41370-41382
EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 41370-41382
41370. The governing board of each school district shall, except as may otherwise be specifically provided by law, use all money apportioned to the district from the State School Fund during any fiscal year exclusively for the support of the school or schools of the district for that year. 41371. If at the end of any fiscal year during which the schools of a school district have been maintained for the period required or permitted by law, there is standing to the credit of the district an unexpended balance of money received from the State School Fund, it may be expended for the payment of claims against the district outstanding, or it may be expended during the succeeding fiscal year. 41372. For purposes of this section: (a) "Salaries of classroom teachers" and "teacher" shall have the same meanings as prescribed by Section 41011 provided, however, that the cost of all health and welfare benefits provided to the teachers by the school district shall be included within the meaning of salaries of classroom teachers. (b) "Current expense of education" means the gross total expended (not reduced by estimated income or estimated federal and state apportionments) for the purposes classified in the final budget of a school district (except one which, during the preceding fiscal year, had less than 101 units of average daily attendance) submitted to and approved by the county superintendent of schools pursuant to Section 42127 for certificated salaries other than certificated salaries for pupil transportation, food services, and community services; classified salaries other than classified salaries for pupil transportation, food services, and community services; employee benefits other than employee benefits for pupil transportation personnel, food services personnel, and community services personnel; books, supplies, and equipment replacement other than for pupil transportation and food services; and community services, contracted services, and other operating expenses other than for pupil transportation, food services, and community services. "Current expense of education," for purposes of this section shall not include those expenditures classified as sites, buildings, books, and media and new equipment (object of expenditure 6000 of the California School Accounting Manual), the amount expended from categorical aid received from the federal or state government which funds were granted for expenditures in a program not incurring any teacher salary expenditures or requiring disbursement of the funds without regard to the requirements of this section, or expenditures for facility acquisition and construction; and shall not include the amount expended pursuant to any lease agreement for plant and equipment or the amount expended from funds received from the federal government pursuant to the "Economic Opportunity Act of 1964" or any extension of this act of Congress. There shall be expended during each fiscal year for payment of salaries of classroom teachers: (1) By an elementary school district, 60 percent of the district's current expense of education. (2) By a high school district, 50 percent of the district's current expense of education. (3) By a unified school district, 55 percent of the district's current expense of education. If the county superintendent of schools having jurisdiction over the district determines, on the basis of an audit conducted pursuant to Section 41020, that a school district has not expended the applicable percentage of current expense of education for the payment of salaries of classroom teachers during the preceding fiscal year, the county superintendent of schools shall, in apportionments made to the school district from the State School Fund after April 15 of the current fiscal year, designate an amount of this apportionment or apportionments equal to the apparent deficiency in district expenditures. Any amount designated by the county superintendent of schools shall be deposited in the county treasury to the credit of the school district, but shall be unavailable for expenditure by the district pending the determination to be made by the county superintendent of schools on any application for exemption which may be submitted to the county superintendent of schools. If it appears to the governing board of a school district that the application of the preceding paragraphs of this section during a fiscal year results in serious hardship to the district, or in the payment of salaries of classroom teachers in excess of the salaries of classroom teachers paid by other districts of comparable type and functioning under comparable conditions, the board may apply to the county superintendent of schools in writing not later than September 15th of the succeeding fiscal year for exemption from the requirements of the preceding paragraphs of this section for the fiscal year on account of which the application is made. Upon receipt of this application, the county superintendent of schools shall grant the district exemption for any amount that is less than one thousand dollars ($1,000). If the amount is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or greater, the county superintendent of schools may grant an exemption from the requirements for the fiscal year on account of which the application is made. If the exemption is granted by the county superintendent of schools, the designated moneys shall be immediately available for expenditure by the school district governing board. If no application for exemption is made or exemption is denied, the county superintendent of schools shall order the designated amount or amount not exempted to be added to the amounts to be expended for salaries of classroom teachers during the next fiscal year. The county superintendent of schools shall enforce the requirements prescribed by this section, and may adopt necessary rules and regulations to that end. 41374. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, Section 41372 shall not apply to any elementary school district, high school district, or unified school district, which maintains no individual class session with pupils in attendance exceeding the numbers, for the particular grade levels, following: (a) An elementary school district--twenty-eight (28) pupils. (b) A high school district--twenty-five (25) pupils. (c) A unified school district--twenty-eight (28) pupils in respect to grades kindergarten through 8, inclusive; and twenty-five (25) pupils in respect to grades 9 through 12, inclusive. As used in this section the phrase "individual class session" shall not include any class session held in grades kindergarten through 8, inclusive, in courses in visual and performing arts, industrial arts, and physical education. The phrase shall not include any class session held in grades 9 through 12, inclusive, in courses in commercial arts, visual and performing arts, industrial arts, vocational arts, and physical education. The phrase "individual class session" shall not include any class session held in grades 9 through 12, inclusive, for which two or more individual class groups which come within the descriptions specified by the first paragraph of this section and subdivision (a) or (b), or both, are assembled together in the same room for joint lectures or demonstrations. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (b) and (c), grades 7, 8, and 9 of a junior high school shall be deemed to be high school grades for purposes of this section. 41375. It is the intent and purpose of the Legislature to encourage, by every means possible, the reduction of class sizes and the ratio of pupils to teachers in all grade levels in the public schools, and to urge every effort to this end to be undertaken by the local school administrative authorities. 41376. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in computing apportionments and allowances from the State School Fund for the second principal apportionment, shall determine the following for the regular day classes of the elementary schools maintained by each school district: (a) For grades 1 to 3, inclusive, he shall determine the number of classes, the number of pupils enrolled in each class, the total enrollment in all such classes, the average number of pupils enrolled per class, and the total of the numbers of pupils which are in excess of thirty (30) in each class. For those districts which do not have any classes with an enrollment in excess of 32 and whose average size for all the classes is 30.0 or less, there shall be no excess declared. For those districts which have one or more classes in excess of an enrollment of 32 or whose average size for all the classes is more than 30, the excess shall be the total of the number of pupils which are in excess of 30 in each class having an enrollment of more than 30. (b) For grades 4 to 8, inclusive, he shall determine the total number of pupils enrolled, the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers, and the average number of pupils per each full-time equivalent classroom teacher. He shall also determine the excess if any, of pupils enrolled in such grades in the following manner: (1) Determine the number of pupils by which the average number of pupils per each full-time equivalent classroom teacher for the current fiscal year exceeds the greater of the average number of pupils per each full-time equivalent classroom teacher in all the appropriate districts of the state, as determined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, for October 30, 1964, or the average number of pupils per each full-time equivalent classroom teacher which existed in the district on either October 30, 1964 or March 30, 1964, as selected by the governing board. (2) Multiply the number determined in (1) above by the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers of the current fiscal year. (3) Reduce the number determined in (2) above by the remainder which results from dividing such number by the average number of pupils per each full-time equivalent teacher for October 30, 1964, as determined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction in (1) above. (c) He shall compute the product obtained by multiplying the excess number of pupils, if any, under the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section by ninety-seven hundredths (0.97), and shall multiply the product so obtained by the ratio of statewide change in average daily attendance to district change in average daily attendance. Change in average daily attendance shall be determined by dividing average daily attendance in grades 1, 2 and 3 reported for purposes of the first principal apportionment of the current year by that reported for purposes of the first principal apportionment of the preceding year. (d) If the school district reports that it has maintained, during the current fiscal year, any classes in which there were enrolled pupils in excess of thirty (30) per class pursuant to subdivision (a) of this section, and there is no excess number of pupils computed pursuant to subdivision (b) of this section, he shall decrease the average daily attendance reported under the provisions of Section 41601 by the product determined under subdivision (c) of this section. (e) If the school district reports that it has maintained, during the current fiscal year, no classes in which there were enrolled pupils in excess of thirty (30) per class determined pursuant to subdivision (a) of this section, and there is an excess number of pupils computed pursuant to subdivision (b) of this section, he shall make the following computation: He shall compute the product obtained by multiplying the excess number of pupils computed pursuant to subdivision (b) of this section by ninety-seven hundredths (0.97) and shall multiply the product so obtained by the ratio of statewide change in average daily attendance to the district change in average daily attendance. He shall decrease the average daily attendance reported under the provisions of Section 41601 by the resulting product. (f) If the school district reports that it has maintained, during the current fiscal year, any classes in which there were enrolled pupils in excess of thirty (30) per class determined pursuant to subdivision (a) of this section, and there is an excess number of pupils computed pursuant to subdivision (b) of this section, he shall make the following computation: He shall add to the product determined under subdivision (c) of this section, the product determined under subdivision (e) of this section and decrease the average daily attendance reported under the provisions of Section 41601 by this total amount. The governing board of each school district maintaining elementary schools shall report for the fiscal year 1964-65 and each year thereafter the information required for the determination to be made by the Superintendent of Public Instruction under the provisions of this section in accordance with instructions provided on forms furnished and prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Such information shall be reported by the school district together with, and at the same time as, the reports required to be filed for the second principal apportionment of the State School Fund. The forms on which the data and information is reported shall include a certification by each school district superintendent or chief administrative officer that the data is correct and accurate for the period covered, according to his best information and belief. For purposes of this section, a "full-time equivalent classroom teacher" means an employee of an elementary, high school, or unified school district, employed in a position requiring certification qualifications and whose duties require him to teach pupils in the elementary schools of that district in regular day classes for the full time for which he is employed during the regular schoolday. In reporting the total number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers, there shall be included, in addition to those employees defined above, the full-time equivalent of all fractional time for which employees in positions requiring certification qualifications are required to devote to teaching pupils in the elementary schools of the district in regular day classes during the regular schoolday. For purposes of this section, the number of pupils enrolled in each class means the average of the active enrollment in that class on the last teaching day of each school month which ends prior to April 15th of each school year. The provisions of this section are not applicable to school districts with less than 101 units of average daily attendance for the current fiscal year. Although no decreases in average daily attendance shall be made for the fiscal year 1964-65, reports are required to be filed under the provisions of this section, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall notify each school district the amount of the decrease in state allowances which would have been effected had such decrease in average daily attendance been applied. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall adopt rules and regulations which he may deem necessary for the effective administration of this section. Such rules and regulations may specify that no decrease in average daily attendance reported under the provisions of Section 41601 shall be made for a school district on account of large classes due to instructional television or team teaching, which may necessarily involve class sizes at periods during the day larger than the standard set forth in this section. 41378. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in computing apportionments and allowances from the State School Fund for the second principal apportionment, shall determine the following for the kindergarten classes maintained by each school district maintaining kindergarten classes. (a) The number of pupils enrolled in each kindergarten class, the total enrollment in all such classes, and the average number of pupils enrolled per class. (b) The total number of pupils which are in excess of thirty-three (33) in each class having an enrollment of more than thirty-three (33). (c) The total number of pupils by which the average class size in the district exceeds 31. (d) The greater number of pupils as determined in (b) or (c) above. (e) He shall compute the product obtained by multiplying the excess number of pupils computed pursuant to subdivision (d) of this section by ninety-seven hundredths (0.97). He shall decrease the average daily attendance reported under the provisions of Section 41601 by the resulting product. 41381. The State Board of Education may waive the minimum schoolday requirements of Section 46112 to enable school districts to establish experimental educational programs in reading and mathematics. A waiver shall be granted pursuant to this section only if: (a) The State Board of Education has approved the experimental program. (b) The total weekly minutes of instruction in the experimental program are equivalent to the total number of minutes per week which would be required by Section 46112. Participating school districts shall conduct pretesting and posttesting of pupils enrolled in such experimental educational programs to determine the academic achievement of such pupils. Such tests shall be approved by the State Board of Education. Participating school districts shall also conduct control testing programs of pupils not enrolled in such experimental educational programs. Pupils in the control group shall be selected to be, as nearly as practicable, comparable in ability and socioeconomic background to pupils enrolled in the experimental programs. 41382. The principal of any elementary school maintaining kindergarten classes or regular day classes in grades 1 to 3, inclusive, may recommend to the governing board of the school district, or the governing board may adopt a resolution determining, that an exemption should be granted from any of the provisions of Section 41376, 41378, or 41379 with respect to such classes on the basis that such provisions prevent the school and school district from developing more effective educational programs to improve instruction in reading and mathematics for pupils in the specified classes. Upon approval of such recommendation, or the adoption of such resolution, the governing board shall make application to the State Board of Education on behalf of the school for an exemption for such classes from the specified provisions. The State Board of Education shall grant the application if it finds that the specified provisions of Section 41376, 41378, or 41379 prevent the school from developing more effective educational programs to improve instruction in reading and mathematics for pupils in the specified classes and shall, upon granting the application, exempt the school district from the penalty provision of such sections.