SECTIONS 54630-54645 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 54630-54645

54630. This article shall be known and may be cited as the School
Improvement Act of 1970.

54631. It is the intent of the Legislature that program improvement
schools be established throughout the state in not more than five
separate schools in different districts, and in not more than all of
the schools in one elementary district, to offer educational programs
which are developed by the director and staff of such schools in
cooperation with representatives of the local community, including
the parents of children served by the school. It is the further
intent of the Legislature that the programs established under the
provisions of this chapter be designed to facilitate an evaluation of
the effectiveness of promising instructional methods, techniques,
and staffing patterns that are intended to improve the level of pupil
achievement in the areas of reading and mathematics.

54632. (a) A "program improvement school" is an elementary school,
a junior high school, or a high school designated as such by the
district and approved by the State Board of Education.
(b) A "community resource committee" is a committee appointed by
the director of each program improvement school at least one-half of
the membership of which is made up of parents of children
participating in the program. The committee shall assist the director
and the director's staff to plan and implement the educational
program, identify community resources which could be utilized in the
program, and inform the community of the proposed program. The
membership of the community resource committee may include, in
addition to parents of children participating in the program, but
need not be limited to:
(1) Parents of other pupils served by the school.
(2) Pupils enrolled in the school.
(3) Representatives of the community college, campus of the
California State University, or university participating in the
project.
(4) Other individuals representing business and industry,
organized labor, and representatives of local law enforcement,
welfare, and employment agencies.
(c) If a parent advisory committee has been established for the
school pursuant to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965, the director may, at his or her election, designate it
to serve as the community resource committee in lieu of the committee
otherwise to be appointed pursuant to subdivision (b).

54633. A school may be designated a program improvement school when
all of the following conditions are met:
(a) The school meets the criteria of Section 54483.
(b) The director of the school is appointed by the school district
with the concurrence of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and
the Director of the Office of Compensatory Education.
(c) The school has at least the staff for auxiliary and
administrative services that would be present in an adequately
staffed school.
(d) The governing board of the school district has delegated to
the director of the program improvement school all powers, duties,
and responsibilities related to the budget, curriculum, courses of
study, pupil conduct, staffing, and class scheduling.
(e) The director of the proposed program improvement school has
appointed a community resource committee.
(f) The proposed program of educational improvement has been
developed by the director and staff of the school in cooperation with
an institution of higher education and has the concurrence of the
community resource committee.

54634. Districts are encouraged to waive their existing
administrative salary schedule for the individual proposed for the
job of director in order to obtain an individual of demonstrated
managerial talents who is committed to educational achievement.

54635. Any school may apply to establish a program improvement
school provided all of the following conditions are met:
(a) Evidence that the proposed program improvement school meets
the requirements of Section 54633, including evidence that the school
district governing board has delegated to the director of the school
all powers, duties and responsibilities defined in subdivision (d)
of Section 54633.
(b) Evidence that the school district governing board intends to
provide an entitlement for the proposed program improvement school to
be allocated by the director for the development, implementation,
and maintenance of the proposed program. The entitlement shall be
equivalent to the total amount of resources from state and local
funds which would otherwise be provided the school under the district'
s current budgeting procedures. The total amount of state support
shall exclude state funds currently expended in the school under the
provision of the Miller-Unruh Basic Reading Act, the Mathematics
Improvement Program, and the State Compensatory Education Program.

54636. The application shall include a detailed plan for developing
and implementing the proposed program including:
(a) A description of the proposed educational program, including
the proposed staffing, class scheduling and instructional techniques,
and a schedule for the implementation of the program.
(b) A description of the quantifiable achievement objectives of
the proposed program.
(c) A description of the in-service training program to be
provided by the teaching staff in the program improvement school,
including evidence that the in-service training program has been
cooperatively developed with an institution of higher education.
Program improvement schools located in school districts which have
established professional development programs authorized by Article
10 (commencing with Section 44630) of Chapter 3 of Part 25 of
Division 3 of this title may utilize professional development centers
for providing in-service training.
(d) Applications may also include the school's request for state
and federal categorical aid funds which are deemed necessary to carry
out the proposed program.

54637. The State Board of Education shall exempt from any and all
provisions of the Education Code a program improvement school when,
in the opinion of the director of the school, such provisions would
hinder the implementation and maintenance of the proposed program.
Such exemption shall not decrease the district apportionment from the
State School Fund.

54638. For the purpose of state and federal categorical aid
allocations, the program improvement schools shall be designated as
school districts so that they may apply directly to the state for
categorical aid funds to finance elements of the proposed program
which could not be financed by the block grant authorized the school
by the school district.

54639. The State Board of Education, on the advice of the
Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Director of Compensatory
Education, shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement
the provisions of this chapter.

54643. This chapter shall be administered by the Office of
Compensatory Education.

54644. Persons employed to teach in and administer the program
improvement schools shall be deemed to be on leave of absence from
the school district whose employment they leave to accept employment
in the program improvement school, and shall retain permanent status,
or credit for service toward permanent status, in such school
district during their employment with the program improvement
schools. Such persons shall continue to be members of, and contribute
to, the retirement system of which they were members at the time
immediately prior to their employment in the program improvement
schools.

54645. (a) Persons employed in the program improvement schools in
positions not requiring certification qualifications shall be deemed
to be on leave of absence from the school district whose employment
they leave to accept employment in the program improvement schools,
and shall retain permanent status, or credit for service toward
permanent status, in such school district during their employment
with the program improvement schools. Such persons shall continue to
be members of, and contribute to, the retirement system of which they
were members at the time immediately prior to their employment in
the program improvement schools.
(b) All sick leave, seniority, and other benefits to which they
are entitled will be transferred with them to the program improvement
school and transferred back to their school district upon
termination of their leave of absence.
(c) Should their employment in the program improvement school be
terminated for any reason, they shall be returned to the school
district from which they are on leave of absence from and if a
vacancy does not exist in the class from which they are on leave they
shall have the right to displace an employee in that class with the
least seniority in the class and who has less seniority than they do.
Seniority, for the purposes of this section, shall mean the combined
school district and program improvement school service.