AB 1258: Elementary and secondary education: Computer Science Education Grant Pilot Program.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes school districts and other local educational agencies to provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law establishes a course of study for pupils in these grades.

This bill would establish the Computer Science Education Grant Pilot Program under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Under the program, eligible school districts local educational agencies, as defined, could apply to receive one-year grants under either or both of the 2 competitive grant pilot programs. One pilot program, the Computer Science Start-Up Courses Grant Pilot Program, would provide grants grants, not to exceed 2 years, to establish and maintain computer science courses in underserved areas and among pupils from groups historically underrepresented in the field of computer science, and the other grant pilot program, the Computer Science Educator Training Grant Pilot Program, would to provide professional development for educators teachers to teach computer science, either as a stand-alone course or as integrated into other courses.

The bill would authorize any school district local educational agency in the state to apply for participation in the pilot programs. program. The bill would specify minimum criteria to be applied by the Superintendent in evaluating applicant school districts local educational agencies for possible participation in the pilot programs, program, and authorize the Superintendent to convene an advisory group of consult with computer science experts to discuss and refine these criteria, as specified.

The bill would establish the Computer Science Education Grant Matching Account in the State Treasury. The bill would authorize the State Treasury to receive, and deposit into the account, any gifts, grants, or donations received for purposes of the bill from the federal government or private persons or entities. The bill would require school districts local educational agencies receiving grants under the bill to provide local matching resources, which may include in-kind donations, constituting an amount equaling the amount that would be allocated to the school district local educational agency from the Computer Science Education Grant Matching Account. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature that no moneys from the state General Fund be used to fund the grant pilot programs program established by the bill.

The bill would provide that the funds deposited in the account would be available, upon appropriation in the annual Budget Act or in another statute, to the Superintendent for purposes of the bill, provided that the Superintendent certifies, in writing, to the Director of Finance that there are sufficient funds, as defined, in the account to implement the bill. The bill would limit expenditures from the account to cover administrative costs to the State Department of Education to no more than 5% of the allocations made from the account in any fiscal year. The bill would authorize the Superintendent to refund to the donor all or a portion of any gift, grant, or donation made to the account by that donor if the funds received from that donor have not been encumbered because there are surplus funds in the account or because this provision has not become operative.

The bill would require the Superintendent to submit an annual report, containing specified data about the grant program, to the Governor and the Legislature on or before January 10, 2018, and on or before January 10 in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The provisions of the bill would become inoperative on July 1, 2021, and would be repealed as of January 1, 2022.