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Legislation & Advocacy

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Legislative and Regulatory Focus

Small School Districts' Association 2007-2008 Legislative Platform

    1. School Finance:  In addition to ensuring funding for the COLA and full funding equalization, establish the following goals:
      • Provide better fiscal protection to declining enrollment districts
        • Status: Supported AB 366 (Wolk) and AB 835 (Krekorian).  Both two-year bills
      • Continue discretionary block grants with small district minimums
        • Status: Have met with other statewide associations to build coalition for this effort
      • Transfer of CalWorks Stage 2 through Proposition 98
        • Status: Unsuccessfully opposed this transfer that was approved by the Legislature
    2. Special Education Finance: In addition to ensuring funding for the COLA for both state and federal special education funding, adopt the following priorities:
      • Increase state funding for very high cost special education students
      • Cap local special education contributions from the district general fund
      • Increase state funding for court placed special education students
      • Full Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for special education and full growth funding
        • Status: Full general fund COLA but not for federal funds
    3. Categorical Aid
      • Increase funding for home-to-school and special education transportation
        • Status:  Successfully opposed the Governor's proposed transportation funding shift
      • Provide home-to-school and special education transportation equalization funding
        • Status:  Sponsored AB 699 (Parra) and supported AB 694 (Wolk) - both two- year bills
      • Provide small school district minimums for instructional materials
        • Status: Worked on amendments to AB 1148 (Brownley)
      • Create technology block grant with small school district minimums
        • Status: Protected current grants, but could not increase amounts
    4. State Facilities Program
      • Provide funding for minimum essential facilities
        • Status: Sponsored AB 168 authored by Assembly Member Berg - two-year bill
      • Provide funding for construction management, project management assistance
        • Status: Co-sponsored AB 260 authored by Assembly Member Fuller - two- year bill
      • Increase hardship funding and eligibility for small school districts
        • Status: Co-sponsored AB 1545 authored by Assembly Member Parra - two- year bill
    5. Federal
      • Provide credential flexibility for small and rural school districts in NCLB reauthorization
        • Status: Had numerous meetings with national associations and the California delegation for flexibility in the reauthorization legislation.  Had four lobbying trips to Washington, D.C. and testified before the Assembly Education Committee on federal issues
      • Create alternatives to Title I poverty counts for small and rural school districts
        • Status: Made headway with free and reduced priced-meal counts in Rural Education Achievement Programs. Still working on Title I
      • Support reauthorization of federal forest reserve funds
        • Status: One year extension.  We are continuing our efforts for long-term reauthorization and funding.  Supported SB 133 (Aanestad) for a loan if the federal funds are not forthcoming - one year federal funds were provided

SSDA will address other issues as they arise, in the budget or in legislation, throughout the session.

 

 

 

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