SB 645: After school programs.

Existing law, the After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002, enacted by initiative statute, establishes the After School Education and Safety Program to serve pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 9, inclusive, at participating public elementary, middle, junior high, and charter schools. The act provides that each school establishing a program pursuant to the act is eligible to receive a renewable 3-year grant for before or after school programs, as provided, and a grant for operating a program beyond 180 regular schooldays or during summer, weekend, intersession, or vacation periods, as provided. The act specifies the maximum grant amount and related amounts for each of these grants, provides a formula for determining an amount to be continuously appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Education for purposes of the program, and authorizes the Legislature to appropriate additional funds for purposes of the program. Existing law requires applicants for grants to, among other things, state the targeted number of pupils to be served by the program, and requires the department, for any school in the program that is under its targeted attendance level by more than 15% in each of 2 consecutive years, to adjust the grant level, and, in any year after the initial grant year, if a schools actual attendance level falls below 75% of the targeted attendance level, to review the program and adjust its grant level as appropriate.

This bill would, commencing January 1, 2016, and until July 1, 2017, authorize a program to suspend its operation for up to 5 schooldays in a fiscal year and, if this results in and would prohibit an adjustment of the grant provided to the participating school, would authorize the department to approve a request from the program grantee for an exemption from this adjustment. school as a result of a suspension. The bill would require that cost savings that result from a suspension be used solely by the entity that is providing direct services to pupils. The bill would also authorize the program to determine the specific grades to serve in accordance with local needs.

Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature that, for the before and after school components of the program, participating middle school and junior high school pupils should attend a minimum number of hours, days, or both, as specified, while elementary school pupils should participate in the full day of these components of the program for each day in which they participate, except as provided.

This bill would instead express the intent of the Legislature that each attending pupil participate in the full day of the before or after school components of the program for each day in which the pupil attends the program, except as provided.

The After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002 authorizes the Legislature to amend certain of its provisions to further its purposes by majority vote of each house.

This bill would set forth a legislative finding and declaration that this bill furthers the purposes of that act.