Volume I, No. 21

April 30, 2009

Public Health School Closures

By Dave Walrath

Yesterday Assembly Member Tom Torlakson announced he will be introducing legislation to address the school issues related to the swine flu outbreak. The legislation would ensure school districts do not face additional financial challenges or penalties if they must close a school as a result of a swine flu outbreak. 

Specifically, AB 95 will be amended to add protections in the law to make sure school districts are not stripped of their Average Daily Attendance (ADA) dollars including crucial categorical funds for class size reduction when they must close their doors due to a public health emergency. While we are past April 15 for the Second Principle Apportionment ADA count, there can be issues on longer-day and longer-year funding that might need to be addressed to avoid penalties.