Tag: PTA advocacy

California State PTA Urges Support of Prop 28: Art and Music in Public Schools

Posted on by Ray Kinyon

by California State PTA Legislation Team

California State PTA supports Proposition 28 on the November ballot which funds art and music in public schools. California State PTA has strongly and actively advocated for a full curriculum that includes the arts for more than three decades. Based on that history,  a study of the measure, and the strength of relevant organizational authorities, our Board of Managers voted to support Proposition 28.

We encourage a yes vote on 28 and for all local PTAs to also encourage a yes vote on 28.

The passage of Proposition 28 is expected to generate more than $900 million a year in dedicated new funding for arts and music education for all public schools across California – without raising taxes. Our previous article about Proposition 28 provides more details on where those funds will come from, how they will be used, and how they will particularly benefit schools where the arts are often lacking.

Stronger Arts Education Improves the Lives of All Children

Guaranteed funding for arts education will support all kids. In the past, many schools have cut arts education even though studies show that the arts keep students in school, increase the graduation rate, increase academic performance, and add to students’ ability to create, collaborate, think critically, and communicate.

The evidence makes clear the many ways that arts education benefits students, including:

  • The arts help create well-rounded students and keep them motivated in school. 
  • Students who have an arts education are less likely to drop out of school. 
  • Access to the arts has led to higher attendance rates and lower dropout rates. 
  • An arts education can increase abilities in other subject areas such as language arts and math, especially for English language learners and students in low-income communities.

Did you know one out of 10 jobs in California are in a creative industry? Beyond those careers, the arts support the development of a reliable future for our students and our state. Nearly three out of four business leaders say that creativity is the #1 skill they are currently seeking. Creativity fosters 21st Century work skills like critical thinking and collaboration and provides social emotional learning that can help students face real-life problems in the workplace.  

Students with arts education are:

  • Five times less likely to drop out of school. 
  • Four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement. 
  • Four times more likely to receive a bachelor’s degree. 
  • Thirty percent more inclined to pursue a professional career. 

Local PTAs Can Use Their Organizational Voice to Support Proposition 28

Many PTAs in California already actively advocate for arts education, for equity, and for strong education funding. This measure has all three! Because the California State PTA has already adopted a YES position on Proposition 28, local PTAs can use that as their authority for their own local advocacy. 

Your regular local meetings, social media channels, newsletters and other communications  platforms can all be used to encourage your community to Vote Yes on Proposition 28. The official Yes on Prop 28 campaign website has ideas for how you can take action. The campaign site also has a full coalition list of organizations that have signed on to actively support Proposition 28.

Be sure to remind families (and students over age 18!) to register to vote by October 24. And don’t forget to encourage everyone to vote in the November 8 election.

Learn more with an article in Ed100, by Carol Kocivar, Time to Fund Arts Education. 

Mock Elections Generate Real Election Excitement For Students

Posted on by Ray Kinyon

by California State PTA

While many middle and high school students may not yet be able to vote officially, they can participate in mock elections. Many PTAs offer mock elections as a student program to teach students about the elections process, the electoral college, and upcoming ballot initiatives. After learning about the issues, students can vote with a simple ballot or using scantrons like real voters do. 

Some PTAs and schools opt to participate in the statewide Student Mock Election to share their election results. During the 2022 California Student Mock Election, students will be able to cast their vote for Governor of California, United States Senator, and ballot measures that have been placed on the November 8, 2022, General Election ballot.

After coordinating a mock election program, be sure to share what students were taught and the results of the mock election to your community. 

Click here for more information about the California Student Mock Election:

  • September 19, 2022, is the last day to register and receive a Student Mock Election Supply Kit in the mail, if requested. 
  • Schools that register after September 19 will receive instructions allowing them to download and print Student Mock Election materials from the California Secretary of State’s website. 

October 5, 2022, is the last day to register for the 2022 California Student Mock Election.

Attendance Issues Could Drive a Change in How School District Funding is Calculated

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Beth Meyerhoff, Education Legislation Advocate

In California, school districts receive funding based on the number of students who attend school or what is known as Average Daily Attendance (ADA). This funding system has become challenging for school districts today. First, total enrollment in K-12 traditional public schools has decreased by almost three percent or 170,000 students in 2020-21, according to California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office. Enrollment increases and decreases are spread unevenly across the state, however. 

Secondly, attendance rates also vary by the school district and the impact of COVID-19. In a January 2022, article, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) estimates that the majority of districts have attendance levels that equal 90 percent of their enrollment or higher. By contrast, Los Angeles Unified School District’s attendance is about 77.5 percent of the fall enrollment. Data from School Innovations and Achievement showed that chronic absenteeism (missing more than 10 percent of the school year) increased by more than a third from March 2020 to March 2021. 

School Funding in California Depends on Average Daily Attendance (ADA)

Not all states fund their public schools the same way. Each measurement is influenced by focusing on different priorities, as the Education Commission of the States describes in a January 2022 Policy Brief. The Brief summarizes the five different ways schools count student enrollment:

  1. A single count on a single day.
  2. Two counts twice per year.
  3. Multiple counts over a period of time.
  4. An attendance average.
  5. A membership (or enrollment) average.

Below is a brief explanation of the most common ways state measure attendance,  as well as which states use which system: 

Average Daily Attendance (ADA)

California is one of seven states that use Average Daily Attendance (ADA) to determine school district funding, according to the Education Commission of the States. ADA is the average number of students in seats calculated over a state-determined period of time. Absent students are not counted in the daily count. The seven states using this measurement often cite the rationale that time spent in a physical classroom leads to improved student achievement. Along with California, those states include Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, and Texas.

Under ADA, districts with higher attendance rates receive more funding while those districts that have lower attendance rates (for whatever reasons), stand to lose funding. Using ADA can result in funding inequities among districts that serve different populations, particularly communities that tend to have higher rates of absenteeism. Reduced funding for school districts with absent students can reduce a district’s capacity to seek out missing kids.

Average Daily Membership (ADM)

Another method for counting students averages student enrollment numbers, rather than attendance. Average Daily Membership (ADM) measurement counts the number of students enrolled throughout all or most of the year which may enable school districts to more readily make hiring and programming decisions based on the number of students enrolled. This measurement includes absent students.
States using ADM: Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia

Enrollment Count 

Another method is counting how many students are enrolled on a single day or multiple periods of days. Also known as a “seat count,” students can be counted in a single count period or during multiple count periods and it is a measurement of how many students are sitting in seats on a given “count day.” Enrollment Count is used by 28 states. States can emphasize attendance on “Count Day” to ensure more accurate census reporting.
Some states include absent students in this count, basically making it an enrollment count, and some do not.

Single Count Day 

This measurement is the number of students enrolled or in attendance on a certain day.
States using Single Count Day: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Utah and West Virginia.

Multiple Count Dates 

This measurement is the number of students enrolled or in attendance on several dates.
States using Multiple Count Dates: Alaska, Arizona, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin.

Two Other Methods

Two other methods measure students over one or more periods, some include absent students, others do not. Alabama, New Mexico, and Wyoming use a Single Count Period.
Illinois and Ohio use Multiple Count Periods.

California’s Approach Has Changed Little in Decades

California has not always used ADA to determine school funding. Prior to 1973, K-12 schools were funded by property taxes imposed by local school districts, leading to disparities in per-pupil funding. Parent John Serrano filed a lawsuit against the State of California and won, with the California Supreme Court finding that “equality of educational opportunity requires that all school districts possess an equal ability in terms of revenue to provide students with substantially equal opportunities for learning.” Until 1999, schools’ count of students was based on attendance but students with excused absences, mostly due to illness, were added to the count. After Senate Bill 727 was enacted in 1998-99, school districts no longer received funding for students who were absent from school for any reason.

Under current law, a school district’s funding is based on the greater of the prior year or current year ADA. In successive state budgets, policymakers have tried to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 absences on some districts by adjusting that rule somewhat: 

  • The 2020-21 Budget included a hold-harmless clause for determining district funding by permitting 2020-21 funding to be based on 2019-20 ADA rather than the 2020-21 ADA. 
  • The 2021-22 Budget Act allows school districts to determine ADA based on the prior year (2020-21) or current year ADA. 
  • The Governor’s Budget proposal for 2022-23 would fund districts based on their average attendance over the three years preceding the current year if that number exceeds their current and prior year attendance.

Legislators are proposing multiple strategies to help districts with volatile enrollment numbers and increased absenteeism due to COVID-19.

California State PTA took positions on three bills to help districts ensure more fiscal stability:

AB 1607 (Muratsuchi) – Watch – for purposes of the local control funding formula, this bill would calculate average daily attendance based on a 3-year average for those local educational agencies starting in the 2022-23 school year.

AB 1609 (Muratsuchi) – Support – for the 2022-23 fiscal year, require the department to use the greater of the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, or 2022-23 fiscal year average daily attendance for purposes of apportionments under the local control funding formula for these local educational agencies.

SB 579 (Allen) – Support – for the 2021-22 fiscal year, require the department to use the greater of the 2019-20 or 2021-22 fiscal year average daily attendance for purposes of apportionments under the local control funding formula for these local educational agencies. For the 2022-23 fiscal year, require the department to use the greater of the 2019-20, 2021-22 or 2022-23 fiscal year average daily attendance for purposes of apportionments under the local control funding formula for these local educational agencies.

Each of these bills attempts to mitigate the impact of unpredictable and volatile enrollment and average daily attendance in school districts who budget years in advance. By ensuring fiscal predictability, school districts can better allocate resources to benefit all children.

California State PTA Supports SB 878, the Road to Success Act

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Beth Meyerhoff, Education Legislation Advocate

SB 878 (Skinner)

Yellow Buses for Every TK-12 California Public School

California State PTA supports Road to Success, a bill which will make sure that every TK-12 public school student has bus transportation to school. When kids don’t have a way to get to school, they miss school. 

Senate Bill 878 (Skinner) would create a universal state-funded bus plan. Districts would not be allowed to charge families a fee for transportation to school. Current California law does not require school districts to transport students and only around 9% of California students ride the bus to school (the lowest rate of any state) according to the 2017 National Household Travel Survey administered by the Federal Highway Administration. Federal law does require districts to transport certain students such as students with disabilities, students attending Federally Sanctioned Schools and homeless students.

Studies show a strong relationship between access to transportation and improved school attendance, according to an EdSource article. The California Department of Education also identifies lack of transportation as one of the most common reasons cited for missing school. 

Moreover, guaranteed transportation increases the likelihood of a student graduating high school. 

Other benefits of school bus transportation include potentially eliminating 17 million cars on the road nationally while reducing greenhouse gas emissions if zero-emission vehicles are used. Buses are a safer mode of transportation than cars according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. The American School Bus Council reports that students are seventy times more likely to get to school safely due to stop arm laws and safety features such as seat belts.

SB 878 would begin funding in 2022-23 in order to give school districts time to purchase buses and leverage resources to better attract and retain bus drivers. Implementation would begin in the 2023-24 school year. 

California State PTA has long supported legislation to fund the cost of transporting pupils as stated in our resolutions, School Transportation and School Transportation – Equitable and Adequate Funding. 

California State PTA believes that school attendance leads to student achievement. Universal bus transportation removes a barrier to school attendance and helps ensure that every child has the chance for success in school.

California State PTA Supports SB 291: Giving Students a Voice Act

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Melanie Lucas, Education Legislation Advocate

SB 291

California State PTA supports a bill that would give students a seat at the table on a special needs advisory board.

Roughly 800,000 students in California receive special education services which make up about 12.5% of the total student population according to the California Department of Education.

Currently, the 17-member Advisory Commission on Special Education (ASCE) exists to, among other things, study and provide assistance and advice to the State Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Legislature, and the Governor in new or continuing areas of research, program development, and evaluation in special education.

SB 291 seeks to give our students a seat at the table by forming a ten-member advisory council made up of students ages 16 to 24, with exceptional needs from across the state to advise the Advisory Commission of Special Education (ASCE) on their experiences in special education. This bill also adds one member of the new student advisory council to the ASCE with full voting rights, bringing  the commission to 18 members.  

California State PTA believes that representation matters. Giving our students, the most impacted stakeholders, a voice will lead to a much stronger understanding of their lived experiences resulting in better experiences for current and future students in special education. 

California State PTA Supports AB1675: Expedited Application Process For Teacher Credentialing of Military Spouses

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Beth Meyerhoff, Education Legislative Advocate

AB 1675 (Ward)

Expedited Teacher Credentialing for Spouses of Active Duty Armed Forces Members

California State PTA took a support position on a bill that will streamline the barriers to obtaining a license for military spouses who hold out-of-state teaching credentials. Assembly Bill 1675 (Ward). 

Military spouses often have only a short stay in California. Teaching is the most common occupation for military spouses. Lengthy relicensing requirements could discourage spouses from applying for their California teaching credential. With 40,000 military spouses in California and 10% identifying education as their career, Assembly Bill 1675 (Ward) could potentially benefit 4,000 military spouses and our California students and schools.

Under this bill, the California Teaching Credential Commission (CTC) teaching credential application process is streamlined so spouses need to submit: 1) fingerprinting / background check; 2) proof of out-of-state credential; 3) proof of military orders. Once the paperwork is submitted, the CTC would have seven days to process the application with the goal of spouses teaching within 30 days of submitting paperwork. The bill would also require the CTC to post information specific to its policies affecting the military community on its website in order to improve accessibility on these policies.

This bill would address the teacher shortage in California. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that nationwide, there are 567,000 fewer educators in our public schools than before the pandemic. According to a survey conducted by the National Education Association, 55% of educators are looking to leave the teaching profession earlier than they had planned. In 2017-18, 80% of California school districts reported a shortage of qualified teachers. 

California State PTA supports practices to hire highly qualified teachers. Recruiting and hiring fully credentialed military spouses will ensure that all students have access to well prepared and effective teachers.

California State PTA Supports AB558, School Meals: Child Nutrition Act of 2022

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Vinita Verma, California State PTA Health Advocate

AB 558 (Nazarian)

School meals support education by providing nutrition to children. They improve behavior, ability to focus, and academic performance. For some students, school meals are the only meal that they have all day long. Yet, traditional school lunch meals make it hard for children with dietary restrictions or food allergies to make use of the school lunch program. Families with children who are too young to be enrolled at school can have children who face hunger at an even younger age. 

California State PTA supports AB 558 – School meals: Child Nutrition Act of 2022. This bill would encourage school districts to offer plant-based meals at schools and also encourages school districts to offer meals to non school-age siblings, half-siblings, and step-siblings of students who use the free or reduced-price lunch program, as well as foster children at schools from first to sixth grade. 

California State PTA has a long history of supporting child nutrition in schools and has multiple resolutions which strongly support this bill: 

  • School Nutrition Programs: Improvement and Expansion (2012)
  • Breakfast in Every School (2103)
  • Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis in Schools (2014)
  • Healthy Lifestyles for All Children (2004) 

California State PTA believes that school meals are essential for all children. Ensuring that all children have access to nutritious, healthy meals that meet their dietary needs is essential for their robust development, growth, and education.

PTA Advocacy is Member Driven: Resolution at the 2022 Convention 

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By California State PTA Resolutions Committee

PTA advocacy is led by our members from the local elementary school to the state and national level. Our efforts are guided by PTA authorities; such as resolutions, position statements, and legislation platforms that are adopted by either our national or state organization. For California State PTA that includes our Mission Statement, our Resolutions, and our Position Statements.  

PTA Resolutions call attention to a problem and a need for action on a particular issue. They are a major source of authority to take positions on issues for the California State PTA and its units, councils, and districts. If a problem or situation has statewide implications affecting children, youth and families, a convention resolution is one way to authorize PTA action. Resolutions are adopted by a majority vote of delegates at the annual meeting.

Prior to the statewide annual meeting, PTA units, councils, and districts are encouraged to review, discuss and vote on the business of the association, including resolutions, to guide delegate action at the meeting. Delegates should be aware that a resolution could be changed at the statewide annual meeting.

At this year’s state convention we will have a resolution being presented to the delegates. Titled, “Plant Based Options for School Meals”, the resolution was developed by one of our student board of managers members, Maya Bhandari from San Francisco. The resolution seeks to engage PTA members, and their communities, in a concerted effort to advocate for and encourage school efforts to provide equitable access to nutritious meals, decrease detrimental health effects to children, and reduce climate change through the food schools have available. 

Plan to attend this year’s convention in Ontario and join your fellow delegates in shaping PTA advocacy as we debate and vote on this issue.

Protecting Kids from the Academic Impact of a Lost Year

Posted on by CAPTA IT

By Mary Perry, California State PTA Board of Managers

For many California children, the 2020-21 school year was a time of lost potential as one fourth of families did not have a high-speed internet connection and thousands of students did not even enroll in school. In June, Assembly Bill 104 (Gonzalez) was adopted as an emergency measure to support parents and help them protect their students from some of those impacts.

According to a press release from the bill’s author, San Diego Democrat Lorena Gonzalez, “AB 104 goes into effect immediately and allows parents of students who fell behind during the last year to pursue a number of learning recovery options before the next school year begins.” California State PTA supported the bill. 

Three key things parents can do

Thanks to this newly passed emergency measure, families have several options for helping students make up for lost instructional time. Each has a specific timeline and requires that parents and students take the initiative to communicate with school officials. When state guidance refers to Local Education Agencies, or LEAs, it includes school districts, charter schools and county offices of education.  

  • Change a “D” or “F” grade to Pass/No Pass

This option requires fast action! Students enrolled in high school in the 2020–21 academic year may apply to have any letter grade replaced with a pass or no pass grade. The CA Department of Education has prepared a form that LEAs will use for this request and should have already posted on their website. In addition, they should post this list of the UC campuses and private universities that have agreed to accept transcripts with these changes. AB 104 required that all California State University (CSU) campuses accept the pass/no pass grades as well. After the LEA has posted this information and provided written notice, students have 15 days to file their grade change request.

  • Retain a student in their previous grade

This option is for students who were in any of grades kindergarten to 11th grade in 2020-21 and successfully finished less than half of their course work. Parents must file a written request with their Local Education Agency to have their student retained in the same grade for another year. The LEA, in turn, must schedule a consultation with the parent within 30 days of that request. The LEA makes the final decision on the request and must notify the parent within 10 days of the consultation. Most LEAs already have a form they use for parents related to grade retention. You should contact your school principal or district office for more information.

  • Exempt a student from local graduation requirements 

Students enrolled in their third or fourth year of high school in 2020-21 and who are not on track to graduate in four years must be offered some options. One option is to exempt them from all coursework and other requirements adopted by the LEA that are in addition to the statewide coursework requirements, which are fewer than most districts require. If necessary, LEAs must also provide these students the opportunity to complete the statewide coursework required for graduation, which may include offering a fifth year of instruction or credit recovery. Here is a quick comparison of the statewide requirements and those that make a student eligible for UC or CSU admission.

This EdSource article, part of their July 26 news update, provides additional background about AB 104. For deeper background related to education, PTA advocacy, health, community concerns, and family engagement, visit the Focus Areas section of the CA State PTA website

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