AB 716: Public elementary and secondary schools: consolidated applications for funding: school plans for student achievement: schoolsite councils.

(1)Existing law establishes a system for public elementary and secondary education in this state. Under this system, local educational agencies throughout the state provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, at the schoolsites operated by these agencies. Existing law also establishes a system for providing state and federal funding for public elementary and secondary schools. Existing law authorizes school districts that apply for state funding for any of numerous specified state categorical programs to submit to the State Department of Education, for approval by the State Board of Education, a single consolidated application for approval or continuance of their funding for those programs.

This bill would delete the provision authorizing the single consolidated application for state categorical programs, and instead authorize local educational agencies, as defined to include school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, to submit to the department for approval by the state board a single consolidated application for approval or continuance of certain federal categorical programs.

(2)Existing law authorizes school districts and schools to establish school plans for categorical programs. Existing law also authorizes school districts to establish schoolsite councils and schoolsite advisory committees.

This bill would recast and revise the statutes relating to school plans and schoolsite councils. The bill would establish School Plans for Student Achievement (SPSAs), and require local educational agencies, as defined, to adopt SPSAs as a condition for receiving certain federal funds and for receiving funding for state categorical programs that are not funded through the local control funding formula. The bill would require specified data to be included in SPSAs by local educational agencies.

The bill would require schools that operate a program that requires a SPSA to establish a schoolsite council. The bill would specify requirements for the membership of schoolsite councils at elementary and secondary schools. The bill would authorize the State Board of Education to grant a waiver of any provision of the bill relating to schoolsite councils.

The bill would also make related conforming and technical changes.