BILL NUMBER: AB 1178 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Bocanegra
FEBRUARY 22, 2013
An act to add Chapter 18.5 (commencing with Section 11750) to Part
7 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, relating to pupil
instruction.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1178, as introduced, Bocanegra. Pupil instruction: California
Promise Neighborhood Initiative.
Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and
secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational
agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide
instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
Existing law also establishes a system of postsecondary education in
the state that consists of 4 segments: the University of California,
the California State University, the California Community Colleges,
and independent institutions of higher education.
This bill would express findings and declarations of the
Legislature about, among other things, the educational, cultural, and
health needs of California's most distressed communities. The bill
would establish the California Promise Neighborhood Initiative to
develop a system of 40 California promise neighborhoods throughout
the state to support children's development. The bill would require
the State Department of Education to designate the 40 California
promise neighborhoods by January 1, 2016, and would specify that the
promise neighborhoods would be selected from areas that voluntarily
apply, as prescribed, for that designation. The bill would specify
items that would be required to be included in an application to be
designated as a California promise neighborhood. The bill would
specify the services to be provided to the participating
neighborhoods. The bill would also specify information to be annually
reported to the State Department of Education by designated
California promise neighborhoods.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 18.5 (commencing with Section 11750) is added
to Part 7 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER 18.5. CALIFORNIA PROMISE NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE
Article 1. Findings and General Provisions
11750. The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) All children throughout California, regardless of their
families' socioeconomic, English learning, or special education
status, or the neighborhoods in which they reside, deserve access to
a high-quality education, health services, and social services that
will prepare them to succeed in college and in their careers, and
that will allow them to become productive citizens contributing to
the wealth of our cities, state, and nation.
(b) Many children living in California's most distressed
communities lack access to opportunities that will ensure adequate
academic, social, and health preparation for achieving success and
helping to end family and neighborhood poverty.
(c) Innovative and comprehensive approaches to break the cycle of
poverty are necessary for creating opportunities for children to
succeed and ultimately to help turn around poor neighborhoods.
(d) Long-term investments in underserved children's academic,
social, and health development and the strengthening of a system of
family and community support shared by various stakeholders are also
needed to sustain the future of our communities.
(e) The Harlem Children's Zone in New York has demonstrated the
lasting benefits of developing a network of support services to
revitalize an entire community focusing on the social, health, and
educational development of children.
(f) The Federal Promise Neighborhood Initiative, inspired by the
Harlem Children's Zone, seeks to develop a cradle-to-career pipeline
of support services in specific neighborhoods that will transform
communities.
(g) Out of more than 50 communities in California that applied for
the Federal Promise Neighborhood Initiative grant, 12 communities in
California were selected to receive planning or implementation
grants.
(h) Many of the communities that were not selected by the federal
government continue to work on developing community plans because
cross-community planning provides lasting benefits in aligning and
maximizing resources in a community.
(i) Establishing a network of services to serve specific families
breaks down many unnecessary barriers in the effective delivery of
programs and services.
(j) The alignment of local, state, and federal resources can
maximize existing dollars and better serve specific communities.
(k) Central to the development of the Harlem Children's Zone and
the Federal Promise Neighborhood Initiative has been the use of data
to drive real-time decisionmaking and program improvement.
11751. (a) The California Promise Neighborhood Initiative is
hereby established to develop a system of 40 "promise"neighborhoods
throughout California to support children's development from cradle
to career. Participation in this initiative is voluntary.
(b) The purpose of the California Promise Neighborhood Initiative
is to significantly improve the outcomes and opportunities for
children and their families living in California's most distressed
neighborhoods and to transform those communities. By using
results-driven accountability and leveraging federal, state, local,
and private resources, the state will seek to provide children and
their families in these neighborhoods with access to a
community-based continuum of high-quality services and practices
based on the best available evidence, which will address the needs of
children from birth through college and career.
(c) The department shall designate 40 California promise
neighborhoods by January 1, 2016, selecting from applicants that meet
eligibility criteria, and have demonstrated that they will implement
a comprehensive, integrated continuum of solutions or pipeline of
services based on the best available evidence to improve academic
achievement, including early childhood programs, child and youth
social and health development, college and career readiness, and
efforts to build strong family and community supports measured by
common outcomes in neighborhoods with high concentrations of
low-income families, persistently low-achieving schools, or schools
with an achievement gap.
(d) The department shall begin the California Promise Neighborhood
Initiative selection process by including the existing and federally
recognized promise neighborhoods.
11752. As used in this chapter:
(a) A "California promise neighborhood" is a specific geographic
area that represents a community focused on revitalization through
the establishment of a cradle-to-career network of services aimed at
improving the health, safety, education, and economic development of
the defined area.
(b) An "eligible applicant" is any of the following:
(1) A nonprofit organization, including a faith-based organization
to the extent permitted by law.
(2) An institution of higher education.
(3) An Indian tribe or tribal organization, serving as a lead
agency representative of the proposed geographic area to be served
and in partnership with at least one public elementary or secondary
school, traditional or charter, located within the identified
geographic area that the grant applied for would serve.
Article 2. Program Provisions
11753. (a) The department shall work with the Employment
Development Department, the California Health and Human Services
Agency, the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, the
California Children and Families Commission, the California Community
Colleges, the California State University, the University of
California, the Student Aid Commission, the Department of Parks and
Recreation, and other agencies and departments selected by the
Governor to implement this chapter.
(b) Commencing no later than July 1, 2014, the department shall
develop an application process for eligible entities to apply for
sites to become California promise neighborhoods.
(c) For purposes of implementing this chapter, the department may
use existing available state resources and federal funds. If state or
federal funds are not available or sufficient, the department may
apply for and accept grants and receive donations and other financial
support from public or private sources for purposes of this chapter.
11754. (a) The department shall work with the California Health
and Human Services Agency and county health and human services
agencies to ensure, to the extent feasible, the maximum participation
of eligible populations within California promise neighborhoods in
the following programs:
(1) The CalFresh program pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with
Section 18900) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code.
(2) The Medi-Cal program pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with
Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code.
(b) The department shall post participation rates for these areas
and establish a goal of 90 percent participation by January 1, 2016.
The department shall explore different methods of increasing
participation, including, but not necessarily limited to, a universal
application and electronic data sharing with schools and school
districts.
11755. The department shall work with the California Children and
Families Commission (First 5 Commission), established pursuant to
Division 108 (commencing with Section 130100) of the Health and
Safety Code, to ensure that, to the extent feasible, children and
families residing within California promise neighborhoods receive
maximum consideration for receiving funding for competitive grants
administered by that commission.
11756. (a) The department shall work with the California
Community Colleges, the California State University, the University
of California, the Student Aid Commission, and the California
Postsecondary Education Commission to ensure that, to the extent
feasible, children and families residing within California promise
neighborhoods receive maximum consideration, to the extent feasible,
when applying for funding for competitive grants.
(b) Schools and school districts within California promise
neighborhoods shall, at a minimum, receive maximum consideration for
receiving funding for the following competitive grants:
(1) The After School Education and Safety Program established
pursuant to Section 8482.
(2) A California Partnership Academy established pursuant to
Article 5 (commencing with Section 54690) of Chapter 9 of Part 29 of
Division 4 of Title 2.
(3) The Immediate Intervention-Underperforming Schools Program
established pursuant to Section 52053.
(4) Career technical education pathways grants pursuant to Section
88532.
11757. (a) The department shall work with the Employment
Development Department, the California Workforce Investment Board,
and the Employment Training Panel to ensure that, to the extent
feasible, children and families residing within California promise
neighborhoods receive maximum consideration for receiving funding for
competitive grants.
(b) Cities and counties in which California promise neighborhoods
are located shall, to the extent feasible, receive priority in the
following programs and grants:
(1) Programs of the Employment Training Panel established pursuant
to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 10200) of Part 1 of Division
3 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.
(2) Workforce development solicitations for proposals.
11758. (a) The department shall work with the Department of Parks
and Recreation to ensure that children and families residing within
California promise neighborhoods receive, to the extent feasible,
maximum consideration for receiving funding for competitive grants.
(b) Cities and counties in which California promise neighborhoods
are located shall receive, to the extent feasible, maximum
consideration for funding for the creation of new parks and
recreation activities in underserved communities.
11759. (a) For purposes of receiving a California promise
neighborhood designation, an eligible applicant shall submit an
application to the department at a time, in the manner, and
containing the information, the department may require.
(b) An eligible applicant shall submit a description of the
geographically defined area or neighborhood to be served and the
level of distress in that area based on indicators of need and other
relevant indicators.
(c) In order for an area to apply, the geographic area of the
proposed California promise neighborhood shall meet all of the
following minimum criteria:
(1) Contain a designated high school or schools and feeder
schools.
(2) Have high poverty rates.
(3) Have high unemployment.
(4) Have low high school graduation rates.
(d) An eligible applicant, at a minimum, shall include the
following partners as part of its application:
(1) Other community organizations.
(2) Child development organizations.
(3) Schools or school districts.
(4) Postsecondary educational institutions.
(5) City and county governments.
(6) Representatives of local business and industry.
(e) An eligible applicant shall submit a preliminary memorandum of
understanding, signed by representatives of each partner entity or
agency.
(f) Eligible applicants shall submit a description of a plan to
significantly improve the academic, health, and social outcomes of
children living in an identified neighborhood and to support the
healthy development and well-being of children and youth in the
neighborhood by providing a continuum of solutions to address the
neighborhood's needs. The continuum of solutions proposed by the
eligible applicant shall be based on the best information available
to the applicant.
(g) An eligible applicant shall submit an analysis of community
assets within, or accessible to, the neighborhood, including, at a
minimum, a description of all of the following:
(1) Early learning programs and network, including home visiting,
high-quality child care, Early Head Start programs, Head Start
programs, and prekindergarten programs.
(2) Community centers, after school programs, and other
opportunities for out-of-school activities.
(3) Transportation resources.
(4) Parks and recreational facilities.
(5) Available healthy food options and opportunities for physical
activity.
(6) Existing family and student support organizations.
(7) Businesses and employers located in the community.
(8) Postsecondary educational institutions located in or near the
community.
(h) A description of the process by which to develop, launch, and
implement a longitudinal data system that integrates student-level
data from multiple sources to measure progress on educational and
family and community support indicators for all children in the
neighborhood.
11760. Each eligible entity that receives a California promise
neighborhood designation under this chapter shall prepare and submit
an annual report to the department, which shall include both of the
following:
(a) Information about the number and percentage of children,
family members, and community members in the neighborhood who are
served by the program, including a description of the number and
percentage of children accessing each of the pipeline services and
the number of family and community members served by which programs.
(b) Disaggregated data regarding population and program levels
related to the program's success in annual growth, expressed with
respect to program and project indicators and performance metrics
developed by the department.