Chapter 6.5. Telecommunications of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 7. >> Chapter 6.5.

(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.

(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.

(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).

(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.

(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 Controller shall establish an account to receive and expend moneys in the fund.
  (b) Moneys in the fund established pursuant to subdivision (a) shall only be available for expenditure upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.
  (c) 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, but not limited to, 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.

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.