Recently in legislation Category

A bill proposed by state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palos Alto) would require that students entering kindergraten turn five by Sept. 1 of their first school year. The new bill, which lawmakers say would save California nearly $700 million annually, would be phased in over three years starting in 2012.

Currently, any child who turns five before Dec. 2 can enter kindergarten.

The bill, SB 1381, has been passed by the senate and will now move on to the state assembly. It has been opposed by the California Teacherrs Association, and teachers have voiced concerns about how the potential savings would be spent.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

As currently written, the bill would require half the money saved by the state to be spent on preschool programs to serve disadvantaged children. Simitian would use the other half to help cover state budget shortfalls.

Some teachers said they want to see the money saved put into funding K-12 programs to make up for income lost to schools based on the lower enrollment.

But the measure's supporters say the gradual implementation of the law would help ease budget concerns and allow the state and schools to plan for the change.

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Almost every other state in the country requires a September birthday cutoff, perhaps giving them a competitive academic edge. Simitian's bill would put California in line with those states eventually. His bill would phase in over three years, moving the eligibility date up a month each fall starting in 2012, until it becomes Sept. 1.

Many parents already voluntarily keep their children with summer or fall birthdays out of kindergarten for a year. It's more often a choice made by families with the financial resources to cover child care or preschool for the extra year.

On the other hand, low-income families - those whose children are more likely to struggle in school and on standardized tests - often can't afford the extra year of child care and aren't allowed to stay in public preschool programs.

The federal Head Start program, for example, pushes students into kindergarten when they are old enough, whether they are academically or developmentally ready to go.

The Texas Board of Education approved changes in March to social studies textbooks. Some worry the changes will neglect to mention the contributions of minorities to American society and be historically inaccurate.

A bill proposed by State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) will seek to block the state's textbook standards from crossing state lines. The Texas textbook changes will face a final vote Friday.

From the Associated Press:

The amendments to the state's curriculum standards also minimize Thomas Jefferson's role in world and U.S. history because he advocated the separation of church and state, and require that students learn about "the unintended consequences" of affirmative action and Title IX, the landmark federal law that bans gender discrimination in education programs and activities.

Under Yee's bill, SB1451, the California Board of Education would be required to look out for any of the Texas content as part of its standard practice of reviewing public school textbooks. The board must then report any findings to both the Legislature and the secretary of education.

The bill describes the Texas curriculum changes as "a sharp departure from widely accepted historical teachings" and "a threat to the apolitical nature of public school governance and academic content standards in California."

Here's more:

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--California may soon take a stand against proposed changes to social studies textbooks ordered by the Texas school board, as a way to prevent them from being incorporated in California texts.

Legislation by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, seeks to protect the nation's largest public school population from the revised social studies curriculum approved in March by the Texas Board of Education. Critics say if the changes are incorporated into textbooks, they will be historically inaccurate and dismissive of the contributions of minorities.

The Texas recommendations, which face a final vote by the Republican-dominated board on May 21, include adding language saying the country's Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles and a new section on "the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s." That would include positive references to the Moral Majority, the National Rifle Association and the Contract with America, the congressional GOP manifesto from the 1990s.

The amendments to the state's curriculum standards also minimize Thomas Jefferson's role in world and U.S. history because he advocated the separation of church and state, and require that students learn about "the unintended consequences" of affirmative action and Title IX, the landmark federal law that bans gender discrimination in education programs and activities.

States that place the largest textbook orders have traditionally held significant sway
over the materials used in American classrooms. Texas is the country's second-largest textbook buyer, behind California, which has more than 6.2 million public school students in grades K-12.

Under Yee's bill, SB1451, the California Board of Education would be required to look out for any of the Texas content as part of its standard practice of reviewing public school textbooks. The board must then report any findings to both the Legislature and the secretary of education.

The bill describes the Texas curriculum changes as "a sharp departure from widely accepted historical teachings" and "a threat to the apolitical nature of public school governance and academic content standards in California."

"While some Texas politicians may want to set their educational standards back 50 years, California should not be subject to their backward curriculum changes," Yee said. "The alterations and fallacies made by these extremist conservatives are offensive to our communities and inaccurate of our nation's diverse history."

But some publishing industry experts say worries that the Texas standards will cross state lines are unfounded.

"It's an urban myth, especially in this digital age we live in, when content can be tailored and customized for individual states and school districts," said Jay Diskey, executive director of the schools division of the Association of American Publishers.

Diskey, whose group has not taken a position on SB1451, said the California Board of Education's existing review process is so rigorous that the state "may be the last place that would end up with the Texas curriculum."

Tom Adams, director of the state Department of Education's standards and curriculum division, said the Texas standards could make their way into national editions of textbooks, but those aren't used in California.

"Our main concern is whether materials meet California's standards," he said. "There's nothing in our review process that says we should be following Texas or anything like that."

Adam Keigwin, Yee's chief of staff, acknowledged that SB1451 was "a precautionary measure" and that California's curriculum standards already are strong.

"But there are still things that could sneak their way into our textbooks, and we want to be sure. We don't want any of those changes that Texas has proposed," he said.

Three companies are responsible for about 75 percent of the country's K-12 textbooks, Diskey estimated. Representatives for two of them--Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and McGraw-Hill--on Friday referred inquiries from The Associated Press to Diskey. The third, Pearson Education Inc., did not respond to a request for comment.

For now, California's curriculum will not be subject to any modifications, Texas-influenced or otherwise. Last July, the Legislature suspended until 2013 the statewide adoption of new educational materials to give cash-strapped districts a break from buying new textbooks.

Yee's SB1451 is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday.

Some of the other bills the Legislature will hear next week include:

-- A bill by Sen. Dean Florez that would require utilities to keep private information they gather about consumers' energy use through so-called "smart meters." Florez, D-Shafter, has been critical of Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s use of the meters to electronically gather information that used to be collected by meter-readers. His SB837, to be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, would prohibit utilities from sharing, selling or otherwise disclosing individual customer information without written permission from the customer.

-- AB1778, by Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, would require any state entity that uses public money for television commercials promoting California or California products to film those ads within state lines. Lieu objects to a recent California Milk Advisory Board campaign promoting "happy California cows" that was actually filmed in New Zealand. Lieu's bill is scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.

-- Contributors to the governor and legislators would have to disclose donations of $1,000 and up more quickly under a bill before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday. Sen. Roy Ashburn's SB1118 would require online reporting within 24 hours if the contribution is made while the Legislature considers the state's annual budget, during the 15 days before the Legislature adjourns each year and while the governor considers whether to sign or veto bills. Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, argues those periods are when most fundraisers are held, and when the public is most suspicious of special interest influence on lawmakers.

-- Toddlers with a taste for 2 percent milk would be out of luck under a bill that would create new beverage standards in California's licensed day care facilities. AB2084 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, would require day cares to serve only low-fat or nonfat milk to children ages 2 and older, limit juice to one serving a day and ban drinks with added sweeteners. Brownley says this will help combat rising childhood obesity by reducing children's caloric intake and teaching healthier habits. AB2084 is scheduled to be taken up by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday he supported legislation that would give school officials more power to fire or re-assign teachers based on their performance and effectiveness in the classroom. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Bob Huff (D-Diamond Bar) and scheduled to be heard before the legislature Wednesday, would seek to streamline the educator dismissal process.

Schools need more power to make personnel decisions based on performance and merit rather than seniority, Schwarzenegger said during a news conference at Markham Middle School in Watts.

"It is unacceptable that school districts cannot determine their staffing based on the needs of students," Schwarzenegger said. "SB 955 will help ensure that classrooms are filled with effective teachers by giving school districts the flexibility to make staffing decisions based on ability, not just seniority."

The governor also announced his support for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)/Public Council lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) teacher layoff practices that are disproportionally hurting low-income and minority schools; a problem this legislation would help solve.

California State Sen. Dean Florez (D-Bakersfield) has announced legislation that would seek to limit fee hikes for students enrolled in the state's public universities.

The bill, introduced Wednesday, would guarantee students pay the same tuition fees throughout their years of schooling.

"The university has got to stop looking at our students as walking ATM machines," Florez told The Californian.

The bill, SB 969, called "The California College and University Fee Stabilization Act of 2010," would also seek to put a five percent cap on university fee increases.
Student fees have been increased 32 percent during the last year by both California State and University of California systems.

Florez represents the Kern County town of Shafter and is running for Lieutenant Governor.

The California Teachers Association, the state's powerful teachers union, has advised local chapters to oppose the state's application for Race to the Top.

The decision could influence local school boards, who will have the power to decide if their districts will seek funding from Obama's $4.3 billion education reform initiative.

Agreements between individual school districts and the state, or memorandums of understanding, are due today.

From a report appearing in The Educated Guess:

Deputy State Superintendent Rick Miller admitted that a lack of union leaders' signatures on districts' MOUs would probably doom the state's chances - at least in the first round of funding.

As part of Race to the Top, teachers unions would have to agree to renegotiate their contracts to permit using test scores in determining tenure, pay and firing decisions. That's the heart of CTA's opposition.

Today the San Francisco Chonicle looks at the new laws aimed at reforming education in California, and compares Obama's Race to the Top initiative with the Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind Act. Here's an excerpt:

To anyone who has spent time in a school over the past decade, such reforms will sound familiar: They have been part of the federal No Child Left Behind Education Act that has strictly governed school accountability since 2001.

California's new Race to the Top plan "sounds very similar to No Child Left Behind," said Mike Kirst, education professor emeritus of Stanford University. "What's different is that NCLB relies on top-down enforcement from the state and federal governments," while the new plan requires parent participation to fix low-scoring schools.

"It's a bottom-up strategy," Kirst said.

Yet the education law most closely associated with former President George W. Bush - No Child Left Behind - and the new competition created by President Obama's education team - Race to the Top - are strongly intertwined. That's intentional, education experts say.

Making good on his word, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two education reform bills Thursday aimed at making California elgible for up to $700 million in federal grant money.

The California state Senate passed two bills Wednesday aimed at making sweeping reforms in public education. The legislation would allow parents to transfer their children from low-performing schools and create a system to track the academic progress of students from elementary school to college. Parents would also be able to petition district school boards for overhauls, including the removal of school principals. In addition, test scores would be linked to teacher evaluations. The two bills have been opposed by teachers unions.

Gov. Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the pieces of legislation today. On Wednesday, the governor pledged to make school funding a priority as a $20 billion state deficit looms.

The education reform bills are aimed at making California more competitive for President Obama's $4.3 billion Race to the Top initiative. Under the plan, California public schools may be elgible for up to $700 million in federal grants.

So far, most South Bay school districts have not yet decided to participate in Race to the Top. Statewide, less than have of all public school districts and charter schools submitted their intention to participate by the first deadline, which was Dec. 31. The final deadline to submit an agreement to participate with the state in Race to the Top is today.

With nearly $700 million within reach for California education reform efforts stemming from Obama's Race to the Top initiative, legislation that would allow the state to compete for those funds has been dominated by special interest, the Associated Press reports.

A reform bill by state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, has received support from Gov. Schwarzenegger and Jack O'Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction. The bill was passed by the state senate in November, and would allow for teacher and principal evaluations based on student achievement. It would also allow parents to remove their children from under-performing districts.

On Wednesday, the proposal was rejected by the state education committee and did not pass in the assembly.

The California Teachers Association lobbied against the Romero legislation and instead is backing a measure passed Thursday in the assembly by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica.

The bill would establish more rules for how charter schools are governed, among other things.

Schwarzenegger said he would veto the measure if it appeared on his desk, calling it a water-down reform effort.

"This is a Race to the Top, not a race to mediocrity or the status quo," Schwarzenegger told the Associated Press.

Lawmakers have until Jan. 19 to submit a federal application.