2005 California Education Code Sections 42920-42925 CHAPTER 11.3. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

42920.  (a) The Legislature finds as follows:
   (1) It is essential to recognize, identify and plan for the
critical and unique needs of children residing in licensed community
care facilities.
   (2) A high percentage of these foster children are working
substantially below grade level, are being retained at least one year
in the same grade level, and become school dropouts.
   (3) Without programs specifically designed to meet their
individual needs, foster children are frequently dysfunctional human
beings at great penal and welfare costs.
   (b) The Legislature further finds and declares that the
instruction, counseling, tutoring, and related services for foster
children that provide program effectiveness and potential cost
savings shall be a state priority.  Funding for that purpose is
hereby provided to the following unified school districts and
consortia that have successfully operated foster children services
program sites:  Elk Grove, Mount Diablo, Sacramento City, San Juan,
and Paramount, and the Placer-Nevada consortium.
42920.5.  (a) Commencing with fiscal year 1982-83, and each fiscal
year thereafter, each of the six program sites specified in
subdivision (b) of Section 42920 shall receive, in addition to the
base revenue limit, an allowance from the amount annually transferred
to Section A of the State School Fund equal to the amount the
district spent on foster children service programs in fiscal year
1981-82, adjusted to reflect cost-of-living increases by the total
percentage increase received by all categorical education programs.
In no event shall this cost-of-living adjustment exceed the inflation
adjustment provided pursuant to Section 42238.
   This allowance shall be used exclusively for foster children
services.
   The six program sites may continue to record revenue received
pursuant to this subdivision in the same manner used to record
revenue received for foster children services in the 1981-82 fiscal
year.
   The six program sites shall maintain their foster children
services programs in fiscal year 1995-96 and each subsequent fiscal
year at a program level comparable to that at which they administered
those programs in fiscal year 1994-95.
   (b) Commencing with fiscal year 1982-83, the base revenue of each
of the six school districts specified in subdivision (b) of Section
42920 shall be permanently reduced in an amount equal to the amount
spent on foster children services in fiscal year 1981-82.
42921.  In addition to the six program sites specified in Section
42920, any other school district may provide educational services for
children who reside in a regularly established licensed or approved
foster home, located within the boundaries of the program site,
pursuant to a commitment for placement under Chapter 2 (commencing
with Section 200) of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code.
42922.  Any school district which provides educational services for
foster children pursuant to Section 42921 shall receive funding in
any fiscal year for those services only by such sums as may be
specifically appropriated by the annual  Budget Act of the
Legislature for that fiscal year for support of those school-centered
foster children services which provide program effectiveness and
potential cost savings to the state.
   The Legislature may appropriate moneys from the General Fund for
this purpose, or, if sufficient funds are available, from the Foster
Children and Parent Training Fund pursuant to the provisions of
Section 903.7 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
42923.  (a) Each school district providing foster children services
pursuant to this chapter shall, by January 1 of each even-numbered
year, report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction any
information as may be required by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction for the purpose of subdivision (b).
   (b) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall, by February 15
of each even-numbered year, report to the Legislature and the
Governor on the foster children services provided by school
districts.  The report shall be prepared with the advice and
assistance of providers of foster children services and shall
include, but not be limited to, the following:
   (1) Recommendations regarding the continuation of services.
   (2) Recommendations regarding the effectiveness of the services,
unless program effectiveness is assessed in any other report covering
the same time period.
   (3) Recommendations regarding the broadening of the application of
those services.
   (4) Information which shall be sufficient to determine, at a
minimum, whether these services have resulted in a major quantitative
improvement or deterioration in any of the following indicators:
   (A) Pupil academic achievement.
   (B) The incidence of pupil discipline problems or juvenile
delinquency.
   (C) Pupil dropout rates or truancy rates.
   (5) A discussion of the meaning and implications of the indicators
contained in paragraph (4).
42924.  Any funds allocated to school districts for foster children
services pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 42920 or Section
42922 shall be used only for foster children services and any funds
not used by districts for those services shall revert to the state
General Fund.
42925.  (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall form an
advisory committee to make recommendations regarding the allocation
of available funds to school districts applying to receive funding
for foster children programs pursuant to subdivision (b).  The
advisory committee shall include, but not be limited to,
representatives from the Department of the Youth Authority, from the
State Department of Social Services, and from foster children
services programs.  Members of the advisory committee shall serve
without compensation, including travel and per diem.
   (b) Any school district which chooses to provide foster children
services programs pursuant to Section 42921 may apply to the
Superintendent of Public Instruction and to the advisory committee
for funding for those programs.
   (c) On or before November 1 of each year, the Superintendent of
Public Instruction shall provide the Governor with a proposed sum to
be included in the Governor's budget for the ensuing fiscal year for
allocation to school districts wishing to provide foster children
services programs pursuant to Section 42921.  Recommendations
regarding the specific programs to be funded and the amount to be
allocated to each shall be included with the proposed sum.