Yesterday evening, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-56-20, which extends the deadline to submit the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and the budget overview for parents until December 15, 2020, on the following conditions:

    • Each school board will adopt a written report to the community that explains the changes their local educational agency (LEA) made to program offerings during COVID-19 and major impacts of school closures on families and students, which shall include, at a minimum, a description of how the LEA is meeting the needs of unduplicated pupils, defined in Education Code Section 42238.02(b)(1). The written report shall also include the steps taken to support the requirements in Paragraph 2 of the Executive Order N-26-20. This report can be adopted during the same meeting at which the school board adopts the annual budget, due July 1, 2020.
    • School districts and county boards of education will submit the written report to the county superintendent of schools or the Superintendent of Public Instruction, respectively, in conjunction with submission of the adopted annual budget.
    • A charter school will submit the written report on the homepage of the LEA website, if such website exists.
    • The California Department of Education (CDE) shall develop a form the LEAs may use for the written report.
    • The deadline for a county superintendent or the Superintendent of Public Instruction to approve the LCAP pursuant to Education Code Section 52070(d) and 52070.5(d) is extended until January 14, 2021.
    • The deadline for a charter school to submit the LCAP to its chartering authority and the county superintendent of schools is extended to December 15, 2020.
    • The requirement to utilize the recently updated LCAP template by the State Board of Education, in Education Code Section 52064(j), is waived.
    • For the budget adopted by a school board on or before July 1, 2020, the requirements that the school board adopt a LCAP prior to adopting a budget and that the budget include the expenditures identified in the LCAP pursuant to Education Code Section 42127(a)(2)(A), is waived.
    • The requirement that a county superintendent of schools disapprove the budget by September 15, 2020 if the budget does not include expenditures necessary to implement the LCAP pursuant to Education Code Sections 42127(c)(3) and 42127(d)(1), is waived.
    • The requirement that a county superintendent of schools shall not adopt or approve a budget before the LCAP for the budget year is approved pursuant to Education Code Section 42127(d)(2), is waived.
    • For the budget adopted by a county board of education on or before July 1, 2020, the requirements that a county board of education adopt a LCAP prior to adopting a budget with expenditures identified in the LCAP pursuant to Education Code Section 1622(a); that the Superintendent of Public Instruction disapprove the budget if the county board of education has not adopted a LCAP or if the budget does not include the expenditures necessary to implement the LCAP pursuant to Education Code Section 1622(b)(2); and that the Superintendent of Public Instruction disapprove a revised budget by November 8, 2020 if the SPI determines the budget does not include the expenditures necessary to implement the LCAP pursuant to Education Code Section 1622(d); are waived.
    • The requirement that a school district board, county board of education, and the governing board of a charter school review data to be publicly reported for Dashboard local indicators in conjunction with the adoption of the LCAP, pursuant to Education Code Section 52064.5(e)(2), is waived with respect to the review and adoption that would be required by July 1, 2020.
    • The conditions established for Bagley-Keene Act or the Brown Act under Paragraph 3 of Executive Order N-29-20, including conditions specified therein, shall apply to meetings held pursuant to Article 3 of Chapter 2 of Part 21 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code Section 47604.1(b).
    • The requirements relating to minimum instructional minutes physical education for grades 1-12 are waived, specified in Education Code Sections 51210(a)(7), 51220(d), 51222, and 51223. The requirement relating to providing adequate facilities for physical education courses, specified in Education Code Section 51241(b)(2), is waived.
    • The requirement that each LEA maintaining any of the grades 5, 7, and 9 to administer a physical fitness performance test to each student in those grades, specified in Education Code Section 60800, and the requirement that the California Department of Education collect data regarding the administration of the physical fitness test, specified in Education Code Sections 33352(b)(4) and (5), are waived for the 2019-20 school year.

Last evening, Superintendent Tony Thurmond released the following statement, “School districts statewide have been working hard to put distance learning platforms into place and keep their students fed. The LCAP process deadlines should not be placing additional burdens on schools, which as a result of our current climate of social distancing, cannot meaningfully engage with their community stakeholders,” Thurmond said. “The Governor’s action frees up staff time and resources for districts to focus solely on the immediate learning needs and health of our students.”

The California Department of Education has released a COVID-19 accountability FAQ.

AB 1505 and AB 1507 Charter Schools

The California Department of Education has been evaluating and analyzing the requirements of AB 1505 (Chapter 486, Statute of 2019) and AB 1507 (Chapter 487, Statute of 2019). The department anticipates that the State Board of Education will approve regulations on the implementation of these two laws, and is seeking feedback in four key areas that may require definitions and/or further clarification.

    • Petition for the Establishment of a Charter School: District and County Review
    • Petition for the Establishment of a Charter School: SBE Appeals
    • Renewals
    • AB 1507

If interested in assisting and participating in this effort, please submit your input or proposed regulatory language to CharterRegulations@cde.ca.gov by Friday, May 15, 2020. For more information, visit the department’s website.

Additional Information

 

CASBO NewsBreaks and Advocacy tools are posted on our website. For more information, contact CASBO’s Governmental Relations staff: Sara Bachez, Chief Governmental Relations Officer or Elizabeth Esquivel, Senior Director of Policy and Governance. Remember that the most effective and convenient way to become involved is by joining CASBO Advocacy Network.

 

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