Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1156982
A number of CTA's sponsored and supported bills are progressing through the legislative process. Here's an update on some of the highest-priority legislation. AB 1505 : Local control of charter schools The effort to bring transparency and accountability to the privately man- aged charter school industry through AB 1505 (O'Donnell) is making its way through the Legislature. As of press time, AB 1505 was approved by the Senate Education Committee and is headed for a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. While AB 1505 has been mod- ified through the process, it still gives sole authority over granting charter schools to local school boards (and not to county and state boards), with appeals allowed only in the event of procedural errors. Co-sponsored by CTA, the bill would also protect communities by allow- ing their school boards to consider facilities and fiscal and academic impacts to local public schools and students when considering new charter school petitions. AB 1507: Closing the remote charter loophole The recent news of an online char- ter school that swindled $50 million from school districts throughout the state highlights the need for AB 1507 (Smith), which will close a loophole allowing charter schools to operate outside the geographic boundaries of their authorizing school districts. Co-sponsored by CTA, the bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and is waiting a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. SB 468 : Scrutinizing major tax credits and exemptions SB 468 (Jackson) will shine a light on tax credits and exemptions that currently lack proper oversight and cost the state more than $1 billion in revenue over a 10-year period. Co-sponsored by CTA, the bill requires that any tax credits or exemptions without a system for evaluation or sunset date that exceed $1 billion over a decade be evaluated by the California Tax Expenditure Review Board to determine their financial impact and recommend whether they should be repealed. The bill is waiting an Assembly Appropria- tions Committee hearing. AB 258 : Grants for support services AB 258 (Jones-Sawyer), the School- Based Pupil Support Services Program Act, authorizes the use of Proposition 64 funds to provide grants to school districts for addi- tional student support services to improve the academic performance and social development of Califor- nia's youth. The CTA-co-sponsored bill is waiting a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. AB 1322 : School-Based Health Programs AB 1322 (Berman) will establish an Office of School-Based Health Programs to administer health-re- lated programs and advise on issues related to the delivery of school- based Medi-Cal services statewide. The CTA-co-sponsored bill will next be heard by the Senate Appropria- tions Committee. AB 331: Ethnic Studies requirement for graduation AB 331 (Medina) requires all students to complete an ethnic studies course to graduate from high school, start- ing in 2024-25. Supported by CTA, the bill is waiting a Senate Appropria- tions Committee hearing. SB 716 : Providing educational access to juvenile inmates SB 716 (Mitchell) requires that detained juveniles possessing a high school diploma or equivalent have access to postsecondary academic and career technical education programs. This CTA-supported bill is waiting an Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing. AB 493 : Training on supporting LGBTQ+ students CTA-supported AB 493 (Gloria) requires public schools to provide training to certificated employees in grades 7-12 about community resources supporting LGBTQ+ stu- dents. The bill will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee. SB 5: Re-establishing redevelopment agencies SB 5 (Beall) would re-establish redevelopment agencies and backfill property taxes to minimize impacts. CTA opposes this bill, which will be heard by the Assembly Appropria- tions Committee. AB 196 : Increasing paid family leave wage AB 196 (Gonzalez) will increase the wage rate for paid family leave claims to 100 percent of a worker's highest quarterly earnings in the past 18 months. The CTA-supported bill is waiting for a hearing by the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee. Legislative Update Charter school accountability bills get closer to Senate vote By Julian Peeples 49 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 019 Advocacy