2007 California Education Code Chapter 6.5. Telecommunications

CA Codes (edc:10550-10555)

10550.  (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that the State
Department of Education, in conjunction with county superintendents
of schools and others from the educational community, establish
telecommunication standards that will support the efficient sharing
of school business and administrative information.  These standards
shall allow schools, school districts, county superintendents of
schools, and the department to establish interactive access to this
information, reduce the reporting requirements of local educational
agencies, and assist local educational agencies in carrying out their
financial and administrative responsibilities in a more effective
manner.
   (b) In addition to establishing telecommunication standards, it is
the further intent of the Legislature that standardized financial
information and student information being developed pursuant to
Section 42103.3 and subdivision (k) of Section 51870 shall be among
the initial information that is shared when telecommunication links
are established.
   (c) It is also the intent of the Legislature that funding be made
available to encourage school districts and county superintendents of
schools to connect existing networks to the telecommunication
highway.  The Legislature also intends that the provisions of this
section be accomplished without requiring replacement of current
hardware and software at the local level and that the aforementioned
standards be developed and implemented without mandating specified
proprietary hardware or software purchases.



10551.  (a) For purposes of this chapter, "governing board" means
the governing board set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 42127.8.

   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that Section 10550 be
implemented by the governing board.
   (c) The governing board shall be supported by a team of persons
having extensive experience in the development of telecommunications
systems, local and statewide area computer networks, as well as
knowledge of the data and system needs of school business and
administration.  This team shall be operated under the immediate
direction and supervision of an appropriate county superintendent of
schools selected, in response to an application process, by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
   (d) The State Department of Education shall convene a committee of
volunteers, to advise the governing board.  This committee shall be
composed of individuals who are school district or county office of
education personnel and who have knowledge of financial and
administrative data processing matters.  Members of the committee
shall assume their own expenses for service on the committee, and the
state shall not provide reimbursement for either the time served by,
or the expenses of, the committee members.  Two individuals shall be
appointed to the committee by each of the following:
   (1) The president of the California Association of School Business
Officials.
   (2) The president of the Association of California School
Administrators.
   (3) The president of the California School Boards Association.
   (4) The president of the California Educational Data Processing
Association.
   (5) The Superintendent of Public Instruction.



10552.  (a) By July 1, 1995, the governing board, with the
assistance of the team established pursuant to subdivision (c) of
Section 10551 and the advice of the committee established pursuant to
subdivision (d) of Section 10551, shall establish telecommunication
standards for use by the department and by county superintendents of
schools in purchasing computer hardware or software for school
business and administration.  The standards shall focus on the
ability to process and share financial and administrative information
uniformly among county superintendents of schools and school
districts as well as between county superintendents of schools and
the department and shall be consistent with other departmental and
national standards for telecommunication.  The department shall
disseminate those standards to county superintendents of schools by
July 15, 1995, and publish those standards in the California School
Accounting Manual.
   (b) Any new or replacement financial and administrative data
processing or telecommunication equipment purchased by a county
superintendent of schools after July 15, 1995, may meet the standards
developed pursuant to subdivision (a).
   (c) Any new or replacement financial and administrative data
processing or telecommunication equipment purchased by the department
after July 1, 1995, may meet the standards developed pursuant to
subdivision (a).



10553.  (a) After the telecommunication standards developed pursuant
to subdivision (a) of Section 10552 are established, each county
superintendent of schools shall consult with each of the school
districts under its jurisdiction about its specific telecommunication
needs to enable the sharing of financial and administrative data at
the local level.
   (b) After telecommunication standards are established pursuant to
subdivision (a) of Section 10552, each county office of education
shall establish, by January 1, 1996, uniform standards for sharing
financial and administrative information between school districts and
the county office of education that, to the extent relevant, conform
to the standards established pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section
10552 and take into consideration the needs identified pursuant to
subdivision (a).  Thereafter, school districts may follow those
standards when purchasing additional or replacement hardware or
software for financial and administrative data processing.  School
districts shall not be required to replace current hardware or
software as a result of the enactment of this chapter, and any
decision to make a purchase is a decision of the local agency and not
a mandate of the state.



10554.  (a) In order for the governing board to carry out its
responsibilities pursuant to this chapter, there is hereby
established the Educational Telecommunication Fund.  The amount of
moneys to be deposited in the fund shall be the amount of any offset
made to the principal apportionments made pursuant to Sections 1909,
2558, 42238, 52616, Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 52335) of
Chapter 9 of Part 28, and Chapter 7.2 (commencing with Section 56836)
of Part 30, based on a finding that these apportionments were not in
accordance with law.  The maximum amount that may be annually
deposited in the fund from the offset is fifteen million dollars
(,000,000).  The Controller shall establish an account to receive
and expend moneys in the fund.  The placement of the moneys in the
fund shall occur only upon a finding by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction and the Director of Finance that the principal
apportionments made pursuant to Sections 1909, 2558, 42238, 52616,
and Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 52335) of Chapter 9 of Part
28, and Chapter 7.2 (commencing with Section 56836) of Part 30 were
not in accordance with existing law and were so identified pursuant
to Sections 1624, 14506, 41020, 41020.2, 41320, 42127.2, and 42127.3,
or an independent audit that was approved by the department.
   (b) Moneys in the fund established pursuant to subdivision (a)
shall only be available for expenditure upon appropriation by the
Legislature in the Budget Act.
   (c) The moneys in the fund established pursuant to subdivision (a)
may be expended by the governing board to carry out the purposes of
this chapter, including for the following purposes:
   (1) To support the activities of the team established pursuant to
subdivision (c) of Section 10551.
   (2) To assist the school districts and county superintendents of
schools in purchasing both hardware and software to allow school
districts, county superintendents of schools, and the department to
be linked for school business and administrative purposes.  The
governing board shall establish a matching share requirement that
applicant school districts and county superintendents of schools must
fulfill to receive those funds.  It is the intent of the Legislature
to encourage the distribution of grants to school districts and
county superintendents of schools to the widest extent possible.
   (3) To provide technical assistance through county offices of
education to school districts in implementing the standards
established pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 10552.




10555.  By March 15 of each year, the governing board shall report
to the Governor, the Legislature, the State Board of Education, the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Department of Finance
on the progress that has been made to meet the objectives of this
chapter, the status of activities related to meeting the objectives
of this chapter, and any plan of the governing board for subsequent
fiscal years to meet the objectives of this chapter.