Education finance: Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify whether the State Department of Education must ensure that funds are available before distributing them, but it requires distribution within 30 days after receiving a request.

Summer Pay Program for School Workers

This law allows school districts, county offices of education, and joint powers authorities made up only of these entities to participate in a program that lets classified school employees save money from their paychecks during the school year to receive it back over summer break.

What This Bill Does

• Expands the definition of 'local educational agency' to include joint powers authorities made up only of school districts and county offices of education.
• Allows these new agencies, along with existing ones like school districts and county offices of education, to join a program that helps classified employees save money from their paychecks during the school year for summer use.
• Requires the State Department of Education to give funds to participating agencies within 30 days after receiving a request.

Who It Names or Affects

• Classified school employees who want to save part of their paychecks for summer use.
• School districts and county offices of education that join the program.
• Joint powers authorities made up only of school districts and county offices of education.

Terms To Know

Classified School Employee

A worker in a public school who is not a teacher or administrator, such as a librarian, counselor, or office staff.

Joint Powers Authority

An agreement between two or more government agencies to work together on common goals.

Limits and Unknowns

• The program can only run if the state budget includes funding for it.
• This law works with other laws (AB 147 and SB 147) that are also passed, but only if this one is enacted last.

Official Summary Text

AB 378, Valencia.
Education finance: Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program.
Existing law establishes the Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program. Existing law authorizes local educational agencies to elect to participate in the program and authorizes a classified employee of a participating local educational agency who meets specified requirements to withhold an amount from the employee’s monthly paycheck during the school year to be paid out during the summer recess period, as provided. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to apportion funds to participating local educational agencies within 30 days of receiving a request for payment by the participating local educational agency, as provided. Existing law provides that operation of the program is contingent upon an appropriation for the program in the annual Budget Act or another statute. Existing law defines “local educational agency” for these purposes as a school district or
county office of education.
Existing law, the Joint Exercise of Powers Act, authorizes 2 or more public agencies, if authorized by their legislative or other governing bodies, to enter into an agreement to jointly exercise any power common to the contracting parties, as provided. That act requires, among other things, that the agreement state the purpose of the agreement or power to be exercised and provide for the method by which the purpose will be accomplished or the manner in which the power will be exercised.
This bill would add a joint powers authority formed pursuant to that act consisting solely of school districts and county offices of education to the definition of a local educational agency for purposes of the program, thereby authorizing a joint powers authority and its classified employees to participate in the program.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to
Section 45500 of the Education Code proposed by AB 147 and SB 147 to be operative only if this bill and either AB 147 or SB 147 is enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF