Section 48000.15 - [Operative until 7/1/2025] Transitional kindergarten classrooms(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that each transitional kindergarten classroom that includes an early enrollment child maintains at least one adult for every 10 pupils, and that credentialed teachers who are first assigned to a transitional kindergarten classroom that includes one or more early enrollment children meet at least one of the requirements specified subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of paragraph (4) of subdivision (g) of Section 48000.(b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:(1)(A) "Active enrollment count" means the count of all pupils enrolled in a transitional kindergarten classroom with early enrollment children on the first day of the school year on which the class was in session, plus all subsequent enrollees, minus all withdrawals since that first day.(B) An active enrollment count shall be made on the last teaching day of each school month that ends before April 15 of the school year.(C)(i) For school districts, the active enrollment count shall not include pupils enrolled in independent study pursuant to Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 51744) of Chapter 5 of Part 28 who (I) meet the minimum day requirements for independent study and (II) are continually enrolled in independent study for more than 14 schooldays in a school year.(ii) For charter schools, the active enrollment count shall not include pupils enrolled in independent study pursuant to Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 51744) of Chapter 5 of Part 28 who are continually enrolled in independent study for more than 14 schooldays on any of the days on which school is taught for the purpose of meeting the 175-instructional-day offering requirement, as described in Section 11960 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.(2) "Adult-to-pupil ratio" shall be the quotient of the active enrollment count divided by the total number of adults, rounded to the nearest half or whole integer.(3) "Class" means a group of pupils scheduled to report regularly at a particular time to a particular teacher during the regular schoolday, as defined by the governing board of the school district or the governing body of the charter school, as applicable, excluding special day classes. Classes in the evening and summer school class shall not be considered classes for purposes of this calculation.(4) "Early enrollment child" means a child whose fourth birthday will be between the third of June and first of September, inclusive, preceding the school year during which they are enrolled in a transitional kindergarten classroom.(5) "Number of adults" shall be determined for each classroom subject to this section as follows: (A) A count of employees of the school district or charter school assigned to each class that includes early enrollment transitional kindergarten pupils shall be made on the last teaching day of each school month that ends before April 15 of the school year.(B) The sum of all of the adult counts pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be divided by the total number of those counts, rounded to the nearest half or whole integer.(c)(1) Beginning July 1, 2023, and for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, any school district or charter school that offers transitional kindergarten to early enrollment children shall concurrently offer enrollment in a California state preschool program that is operated by the school district or charter school if the school district or charter school operates a California state preschool program and if that program is not fully subscribed, and may, notwithstanding Section 8208, enroll an early enrollment child in a California state preschool program operated by the school district or charter school, regardless of income, after all other eligible children have been enrolled.(2) Notwithstanding any other law, a pupil admitted to a transitional kindergarten program pursuant to this section shall not generate average daily attendance for purposes of Section 46300, or be included in the enrollment or unduplicated pupil count pursuant to Section 42238.02, until the pupil has attained their fifth birthday.(d) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 48000, a school district or charter school may enroll an early enrollment child in a transitional kindergarten program if all of following conditions are met: (1) Any classroom that includes an early enrollment child shall maintain an adult-to-pupil ratio of at least one adult to every 10 pupils.(2) The school district or charter school prioritizes assigning credentialed teachers that meet at least one of the requirements specified in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of paragraph (4) of subdivision (g) of Section 48000 to early enrollment transitional kindergarten classrooms, to the extent possible.(3) Any transitional kindergarten classroom that includes an early enrollment child shall maintain a classroom enrollment that does not exceed 20 pupils.(e)(1) If a school district or charter school fails to comply with the requirements of paragraph (1) or (3) of subdivision (d), the Superintendent shall withhold from the school district's or charter school's entitlement computed pursuant to Section 42238.02 an amount pursuant to the following: (A) For school districts and charter schools that fail to meet the adult-to-pupil ratio requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) for classrooms that include an early enrollment child, the amount shall be determined by multiplying: (i) The number of additional adults needed to meet the requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d), as calculated by dividing the total enrollment pupils in each transitional kindergarten classroom with early enrollment children, by 10, rounded to the nearest half or whole integer, minus the total number of adults assigned to the classroom, as determined pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b).(ii) Twenty, reduced by the statewide average rate of absence for elementary school districts for kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, as calculated by the department for the prior fiscal year, with the resultant figures and rates rounded to the nearest tenth.(iii) The per average daily attendance rate determined pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42238.02.(B) For school districts and charter schools that fail to maintain a class enrollment of not more than 20 pupils, as required pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (d), the amount determined by multiplying the then-current fiscal year's average daily attendance reported for the second principal apportionment period in transitional kindergarten classrooms with early enrollment children by the amount specified in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 42238.02, unless the school district or charter school fails to meet the requirements for average class size for kindergarten and grades 1 to 3, inclusive, pursuant to clause (i) of subparagraph (D) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 42238.02.(2) The Superintendent shall adjust an amount withheld pursuant to the requirements of paragraph (1) in order to ensure that the total amount withheld pursuant to paragraph (1) and Section 48000.1 does not exceed the product of both of the following: (A) The then-current fiscal year's average daily attendance reported for the second principal apportionment period in transitional kindergarten for the applicable school district or charter school.(B) The sum of the per average daily attendance rates of all of the following: (i) Subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 42238.02.(ii) Subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) of Section 42238.02.(iii) Paragraph (2) of subdivision (g) of Section 42238.02.(f) For the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, any school district or charter school that serves early enrollment children in transitional kindergarten shall report to the department, pursuant to a process determined by the department, the number of teachers in transitional kindergarten classrooms with early enrollment children that did not meet at least one of the requirements specified in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of paragraph (4) of subdivision (g) of Section 48000. The department shall submit a report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature and the Department of Finance by October 1, 2024, and again by October 1, 2025, that includes this information, disaggregated by each school district and charter school.(g) For the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal year Guide for Annual Audits of K-12 Local Education Agencies and State Compliance Reporting, the Controller shall incorporate verification of compliance with the requirements specified in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subdivision (d).(h) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2025.Ca. Educ. Code § 48000.15
Amended by Stats 2023 ch 194 (SB 141),s 13, eff. 9/13/2023.Added by Stats 2023 ch 48 (SB 114),s 49, eff. 7/10/2023.