August, 2010 E-Newsletter

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Three After-School Bills Headed to Governor's Desk

August 26, 2010

Dear Colleagues,

Three bills that positively impact after-school programs in California have been passed by the Legislature and forwarded to the Governor for his consideration:

• AB 434 (Block) clarifies the direct service status of after-school site coordinators who spend at least 85% of their work hours at the program site.
• AB 2178 (Torlakson) permits after-school grantees to share required evaluation data with sub-contracted providers, and requires that the CDE to aggregate this data into statewide reports that link with the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System.
• SB 798 (DeSaulnier) sets aside 15% of any new federal after-school funding for summer programming. 

Please consider sending letters to the Governor urging his signature of these three bills. Copy the following templates to your agency letterhead, then sign and fax them to both the Governor at (916) 558-3160, and Secretary of Education Bonnie Reiss at (916) 323-3753.

AB 434 (Block) Letter of Support

AB 2178 (Torlakson) Letter of Support

SB 798 (DeSaulnier) Letter of Support

Yours in Partnership, 

Steven Amick
Executive Director

Urgent Action Needed to Protect Proposition 49

August 20, 2010

Dear Colleagues,

On August 4, the Budget Conference Committee voted unanimously to give voters the opportunity to repeal Proposition 49. Before this measure can be placed on the ballot, however, it must be approved by both houses of the Legislature and signed by the Governor.

The language will be contained in a "stand alone" trailer bill, which means that it will be voted up or down on its own merits, separate from other elements of the FY 2010/11 Budget Bill. This bill has not yet been assigned a number, but once a budget agreement has been reached, the legislative process will move very quickly. 

Now is the time to contact your State Senator and Assemblymember and urge them to oppose placing Proposition 49 back on the ballot. Click here to identify your local elected officials. Print and sign this template on your agency letterhead, and fax it to all legislators representing your service area.

In addition to faxing the letter(s), please consider following up with a phone call to emphasize these important facts:

• Placing Proposition 49 on the ballot will not result in any savings for the FY10/11 fiscal year.
•  California's pending Race to the Top application places great emphasis on after-school programs as evidence of its commitment to federal priorities like extended learning time. Abandoning that commitment could jeopardize the state's chances to garner up to $700 million in federal funding.
•  An initiative to repeal Proposition 49 would likely fail, as did recent attempts to repeal Propositions 10 and 63. 

An initiative that makes no impact on the budget, hurts our chances to secure badly needed federal subsidies, and has little chance of being approved by voters is a poor use of the state's thinly stretched resources. For more detailed talking points, click here.

When calling your elected officials, please ask to speak with the legislative aide in charge of K-12 education issues. Let them know that their vote on this trailer bill reflects their position on the value of after-school programs. Only a "nay" vote will demonstrate support for after-school providers and the families they serve.

Yours in Partnership, 

Steven Amick
Executive Director

Three After-School Bills Pass Appropriations Committees

August 12, 2010

Dear Colleagues,

Today, two bills previously referred by appropriations committees to suspense files, AB 434 (Block) and SB 798 (DeSaulnier), were passed. SB 798 will now go to an Assembly floor vote, and AB 434 will go to the Senate floor, along with AB 2178 (Torlakson) which unanimously passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 2.

• AB 434 (Block) clarifies the direct service status of after-school site coordinators who spend at least 85% of their work hours at the program site.
• AB 2178 (Torlakson) permits ASES grantees to share required evaluation data with sub-contracted providers, and requires that the CDE to aggregate this data into statewide reports that link with the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System.
• SB 798 (DeSaulnier) sets aside 15% of any new federal after-school funding for summer programming.

If these bills pass their respective floor votes, some time during the next two weeks, they will then be forwarded to the Governor for his consideration.

Yours in Partnership, 

Steven Amick
Executive Director

Budget Conference Committee Agrees to Put Prop 49 on November Ballot

August 10, 2010

Dear Colleagues,

On August 4, members of the Budget Conference Committee voted unanimously to adopt the Senate Budget Committee's proposal to establish a budget trailer bill that would give voters the opportunity to repeal Proposition 49. During the Committee hearing, the Legislative Analyst's Office clarified that the bill would, pending voter approval, simply "unlock" the annual $550 million appropriation and give the Legislature the discretion to set after-school funding at any level they deem appropriate. There was no proposal to include ASES in categorical program flexibility. Committee Chair Ducheny also confirmed that because the proposal would have to go to voters for approval, the language would be contained in a "stand alone" bill, separate from other proposals in the FY 2010/11 Budget Bill.

The bill, if passed by the Legislature, would need to be signed by Governor Schwarzenegger before it could appear on the ballot. The Governor vetoed a similar trailer bill, AB 1526, in 2008, asserting that such a proposal would "contradict the will of the voters." It is anticipated the Governor would veto this new bill if it were to reach his desk. In fact, Senator Ducheny began her comments by asking, "Is there anyone besides the Governor who objects to the adoption of the Senate (proposal)?"

The bill has not yet been assigned a number, but LCAP will continue to track its progress and post opposition templates when it is in print. It is quite likely the language will be similar, if not identical, to AB 1526.

To view the three-minute testimony from the Budget Conference Committee hearing, click here and begin at 2:00:50. 

Yours in Partnership,

Steven Amick
Executive Director