(a) The state board shall adopt and may periodically update by regulation a comprehensive list of professional and legal standards that all school districts are encouraged to use as a guide to conduct a good educational program and fiscal and management practices that shall be used as the basis of evaluating the improvement of qualifying school districts pursuant to this article. These standards shall, at a minimum, address all of the following areas:
(1) Financial management.
(2) Pupil achievement.
(3) Personnel management.
(4) Facilities management.
(5) Community relations.
(b) If an administrator is appointed pursuant to Section 41326, the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team established pursuant to Section 42127.8 shall conduct comprehensive assessments in the five areas specified in subdivision (a).
(c) After the assessments specified in subdivision (b) are completed, the county superintendent of schools, in consultation with the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, the Superintendent, and the president of the state board or the president’s designee, shall determine, based upon the school district’s particular needs and circumstances, the level of improvement needed in the standards adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) before local authority will be returned pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 41326. Based upon this determination, the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team shall complete improvement plans in the five areas specified in subdivision (a) that focus on the agreed upon standards, and that are consistent with the financial improvement plan.
(d) Beginning six months after an emergency loan is approved, and annually thereafter until local authority is returned pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 41326, the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team shall file a written status report with the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, the Members of the Legislature that represent the qualifying school district, any advisory council of the school district, the Superintendent, the county superintendent of schools, and the Director of Finance. The reports shall indicate the progress that the school district is making in meeting the recommendations of the improvement plans developed pursuant to this section.
(e) If the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team indicates in writing that it has insufficient resources to complete the comprehensive assessments, improvement plans, and progress reports required pursuant to this section, the county superintendent of schools shall request proposals to complete these tasks, and subject to the approval of the Department of Finance, select an entity to complete the tasks assigned to the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team pursuant to this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 24, Sec. 21. (SB 98) Effective June 29, 2020.)