Bill Text: CA AB2116 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Service learning: California Serves Pilot Program.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-08-11 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB2116 Detail]

Download: California-2021-AB2116-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  May 02, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2116

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Introduced by Assembly Member McCarty

February 14, 2022

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An act to add Section 8401 to, and to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 8416) to Chapter 5.6 of Division 1 of Title 2 of, the Government Code, Article 14 (commencing with Section 33490) to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to service learning.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2116, as amended, McCarty. Service learning: pupils in grade 12: study: pilot program: reports. California Serves Pilot Program.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Education in state government, and vests the department with specified powers and duties relating to the state’s public school system.

Under existing law, by executive order, CaliforniaVolunteers is established in the office of the Governor and is charged with overseeing programs and initiatives for service and volunteerism. Existing law authorizes CaliforniaVolunteers to form a nonprofit public benefit corporation or other entity exempt from income taxation, as provided, to raise revenues and receive grants or other financial support from private or public sources, for purposes of undertaking or funding any lawful activity authorized to be undertaken by CaliforniaVolunteers.

This bill would require CaliforniaVolunteers, in collaboration with the State Department of Education and appropriate stakeholders, to conduct a study on ways to incorporate impactful service learning for pupils in grade 12 and, on or before January 1, 2024, provide recommendations on how to integrate service learning. The bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, establish a pilot program under the administration of CaliforniaVolunteers, in collaboration with the department, for purposes of engaging pupils in grade 12 who are enrolled at participating schools maintained by participating school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in impactful service learning, as provided. Under the pilot program, the bill would require CaliforniaVolunteers, in collaboration with the department, to submit a report on the pilot program to the Legislature.

This bill would require the department, in partnership with CaliforniaVolunteers and appropriate stakeholders, to review available evidence on ways to incorporate effective service learning for pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, and develop uniform metrics for the measurement of pupil progress toward academic, civic engagement, and other learning objectives. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2024, to provide recommendations to the Legislature on, and post on the department’s internet website information related to, evidence-based strategies to expand access to high-quality service learning programs, as provided.

This bill would, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, establish the California Serves Pilot Program under the administration of the department, in collaboration with CaliforniaVolunteers, for purposes of promoting access to effective service learning for pupils in grade 12 who are enrolled at participating local educational agencies. The bill would require the department, in collaboration with CaliforniaVolunteers, to develop grant criteria and an application process and award grants to eligible local educational agencies in an unspecified amount. The bill would limit grant eligibility to those local educational agencies in which at least ¹/₂ of enrolled pupils are unduplicated pupils, as specified. The bill would authorize grant funds to be used for paid planning time and professional development for teachers, the purchase of instructional materials, and participation and personnel costs, as provided. Under the pilot program, the bill would require the department, in collaboration with CaliforniaVolunteers, to submit a report on the program to the Legislature, as provided.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Article 14 (commencing with Section 33490) is added to Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

Article  14. California Serves Pilot Program

33490.

 This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Serves Pilot Program.

33491.

 As used in this article, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.

(b) “Service learning” means an educational approach that intentionally combines meaningful community service activities with instruction and reflection to support pupil progress toward academic and civic engagement learning objectives while meeting societal needs.

33492.

 The department, in partnership with CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S–24–06, and appropriate stakeholders, shall do all of the following:

(a) Review the available evidence on ways to incorporate effective service learning for pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, and, on or before January 1, 2024, provide recommendations to the Legislature, consistent with Section 9795 of the Government Code, on evidence-based strategies to expand access to high-quality service learning programs in California high schools and promote equitable access to these programs.

(b) On or before January 1, 2024, develop and post on the department’s internet website evidence-based strategies for expanding access to high quality service learning programs that may be used by teachers and local educational agencies.

(c) Develop uniform metrics for the measurement of pupil progress toward academic, civic engagement, and other learning objectives. Civic learning objectives may include the awarding of the State Seal of Civic Engagement pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 51470) of Chapter 3 of Part 28 of Division 4.

(d) Use the evidence, recommendations, and metrics identified pursuant to subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, in the administration of the California Serves Pilot Program, as established in Section 33493.

33493.

 (a) For purposes of this section, “program” means the California Serves Pilot Program established pursuant to subdivision (b).

(b) The California Serves Pilot Program is hereby established under the administration of the department, in collaboration with CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S–24–06, for purposes of promoting access to effective service learning for pupils in grade 12 who are enrolled at participating local educational agencies.

(c) The department, in collaboration with CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S–24–06, shall develop criteria for the awarding of grants and an application process, and award grants consistent with this section.

(d) In order for a local educational agency to be eligible for a grant under this section, at least one-half of the pupils enrolled in the applicant local educational agency shall be unduplicated pupils as defined in Sections 2574 or 42238.02, as applicable.

(e) Eligible local educational agencies who receive grants pursuant to this program shall receive an amount of ____ dollars ($____).

(f) Allowable uses for funding allocated pursuant to this program include all of the following:

(1) Paid planning time for teachers to increase the use of service learning in their instruction.

(2) Professional development for teachers on service learning.

(3) Purchase of instructional materials to aid in the use of service learning in instruction.

(4) Participation costs of pupils and school personnel, including any materials or travel expenses related to service learning activities.

(5) Personnel costs for coordination of service learning at a local educational agency or a schoolsite of a local educational agency.

(6) Participation costs associated with program evaluation.

(g) On or before one year after the operative date of an appropriation that has been made for purposes of this section, the department, in partnership with CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S–24–06, shall submit a report on the program to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, consistent with Section 9795 of the Government Code. The report shall include an evaluation of the program using the uniform metrics established by the department pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 33492, and shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following information:

(1) The number of participating pupils, schools, and local educational agencies, and the grant awards for each grantee.

(2) The demographics of pupils engaged in service learning as a result of the grant.

(3) The impact of the service performed by pupils and school staff as a result of the grant.

(4) Pupil outcomes in the academic, civic engagement, and other learning objectives measured by the uniform metrics identified by the department pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 33492.

(h) This section shall only be implemented upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes

SECTION 1.Section 8401 is added to the Government Code, to read:

8401.

(a)This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the Every Californian Serves Act.

(b)As used in this section, “service learning” means an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs.

(c)CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S-24-06, in collaboration with the State Department of Education and appropriate stakeholders, shall conduct a study on ways to incorporate impactful service learning for pupils in grade 12 and, on or before January 1, 2024, provide recommendations to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, on how to integrate service learning.

SEC. 2.Article 3 (commencing with Section 8416) is added to Chapter 5.6 of Part num of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:

3.California Serves Pilot Program

8416.

This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Serves Pilot Program.

8417.

As used in this article, the following definitions apply:

(a)“Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.

(b)“Program” means the California Serves Pilot Program establish in Section 8418.

(c)“Service learning” has the same meaning as in subdivision (b) of Section 8401.

8418.

(a)The California Serves Pilot Program is hereby established under the administration of CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S-24-06, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, for purposes of incorporating impactful service learning for pupils in grade 12 who are enrolled at participating schools. Under the program, eligible schools maintained by local educational agencies who elect to participate in the program shall receive an amount of ____ dollars ($____). Of that amount, participating pupils shall receive a stipend in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000) for personal expenses, including, but not necessarily limited to, travel expenses and purchasing community service uniforms, of engaging in service learning under the program. Of the amount awarded to participating schools under the program, an amount of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) shall be used for hiring two California Serves Learning Coordinators at participating schools, with each coordinator receiving an amount of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).

(b)CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S-24-06, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, shall develop programmatic details, administrative guidelines, and application criteria for purposes of the program.

(c)On or before one year after the operative date of an appropriation that has been made for purposes of this article, CaliforniaVolunteers, as established by Executive Order S-24-06, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, shall submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, on the pilot program.

8419.

This article shall only be implemented upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes.