning to California schools .
The most common source of funding for school facility needs are local school bonds . However , to assist with the significant level of facility needs across the state and to make sure every school has a minimum level of funding for basic facility priorities , the State School Facility Program exists to provide funds based on various eligibility calculations .
With the passage of Proposition 51 , the state will now be able to offer an additional $ 3 billion for new construction projects , $ 3 billion for modernization projects , $ 500 million for charter school facilities and $ 500 million for career technical education facilities . Although this is a significant amount of bond authorization , it is minor in comparison to the $ 28 billion in local bonds passed from 2014 to 2016 on the local school district ballots .
The ability of local school districts to qualify for state funding to augment their available local funds is an important component of the school facility funding process . In addition to providing additional funding , one of the important concepts is the fact that the funds from the state building program are “ matching ” funds that require local funds to be contributed to each project , except in specific situations in which the local community does not have adequate bonding authority .
This concept helps with the public campaigning process by letting the voters know they are not providing for 100 percent of the costs of the facility needs . In many cases , the state funding will average around 20 percent to 30 percent of the funding needed for the local facility program .
In addition to these bond funding sources , the other common source of funds for school facility projects is developer impact fees . There are two common levels of developer fees .
Level 1 fees are the most common and are applicable to both new residential construction and commercial / industrial construction occurring in the district . The fees are adjusted every two years by the State Allocation Board , and any increase is determined based on the inflation in school construction costs over the two-year period .
Level 2 fees are only applicable to new residential construction , and the amount is based on 50 percent of the facility needs to house the students generated by the residential construction . The revenues from developer fees were originally designed to fund up to 33 percent of the facility needs for new school projects with 33 percent from the state building program and another 33 percent from local bonds .
In reality , all three funding sources are needed to meet just a minimum level of facility needs in many districts . There are never enough funds for all the facility projects needed to keep up with the latest demands for the educational programs needed to provide a 21st century education , which is the goal in schools throughout the state .
To make up for the shortfall in facility funding , many districts have had to resort to using general fund contributions , LCAP funds for specific facility projects , and certificates of participation ( COPs ) to be paid over time with either developer fees or , ultimately , the general fund . Even with all these sources , districts are always on the lookout for other grants from state , federal and local agencies .
The facility needs are currently quite extensive in many districts . Although there is relatively little growth occurring within the state as a whole , there are areas that are experiencing growth and need new facilities . There are also times when one area of a district is growing , but it is not feasible to transport the students to school sites that have available space .
Another major factor in the need for new facilities is the significant number of older portables in our schools . Portables were a very common solution to housing student growth throughout the ’ 80s and ’ 90s . These portables are now 25 to 35 years old , and unfortunately , many of them are still being used . Many districts are building new schools and new buildings in order to replace the old portables . Many urban districts were able to use the state ’ s Overcrowding Relief Grant ( ORG ) program , which specifically targeted replacing portables with new permanent buildings on impacted sites .
Finally , there are many districts needing to replace their outdated permanent buildings . Many schools throughout the state are well over 50 years old and are either at the end of their useful life or may not meet the current design standards for today ’ s educational needs .
Besides the new construction projects just mentioned , every year the existing school buildings age . There is a continuing need to modernize and upgrade the existing school buildings to extend their useful life . The expense for facility modernization projects continues to escalate as construction costs increase and as building standards are changed .
Building codes are continuously updated , which impacts the costs to provide accessibility for disabled students and / or to install new equipment to meet the energy efficiency requirements for mechanical and electrical systems .
Restrooms are also a major expense when an LEA to provide a student ’ s parent with a copy of the completed IEP and other related documents in the native language of the parent within 45-days of the IEP team meeting , upon request .
ACSA supports ensuring that IEPs are clearly understood by parents or guardians and appreciates the work the author and his staff have put into this bill , clearly intended to benefit California ’ s students and families .
However , ACSA is concerned about the availability and affordability of using a “ qualified translator ,” the vagueness of the 45-day timeline and a lack of clarity on how the undue burden portion of the bill would ease the challenge some school districts may face in meeting the mandate .
SELPA directors and the author ’ s office struck a compromise on the bill that may address some of ACSA ’ s concerns . However , due to legislative policy deadlines , the author has decided to make SB 354 a two-year bill .
ACSA will continue working with the author and Assembly Education staff on potential amendments to the bill that will likely be taken up again in January 2018 .
School facility needs and funding sources can be complicated
Fifteen Abbott Elementary School students in Lynwood USD became globally known this month for their playwriting talents when their story was performed in Rwanda about two neighboring families who decide to end their prejudiced ideologies and tear down a wall commissioned by the president .
The play , called “ The Wall ,” is one of 76 productions created by Lynwood Unified ’ s elementary and middle school students as part of the Building Relationships and Inspiring Dialogue through Global Exchange ( BRIDGE ) Theatre Project . Abbott Elementary ’ s play was performed by Rwandan children during the Ubumuntu Arts Festival on July 14 .
“ We are very proud of our Abbott Elementary students for all their hard work in creating such a lively and introspective play with great political and social commentary ,” said Superintendent Gudiel Crosthwaite . “ The district is heavily invested in providing programs like this to stimulate student participation and creativity , which we know supports academic achievement .”
The district has partnered with the BRIDGE Theatre Project , teaching district students in grades 4-8 how to write short plays , perform the plays and study other cultures . The program provides 19 workshops for nearly 500 district students over eight weeks to teach students the basics of improvisation , character creation , writing conflict and dialogue , and how to collaborate with other student writers .
BRIDGE co-founder Adam Kalesperis said “ The Wall ” was selected for its relevant topic , well-written script and humor , and how the threat of xenophobia is a subject that can be relevant to many countries . upgrading school facilities . Technology infrastructure has also been a challenge , especially in the older schools that are difficult to retrofit .
The need for facilities is even more challenging when considering the additional space needed to allow for community use of the schools and fields . Many times there are not any significant funds available from local community groups , and the state has not procured additional funds for joint-use projects since passage of the 2006 state bond .
More advocacy is needed to share the multitude of challenges currently faced by school facility departments throughout the state . The time will come when local school districts will reach their bonding capacity limits , as seen by the rate at which local bonds are being approved . When that time comes , a new plan for funding school facilities will be needed .
Until then , the best solution for meeting school facility needs will continue to be : 1 . Local general obligation bonds . 2 . State bond funding for those projects that qualify for matching funds .
3 . Use of developer fees , when available , to augment both new construction and modernization projects .
In our experience , the keys to a successful facility program include creating a facility master plan that is developed with community input . The final plan is then shared with the community , so they will understand the facility needs and priorities of the school district .
This plan then leads toward a successful bond campaign , which generates the local funds needed to provide a match for state funds to accomplish the projects in the master plan .
More information on Isom Advisors is available at www . isomadvisors . com .
Elementary students ‘ play to be performed in Africa
( Back center ) BRIDGE Theatre Project cofounder Adam
Kalesperis , teaching artist Claire Larsen , ( back right ) Abbott
Principal Adolfo Herrera and BRIDGE Theatre Project cofounder
Joe Quintero stand with the
Abbott Elementary playwrights and actors of “ The Wall ,” a Lynwood Unified play selected to be performed in Rwanda .
“ Our mission is to educate , inspire and connect young people around the globe through intensive theater education programs ,” BRIDGE Theatre Project co-founder Joe Quintero said . “ This program is meant to encourage self-expression , foster self-confidence , promote cultural tolerance , expand world views and perspectives and explore solutions to community problems .”
While this is the first international project that Lynwood Unified has participated in with the BRIDGE Theatre Project , Kalesperis and Quintero said they hope to make it an annual event , giving more Lynwood Unified students the chance to have their work showcased across the globe .