AB 2122 Page 1

1) ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

2) AB 2122 (McCarty) As Amended May 27, 2016 Majority vote

Committee Votes Ayes Noes Education 7-0 O'Donnell, Olsen, Kim, McCarty, Santiago, Thurmond, Weber Appropriations 20-0 Gonzalez, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Calderon, Chang, Daly, Eggman, Gallagher, Eduardo Garcia, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones, Obernolte, Quirk, Santiago, Wagner, Weber, Wood

SUMMARY: Re-establishes the Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program (PTTP) as the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program (CCSETCP) and expands authorized grant recipients beyond paraprofessionals to also to include all non-certificated school employees currently working in a public school. Specifically, this bill:

1) Makes private not-for-profit institutions of higher education (IHEs) that offer a Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) approved teacher preparation program eligible for participation in the program.

2) Removes certain criteria for participation, including program emphasis on bilingual cross- cultural teacher development, K-3 teacher development and special education teacher development. Instead, more broadly requires program applicants to address teacher shortage demands and requires the employee to have completed at least two years of undergraduate college or university coursework with a demonstrated interest in obtaining a multiple or single subject credential.

3) Requires the CTC, subject to an appropriation for this purpose in the annual Budget Act, to issue a request for proposals to all school districts and county offices of education in the state in order to solicit applications for funding.

4) Requires the CTC to contract with an independent evaluator to conduct an evaluation once every five years, with the first evaluation being completed on or before July 1, 2021. Requires the CTC to submit the completed evaluation to the Governor and Legislature.

5) Increases the authorized grant amount per applicant from $3,500 to $4,000 per participant per year. Expresses Legislative intent that funding for the program be allocated to support up to 1,000 new participants per year. Makes funding contingent upon an appropriation in the annual budget act. AB 2122 Page 2 FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee: 1) Ongoing Proposition 98/General Fund cost pressure of at least $4 million to support the provision of $4,000 grant awards to 1,000 new participants each year.

2) Unknown ongoing administrative costs to the CTC to administer the grant program. Administrative costs will depend on the total amount of funding provided for the program. Generally, administrative costs are approximately 3% of the total grant program. The bill also requires an independent study. Although the exact cost of the study will be contingent upon the size and complexity of the program, given the goals of the bill, it is likely the study would be in the $250,000 range. The fund source for administrative support is unclear; though CCTC indicates they could fund these activities from the Teacher Credentialing Fund (special funds) if authorized by the Legislature.

COMMENTS:

Background. The PTTP was established in 1990 by SB 1690 (Roberti), Chapter 1444, Statutes of 1990) and has been reauthorized several times since. The first reauthorization, AB 352 (Keeley), Chapter 737, Statutes of 1997 and AB 353 (Wildman) Chapter 831, Statutes of 1997, also named the program the Wildman-Keeley-Solis Exemplary Teacher Training Act of 1997. The program provided academic scholarships and other related academic support services to individuals recruited from paraprofessional job classifications seeking a preliminary California teaching credential as a K-12 teacher. PTTP programs were sponsored by local school districts, county offices of education, and/or consortia that applied to the CTC for program funding based on a competitive grant application process.

History of funding. Although the PTTP was established in 1990, funding was not provided until 1994-95, at which time $1.5 million was provided to fund up to 600 paraprofessional participants at the rate of $3,000 per participant. An additional $10 million was provided in the 1999-2000 budget, but that was later reduced to $5.1 million in 2002 due to fiscal challenges faced by the state. In 2007, funding was increased another $1.2 million and the amount per participant was increased to $3,500 in recognition of higher tuition costs.

In 2008-09, the Legislature and Governor agreed to mid-year budget cuts in response to a recession- related decline in state revenues. Among the actions taken, funding for PTTP, along with many other categorical programs, was reduced and "flexed," meaning that school districts could spend the funds for other priorities. As a result of continued flexibility and the uncertainty of continued program funding, the CTC discontinued enrolling new participants in March 2011. With the enactment of the Local Control Funding Formula in 2013, all funding for PTTP was eliminated. Between the time the PTTP was first funded in 1994 and the time the CTC stopped enrolling new participants in 2011, the program resulted in more than 2,200 graduates.

This bill differs from the PTTP in two primary ways. First, it increases the grant amount for participants from $3,500 to $4,000. Second, any classified employee, not just paraprofessionals, is eligible to participate.

Analysis Prepared by: Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0003354