Legislative Update

Proposed educational technology services to augment California Statewide System of Support: The educational technology support services proposed are based on results of a recent statewide survey of School Administrators and the priorities established by ACR 268.

Education Technology Services: Statewide educational technology guidelines and support to include but not be limited to: a) Guidelines and assistance for the selection of effective electronic learning resources and online instructional programs, b) direction and guidance on the procurement and use of technology for student and school data management and reporting, c) use of LCFF for funding technology and related support, d) professional development for teachers on effective infusion of technology into State Curriculum Standards, e) planning for the use of ESSA funding, f) technology to support State-supported pre-school education, g) home uses of technology to support learning, and h) other emerging statewide education technology priorities.
System for Accessing Services: Educational technology services would be coordinated and guided by the CDE and provided on a Statewide and regional basis. The legislation would provide funding to augment each of the 11 System of Support regions for staff dedicated to providing services directly to schools. The Legislation also would fund CDE staff to coordinate the regional support priorities and services in conjunction with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE). The CDE would be funded to contract services provided by County Offices of Education (COE) in cases where a COE has already established a Statewide service such the Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL) http://tical.org/ – housed at the Santa Cruz COE. The CDE would conduct an annual assessment to determine level of access and suggestions from educators on ways to improve the quality and relevance services in meeting local needs while addressing State education priorities. This proposed legislation (Supports CUE Advocacy Platform items 1, 2, 5, 6,8, 10, 11,14, & 15)

Status: Proposal under development for possible legislation

California Legislation Related to Educational. Technology:

The following bills were introduced in the Legislature last January for the 2019 Legislative session. These bills are reported if they generally relate to the CUE Advocacy Platform. Most bills will be amended several times as they pass through various committees and are still in progress. To review bills and their current analysis and status, go to: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billSearchClient.xhtml. Following is an update on the current status of these remaining bills. The State Legislature will be on recess until January. However, the fall of 2019 is the time to be preparing new bills and resolutions.

AB 114, Education Finance Trailer Bill. For the 2019–20 fiscal year, the sum of thirty-eight million one hundred thousand dollars ($38,100,000) was appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Education. The bill includes competitive grants for professional learning opportunities for teachers and paraprofessionals. We are working with the CDE to learn more about how AB 114 funding will be allocated (Supports Platform item: 1)

Status: Approved by Governor October 2, 2019

AB 488, Aguiar-Curry. California Broadband Council. The California Broadband Council is established for the purpose of promoting broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas of the state and broadband adoption throughout the state, imposes specified duties on the council relating to that purpose, and specifies the membership of the council. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Librarian, and President of the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), are included as members of this 12-member Council.

(Supports Platform Items 4, 14, and 15)

Status: Approved by Governor October 2, 2019.

AB 52, Berman, Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan. This bill would require the computer science strategic implementation plan to be updatedevery 7 years. The bill also would make these provisions apply indefinitely. (Supports Advocacy Platform item 11)

Status: Passed Assembly Education Committee, now on hold (suspense) in Appropriations Committee

AB 578, Mullin. The California STEM Teaching Pathway Act of 2019. The bill would appropriate $2,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Education for the 2019–20 fiscal year as a one-time grant to a postsecondary educational institution, nonprofit public benefit corporation, county office of education, or a partnership of multiple organizations of these types. (Supports Advocacy Platform item 1)

Status: Passed Assembly Education Committee, on suspense in Appropriations Committee

SB 2, Glazer and Allen, Statewide Longitudinal Student-Database. This bill would establish the Statewide Longitudinal Student-Database to collect and store data regarding individual students as they matriculate through P–20, as defined, and into the workforce. (Related to Platform Item 10)

Status: Active bill in committee process.

AB 1409, Chau. Digital Divide Grant Program: The bill would authorize grants to fund the installation of broadband, broadband service, equipment, administrative implementation, and/or maintenance for projects that address the homework gap. (Supports Platform Items 4, 14, and 15)

Status: Passed Assembly Communications and Conveyance now on suspense in Appropriations.

CUE Legislative Update

November 2019

By John Cradler, Legislation Consultant

Proposed Education Technology Legislation

CUE Advocacy Platform: The CUE Advocacy Platform, initiated in 1985, informs the development of new initiatives and bills as well as positions to be taken on proposed legislation. The Platform is periodically updated and approved by the CUE Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC) and then submitted to the CUE Executive Board for approval. There is a notation for each of the initiatives, resolutions, and bills described in this report to indicate the specific CUE Advocacy Platform priorities supported. Go to https://cue.org/platform/ for the CUE Advocacy Platform for a description of the Platform item(s) indicated for each bill or initiative.

Implementing the Educational Technology Resolution recommendations: Assembly Concurrent Resolution 268 (ACR 268), authored by Assembly Member Tony Thurmond (now SSPI). initiated by CUE, and passed by the State Senate and Assembly, documented that the State Legislature is committed to making educational technology support and access a major priority. We are working with Geoff Belleau, CDE Educational Technology Consultant, and other CDE staff along with LAC members, Barbara Nemko and Ann Kruze, on proposed legislation to fund a variety of statewide educational technology support services. The CDE Chief Policy Advisor to the SSPI, Mary Nicely, recommended that we develop a legislative proposal to augment the existing regional California Statewide System of Support which is a recently established program already supported by the State Legislature https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/sw/t1/csss.asp.

The California Statewide System of Support: The overarching goal of the System of Support is to help LEAs and their schools meet the needs of each student they serve, with a focus on building local capacity to sustain improvement and effectively address disparities in opportunities and outcomes in the following areas:

Support the continuous improvement of student performance within the state priorities.
Address the gaps in achievement between student subgroups identified in EC Section 52052.
Support LEAs to meet identified student needs through the LCAP process
Integrate guidance and resources across state and federal programs
Reduce redundancy across state and federal programs

Education Technology Services: Statewide educational technology guidelines and support to include but not be limited to: a) Guidelines and assistance for the selection of effective electronic learning resources and online instructional programs, b) direction and guidance on the procurement and use of technology for student and school data management and reporting, c) use of LCFF for funding technology and related support, d) professional development for teachers on effective infusion of technology into State Curriculum Standards, e) planning for the use of ESSA funding, f) technology to support State-supported pre-school education, g) home uses of technology to support learning, and h) other emerging statewide education technology priorities.
System for Accessing Services: Educational technology services would be coordinated and guided by the CDE and provided on a Statewide and regional basis. The legislation would provide funding to augment each of the 11 System of Support regions for staff dedicated to providing services directly to schools. The Legislation also would fund CDE staff to coordinate the regional support priorities and services in conjunction with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE). The CDE would be funded to contract services provided by County Offices of Education (COE) in cases where a COE has already established a Statewide service such the Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL) http://tical.org/ – housed at the Santa Cruz COE. The CDE would conduct an annual assessment to determine level of access and suggestions from educators on ways to improve the quality and relevance services in meeting local needs while addressing State education priorities. This proposed legislation (Supports CUE Advocacy Platform items 1, 2, 5, 6,8, 10, 11,14, & 15)

Status: Proposal under development for possible legislation

Federal Legislation relevant to Educational technology:

Net Neutrality: The D.C. Circuit Court recently announced that states can pass their own net neutrality laws without fear that the FCC’s 2017 order stops them from doing so. While there might be other challenges to state laws, there is no FCC ban on them. In particular, California’s S.B. 822, which the state delayed enforcement until this case is resolved, is in a strong position to move forward. Several other states are following California’s lead. However, the Court upheld the FCC decision to repeal net neutrality at the Federal level. CUE, the Consortium on School Networking (CoSN), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Fight for the Future, BattleForTheNet, and others are advocating support of the Federal Save the Internet Act, S.682 to restore net neutrality at the National level.

CUE has actively supported net neutrality through its sponsorship of Assembly Joint Resolution No. 7, asking the California Legislature to save net neutrality, E-Rate, and Life Line. This led to CA Senate Bill 822, by Senator Wiener which was passed and signed by Governor Brown but blocked by the Federal FCC Ruling. The D.C. Court decision now makes it possible to move forward with plans to implement net neutrality in California. (S.682 supports CUE Platform Items 4, 14, and 15)

Status: S.682 is being held in the U.S. Senate by Senator McConnell.

H.R. 1328, Access Broadband Act: A bill to expand broadband access, create a simpler process to access federal broadband resources, and improve coordination of federal efforts to expand broadband access in underserved areas. (Supports CUE Platform Items 4, 14, and 15)

Status: Passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a companion bill (S.1167) held in the Senate.

S. 1167 Digital Equity Act of 2019. Introduced by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) S.1167 would authorize more than $1 billion in Federal grant funding over the next five years to support digital inclusion programs throughout U.S. states and territories. (Supports CUE Platform Items 4, 14, and 15)

Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

ESSA Title-IV, Part A. With proposed increase Title-IV, Part A. passes the House. A Coalition which includes CoSN, ISTE, SETDA, and others actively supports the increase.

Status: This budget increase will need to be approved the Senate and signed by the President. https://cosn.org/sites/default/files/FY20%20House%20LHHS-Ed%20Title%20IV-A%20Funding_Press%20Statement_FINAL.pdf

CUE Advocacy Strategy: As opportunities arise, CUE continues to be proactive in the development, co-development, sponsorship, and support of state and Federal legislation and resolutions which are consistent with the CUE Legislative Advocacy Platform. The CUE Legislative Advocacy Committee (LAC) meets as needed to discuss relevant bills, resolutions, policies, and other related actions suggested by the CUE Legislative Consultant, Board Members, staff, and Committee members. Anyone who is interested in being involved in supporting the CUE advocacy effort should contact Mary Kopp, CUE Senior Program Manager, mkopp@cue.org or John Cradler, cradler@earthlink.net For earlier Legislative Updates, go to: http://blog.cue.org/tag/advocacy/