ASSEMBLYMEMBER NICOLE M. PARRA
30TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

For Immediate Release: April 20, 2007
Contact: Derek Chernow
Phone: (916) 319-2030

Assemblymember Parra Wins Early Education Victories

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Nicole Parra (D-Hanford) announced the passage of two key pieces of legislation out of the Assembly Education Committee this week.    The bills – focused on home to school transportation and school facility construction – mark important components of the Assemblymember’s legislative program.  Both bills now head to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

“It is my intent to help our rural and low-wealth schools get their fair share of State funding,” said Parra.  “Whether it is for transportation or school construction, I want to ensure that schools in the Central Valley receive the same consideration and priority as schools in Los Angeles or San Francisco .”

AB 699 incorporates recommendations from an audit recently completed by the Bureau of State Audits and provides funding for California to reimburse school districts so that no more than 2% of a school district’s general revenues are expended on home-to-school transportation.

AB 1545 eases the process for rural schools attempting to apply for hardship funding from the state.  The bill is a follows up to legislation introduced last session by Assemblymember Parra that aids low-wealth school districts in completing the construction of school facilities.  AB 1545 requires the State Office of Public School Construction to assess the current hardship funding scheme and recommend changes, including those to specifically help low-wealth school districts.

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