William's Legislation & Sufficiency of Instructional Materials
William's Lawsuit History
Williams v. State of California is a statewide class action suit regarding sufficiency of instructional materials, adequacy of facilities and the qualification of teachers. In September 2004, the Williams Settlement Legislation was enacted into law requiring all districts in the State of California to provide sufficient instructional materials in core subject areas; maintain clean, safe facilities in good repair and take measures to guarantee all pupils have qualified teachers.
From the Law with references to Ed Code: The priority objective of the visits made pursuant to this paragraph shall be to determine the status of all of the following circumstances:
- Sufficient textbooks, as defined in Section 60119 and as specified in subdivision (i).
- The condition of a facility that poses an emergency or urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff, as described in school district policy or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 17592.72.
- The accuracy of data reported on the school accountability report card with respect to the availability of sufficient textbooks and instructional materials, as defined by Section 60119, and the safety, cleanliness, and adequacy of school facilities, including good repair, as required by Sections 17014, 17032.5, 17070.75, and 17089.
New Legislative Requirements for Williams Eligibility:
- As outlined in AB 599, schools that meet the citeria listed below are eligible for monitoring under the Williams settlement legislation:
- Schools where 15% or more of the teachers are holders of a permit, certificate, or any other authorization that is a lesser certification than a preliminary or clear California teaching credential.
REMINDER - All schools are Williams schools, not just those reviewed by a County Office.
If your site is selected to be visited by the County Office of Education, please refer to these resources to assist you in preparation for your visit.
The list of schools subject to a Williams audit by the San Diego County Office of Education is available for you to view.
Requirements for All Schools
All schools must meet the Williams Legislation requirements in the following categories:
Every school in the district is required to provide sufficient textbooks, or other instructional materials, for all pupils in core subject areas. These instructional materials must be aligned to the content standards and consistent with the cycles of the curriculum frameworks adopted by the State Board of Education. Core subject areas include English language arts (including any English Language Development component of an adopted program), mathematics, history/social science and science. Pupils enrolled in a foreign language or health course must also be provided sufficient instructional materials and adequate science laboratory equipment must be available for science courses in grades 9-12. "Sufficient" textbooks or instructional materials means each pupil, including English learners, has standards-aligned textbook or instructional materials, or both, to use in class and to take home. Note: this does not mean that each pupil is issued two sets of instructional materials, only one set to be used for both purposes.
Suggested Options for Textbook Checkout - This form outlines options for textbook check-out to students at secondary schools.
Below are the links to the forms all schools not subject to Williams visits are required to complete:
Additional District Requirements
Board Resolution on Sufficiency of Instructional Materials - The Williams legislation requires that districts certify the sufficiency of instructional materials at their schools through a Board resolution by the end of the eighth week of the school year. Annually, District staff bring forward for Board approval the "Resolution in the Matter of Certification of Sufficient Textbooks or Instructional Materials," affirming that each pupil in the district has sufficient materials that are consistent with the content and cycles of the curriculum framework adopted by the State Board of Education. This resolution certifies the sufficiency of instructional materials based on annual documentation from each school.
Facilities must be maintained in "good repair," assuring they are clean, safe and functional in accordance with the Facilities Inspection Tool (FIT) developed by the Office of Public School Construction. No conditions should exist in structures or systems that pose a threat to the health and safety of pupils or staff while at school. School districts must certify that a facilities inspection system has been established to ensure each of its facilities is maintained in "good repair" in order to participate in the School Facility Program and the Deferred Maintenance Program.
Facility Inspection Tool: PDF | Excel
Every pupil is entitled to a permanent, highly qualified teacher. A permanent, highly qualified teacher means there should be no teacher vacancies or misassignments and the teacher meets certain educational requirements, passes a test, and holds an official teaching credential.
"Teacher Vacancy" is defined as a position to which a single designated certificated employee has not been assigned prior to 20 working days after the first day of pupil attendance.
"Teacher Misassignment" is defined as the placement of a certificated employee in a teaching or service position for which the employee does not have a legally recognized certificate or credential or is not otherwise authorized to hold the position. Proper authorization and training is required to teach English Learners (ELs) assigned to a teacher classroom.
A form will be provided during the Williams visit to report any teacher vacancies.
The district's Standards, Assessment and Accountability department annually prepares the School Accountability Report Card (SARC) for every school in San Diego Unified. Information in the SARC allows the public to evaluate and compare schools for student achievement, environment, resources and demographics. Williams legislation specifically requires reporting in the areas of instructional materials, school facilities and teachers to ensure:
- Every pupil is provided with sufficient instructional materials in the four core subject areas, pupils enrolled in health and foreign language classes have sufficient instructional materials and the availability of adequate science and laboratory equipment for science courses in grades 9-12;
- School facilities are evaluated and rated "good", "fair" or "poor";
- Vacant teacher positions or misassignments are identified.
The district's Uniform Complaint Procedure outlines complaint and appeal procedures for alleged violations of federal or state laws or regulations governing its educational programs. Because of the new legislation, San Diego Unified revised its Uniform Complaint Procedure to incorporate insufficient instructional materials, facility conditions that pose an urgent or emergency threat, violation of the Clean Restroom Act, teacher misassignment and vacancy issues as grounds for complaints by an individual, agency or organization.
The District must post Uniform Complaint Notices in every classroom to inform parents and guardians of the opportunity and method to register a complaint regarding these issues.
Classroom Notices
English |
Spanish |
Tagalog |
Vietnamese
Notices must be posted in every classroom in the district outlining how to file a complaint. The legislation requires that for classrooms where the native language of 15% or more of the pupils is a language other than English, the notice must also be posted in this language. San Diego Unified has provided schools with English, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese versions of the notice to be posted in all of their classrooms. Principals are responsible for ensuring that the notices are posted.
Related Resources
Contact Information
Instructional Resources and Materials
IMC
2441 Cardinal Lane
Building I
San Diego, CA 92123-3798
Responsibility: |
Contact: |
Williams Coordinator & Instructional Materials |
Jeff Baumann
Instructional Resources & Materials Manager
[email protected]
(858) 496-8461 |
Facilities |
Bryan Ehm
Director, Physical Plant Operations
[email protected]
(858) 627-7227 |
Teacher Assignment |
Norma Velazquez
Certificated Comp. Supervisor
[email protected]
(619) 725-7562 |
SARC (School Accountability Report Cards) |
Marcellus Walker
Planning Analyst
[email protected]
(619) 725-7175 |
Uniform Complaint |
Eric Rico
Equity Compliance Coordinator
[email protected]
(619) 725-7457 |