SDUSD Position on Bills Pending in the State of California Legislature

AB 347 – CAHSEE Intensive Instruction

Requires districts to provide intensive CAHSEE instruction for up to two years for those students who have not passed one or both parts of the CAHSEE by the end of 12th grade.
Requires districts use its uniform complaint process to identify and resolve deficiencies related to CAHSEE intensive instruction and services provided to pupils that have not passed one or both parts of the exam.
Would require districts post information about the CAHSEE intensive instruction within the notice.
Requires districts to notify students that have not passed the CAHSEE after 12th grade about their option to receive intense CAHSEE instruction for up to two years.
Requires districts to develop a report on those students that have not passed after the 12th grade and then provide the report to the county superintendent of schools on the district’s outreach.

SB 80 – Transfat
SB 80 Increases the school meal reimbursement rate to school districts for students receiving free and reduced price meals by 4.7 cents per meal, while requiring school districts to remove harmful trans-fats from these meals.

SB 278 – Excused Student Absences
Adds attendance at an educational conference on the legislative or judicial process offered by a nonprofit organization to the list of justifiable personal reasons that may be used to excuse a pupil’s absences from school.

SB 405 – Schools: Curriculum: Opportunities for Pupils

Expands the requirements of the Middle and High School Supplemental Counseling program to include a review of the pupil’s career goals and the availability of academic and career technical education opportunities.
Requires school districts to inform pupils and parents with information on the eligibility for admission to a four-year institution of post-secondary education.

SB 490 – Transfats
SB 490 Prohibits schools and districts from making available through vending machines or school food establishments foods containing artificial transfat in elementary and middle schools beginning July 1, 2009.

SB 777 - The Student Civil Rights Act
SB 777 has received an incredible amount of controversial attention over the last few months. Proponents of the measure argue the bill simply seeks to clarify existing civil rights protections for students by adding, among other things, “actual or perceived gender” to parts of the Education Code that did not already contain this language. Opponents of the measure argue that instruction or activities promoting traditional families, prom queens, etc would be discriminatory against transgender and homosexual students. It is the opinion of the SDUSD legal counsel that this legislation does not impact our operations as we have in place a discrimination policy which protects gender discrimination against students.

SB 901 - Retirement Earnings Limitations

Provides district employee exemptions from the post-retirement compensation limit until June 30, 2009.
This allows retired teachers, nurses and school administrators to temporarily fill positions in their former classifications that have chronic staffing challenges.
Allows STRS retirees that have abstained from STRS covered employment for at least 12 months after retirement and those appointed by the SPI to work as a district administrator or trustee.

Contact Information
Arun Ramanathan
aramanathan@sandi.net
(619) 725-7085
Executive Director of Government Relations