California Schools Beyond Serrano: A Report on Assembly Bill 65 of 1977.

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Basic Skills; Bilingual Education; Citizens Councils; Compensatory Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Equalization Aid; Exceptional Child Education; Finance Reform; Foundation Programs; Grants; Inservice Teacher Education; Program Descriptions; School Councils; Skills; Staff Development; State Aid; State Legislation; State Programs; State Standards

California Assembly Bill 65 (AB 65) attempts to equalize California school finance and improve school programs. The school finance portion of the bill arose as a response to the 1976 Serrano v. Priest decision in which the California Supreme Court said that the existing school finance system was unfair to both students and taxpayers. AB 65 provides additional state assistance to increase per pupil expenditures in low-wealth districts and imposes new limits on the growth of expenditures in districts with high per pupil property values. The bill also establishes the School Improvement Program designed to increase the quality of public education primarily through state planning and implementation grants to participating schools. One section of AB 65 modifies the legislature's proficiency standards in basic skills for students in grades 7-12 and extends these requirements to specified elementary grades. Also funded through AB 65 is a staff development program that helps teachers and other school staff members design and implement professional development activities tailor-made to meet specific local school needs. Regarding exceptional children, AB 65 provides for a Special Education Master Plan to ensure that all physically and mentally exceptional children receive appropriate services. The bill also merges state funding of separate programs for compensatory and bilingual education into a consolidated system called Economic Impact Aid. (Author/JM)

1979

ED169669