Kindergarten 3 Trailer

[Lorna Schildt]

Youare planning a forest kindergarten and want to use an appealing construction trailer for this purpose? Tell us about your ideas and we will tell you what is possible. Together we will develop a clear concept from your visions.

The small kitchen is equipped with a stainless steel sink and an electric cooker so you can prepare warm meals. In the toilet compartment, there is a camping toilet as well as a washbasin with fresh water and waste water tanks. The diaper-changing table can be folded onto the wall to save space.

The Full-Day Kindergarten Facilities Grant Program has been expanded to include California Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten and Full-Day Kindergarten. School districts that lack the facilities to provide preschool, transitional kindergarten, and/or full-day kindergarten instruction can locate funding opportunities under this service.

School districts can apply for this service to construct new classrooms or retrofit existing school facilities for the purpose of providing transitional kindergarten or full-day kindergarten instruction. Additionally, both school districts and county offices of education can apply for this service to construct new classrooms or retrofit existing school facilities for the purpose of providing California preschool instruction.

The Program was expanded by Assembly Bill 130, the Education Finance: Education Omnibus Trailer Bill, and was approved by the Governor and chaptered July 9, 2021. The expanded program includes the addition of California Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten funding eligibility. The General Fund appropriated $490,000,000 in one-time grants for the construction of new classrooms or the retrofit of existing facilities for the purpose of providing California preschool, transitional kindergarten or full-day kindergarten instruction.

Following a series of stakeholder meetings to discuss and solicit feedback in the preparation of program regulations. OPSC presented, and the State Allocation Board (SAB) approved, the proposed regulatory amendments, revised forms and updated Grant Agreement at its January 26, 2022 SAB meeting.

Per Education Code Section 17375(b)(1), grants will only be awarded to school districts that lack the facilities to provide transitional kindergarten or full-day kindergarten or lack the facilities that satisfy the design requirements required for new kindergarten classrooms as specified by California Code of Regulations Section 14030(h)(2). For the purposes of determining classroom capacity, each classroom will be loaded pursuant to State loading standards for (K-6) classrooms at 25 pupils. If the school site in the application has kindergarten classrooms that currently house more than 25 pupils in a kindergarten classroom (for example, AM and PM kindergarten classes in the same classroom), then they may be eligible for the Program funding to create two full-day classrooms.

For the purposes of determining classroom capacity, each classroom will be loaded at 25 pupils. If the school site in the application has preschool classrooms that currently house more than 25 pupils in a classroom, then they may be eligible for the Program funding.

A school district that has received funds in accordance with the program must submit a valid Expenditure Report (Form SAB 70-03) at the completion of the project. A project is considered complete when either of the following occurs: 1) When the notice of completion has been filed; all outstanding invoices, claims, and change orders have been satisfied and the facility is currently in use by the school district, or 2) Three years from the date of the first apportionment. If applicable, a final savings report shall be due one year after the first expenditure report. OPSC will use the information provided on and with the 70-03 to ensure that expenditures made by the school districts for Program projects comply with program statute and other applicable State requirements pertaining to construction.

(1)The Early Education Act, among other things, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer all California state preschool programs, including, but not limited to, part-day and full-day age and developmentally appropriate programs for 3- and 4-year-old children. The act requires, from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, inclusive, at least 5% of funded enrollment to be reserved for children with exceptional needs, requires at least 7.5% of funded enrollment to be reserved for children with exceptional needs commencing July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, inclusive, and requires at least 10% of funded enrollment to be reserved for children with exceptional needs commencing July 1, 2026. On and after July 1, 2026, existing law provides that any agency that does not meet those requirements may be put on a conditional contract, as provided.

The act requires each state preschool program applicant or contracting agency to give priority for enrollment for part-day and full-day programs according to a specified priority ranking. Existing law requires the 3rd priority for services to be given to eligible 3- and 4-year old children who are not enrolled in a state-funded transitional kindergarten program. Within this priority, the act provides that if 2 or more families have the same income ranking according to the most recent schedule of income ceiling eligibility table, a child from a family in which the primary home language is a language other than English shall be enrolled first.

This bill would revise the latter priority criteria to be based on whether those children are identified as dual language learners instead of whether they are from a family in which the primary home language is a language other than English.

(2)Existing law establishes the California Prekindergarten Planning and Implementation Grant Program as a state early learning initiative with the goal of expanding access to classroom-based prekindergarten programs. Existing law appropriates $300,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Education in both the 202122 fiscal year and the 202223 fiscal year for allocation to local educational agencies as base grants, enrollment grants, and supplemental grants, as specified. Existing law authorizes the department to allocate or prorate unexpended funds returned by or collected from a grant recipient for grants to local educational agencies for costs associated with the educational expenses of current and future California state preschool program, transitional kindergarten, and kindergarten professionals that support their attainment of required credentials, permits, or professional development in early childhood instruction or child development, including developing competencies in serving inclusive classrooms and dual language learners, as provided.

This bill would extend the encumbrance period for those funds, as specified, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would require any remaining unexpended funds to revert to the General Fund on June 30, 2028.

(3)Existing law creates the Learning Recovery Emergency Fund in the State Treasury for the purpose of receiving appropriations for school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college districts related to the state of emergency declared by the Governor on March 4, 2020, relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Former law initially appropriated $7,936,000,000 from the General Fund to the department for transfer to the Learning Recovery Emergency Fund. Existing law reduces that appropriation by $1,590,595,000 to instead be $6,345,405,000. Existing law requires the Superintendent to allocate these appropriated funds to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, as provided.

This bill would authorize the department to collect, from a local educational agencys principal apportionment monthly payment, the difference in the local educational agencys allocation resulting from the reduction in that appropriation described above. The bill would require the department to report any uncollectible amounts to the Department of Finance by January 31, 2024.

(4)Existing law sets forth the maximum ratios of administrative employees to each 100 teachers in the various types of school districts. Existing law requires the Superintendent to determine, for each current fiscal year, for each school district in the state, the total number of administrative employees except as provided, the total number of teachers except those serving in positions that are supported by federal funds or by categorical grants from any source and are in programs that require specific teacher/administrator ratios, the total maximum number of administrative employees that should be employed by the school district based upon the application of the appropriate ratio prescribed by law, and the number of administrative employees in excess of the number allowable without penalty, as provided. Existing law requires the Superintendent to determine the reduction in state support resulting from excess administrative employees, as specified, and requires the school districts 2nd principal apportionment for the current fiscal year to be reduced by that amount.

(5)Existing law authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership with the governing board of a school district or a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school, for the purpose of offering or expanding dual enrollment opportunities for pupils who may not already be college bound or who are underrepresented in higher education, with the goal of developing seamless pathways from high school to community college for career technical education or preparation for transfer, improving high school graduation rates, or helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness. Existing law requires each middle college high school to be structured as a broad-based, comprehensive instructional program focusing on college preparatory and school-to-work curricula, among other things. Under existing law, pupils in early college high schools begin taking college courses as soon as they demonstrate readiness, and the college credit earned may be applied toward completing an associate or bachelors degree, transfer to a 4-year university, or obtaining a skills certificate. Existing law appropriates $200,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Education for the department, in consultation with the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, by January 1, 2023, to administer a competitive grant program to, among other things, enable local educational agencies with existing middle college or early college high schools or College and Career Access Pathways partnerships to couple robust pupil advising and success supports with dual enrollment opportunities and establish outreach campaigns to promote dual enrollment for new or existing middle college or early college high schools or College and Career Access Pathways partnerships, and authorizes local educational agencies to apply for, among other things, one-time grants of up to $250,000 to support the costs to plan for, and start up, a middle college or early college high school that is located on the campus of a local educational agency, a partnering community college, or other location determined by the local partnership, as provided. Existing law requires the department, on or before June 30, 2024, and on or before June 30, 2027, to prepare a summary of how the funds were disbursed and used to further the programs goals and to submit the summary to the Department of Finance, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, the Senate Committee on Education, the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, and the Assembly Committee on Education, as specified.

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