CTA Drops Oppose
The Assembly Education Committee has given its approval to a measure that would provide local districts with more flexibility in implementing the highly effective class size reduction program without undermining the program's intent.
The bill would also provide a financial disincentive that would discourage school districts from exceeding the 20-student per classroom program caps.
The committee's approval of SB 556 came after Sen. Byron Sher (D-Palo Alto) substantially revised the measure. Those changes, which followed weeks of discussions between Association representatives and Sen. Sher's office, prompted CTA to move from "Oppose" to "Watch" on the bill. CTA still believes the bill is unnecessary, as the Governor has fully funded the class size reduction program in his proposed state budget.
Originally, SB 556 would have allowed districts to jam as many as 10% more students in each classroom without any financial penalties.
In its revised form, the bill levies fines on districts that are proportional to the degree by which the class exceeds the 20-student maximum.
As amended, the proposal will encourage districts to implement and maintain the class size program by allowing them to use local deferred maintenance matching funds to cover any costs that exceed the state incentive funding for the program.
The proposal will also give districts more flexibility in deciding where to implement the program. Current law requires districts to implement class size reduction in a specific order, starting with first grade, moving to second, and then enrolling either third grade or kindergarten. The revised proposal will allow districts to choose its grade order of implementation.
The Sher measure now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
The changes in SB 556 and its approval by the Assembly Education Committee follow a heated battle that began in January when school administrators appealed to several lawmakers to introduce measures that would have gutted the class size program.
CTA and a wide ranging coalition of organizations opposed those original measures and were able to defeat them.