AP15:109
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2015
CONTACT: Sam Mahood
(916) 653-6575
Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation
Public School Teachers. Waiting Period for Permanent Status. School Employment Decision. Initiative Statute.
SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponents of a new initiative were cleared to begin collecting petition signatures today.
The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:
PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS. WAITING PERIOD FOR PERMANENT STATUS. SCHOOL EMPLOYMENT DECISIONS. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Increases length of service required before a teacher may become a permanent employee, from two consecutive school years to five consecutive school years. Gives local public school boards sole authority to set policies for, and ends collective bargaining over, teacher transfers, reassignments, layoffs, or re-employment, and the start date of the school year and hours in the school day. Prohibits seniority as a primary consideration in such policy decisions. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Local educational agencies (LEAs) likely would experience net higher costs in the low tens of millions of dollars statewide due to conducting more frequent teacher evaluations and having to modify their employment policies. LEAs might incur various other fiscal effects relating to teacher compensation, teacher turnover, collective bargaining, and employment hearings, but the net impact of all these factors is difficult to determine. (15-0078.)
The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1736 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 15-0078.
The proponents of the measure, Heidi L. Gallegos and Stephen J. Cox, must collect the signatures of 365,880 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the November 2016 ballot. The proponents have 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials by June 6, 2016. The proponents can be reached c/o Robinson Bradford, LLP at (209) 954-9001.
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