(a) (1) The ratio of average daily attendance for independent study pupils 18 years of age or less to school district full-time equivalent certificated employees responsible for independent study, calculated as specified by the department, shall not exceed the equivalent ratio of average daily attendance to full-time equivalent certificated employees providing instruction in other educational programs operated by the school district, unless a new higher or lower average daily attendance ratio for all other educational programs offered is negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement or a memorandum of understanding is entered into that indicates an existing collective bargaining agreement contains an alternative average daily attendance ratio.

(2) The ratio of average daily attendance for independent study pupils 18 years of age or less to county office of education full-time equivalent certificated employees responsible for independent study, to be calculated in a manner prescribed by the department, shall not exceed the equivalent prior year ratio of average daily attendance to full-time equivalent certificated employees for all other educational programs operated by the high school or unified school district with the largest average daily attendance of pupils in that county or the collectively bargained alternative ratio used by that high school or unified school district in the prior year, unless a new higher or lower average daily attendance ratio for all other educational programs offered is negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement or a memorandum of understanding is entered into that indicates an existing collective bargaining agreement contains an alternative average daily attendance ratio. The computation of the ratios shall be performed annually by the reporting agency at the time of, and in connection with, the second principal apportionment report to the Superintendent.

(b) Only those units of average daily attendance for independent study that reflect a pupil-teacher ratio that does not exceed the ratios described in subdivision (a) shall be eligible for apportionment pursuant to Section 2575, for county offices of education, and Section 42238.05, for school districts. This section does not prevent a school district or county office of education from serving additional units of average daily attendance greater than the ratios described in subdivision (a), except that those additional units shall not be funded pursuant to Section 2575 or 42238.05, as applicable. If a school district, charter school, or county office of education has a memorandum of understanding to provide instruction in coordination with the school district, charter school, or county office of education at which a pupil is enrolled, the ratios that shall apply for purposes of this paragraph are the ratios for the local educational agency providing the independent study program to the pupil pursuant to Section 51749.5.

(c) The calculations performed for purposes of this section shall not include either of the following:

(1) The average daily attendance generated by special education pupils enrolled in special day classes on a full-time basis, or the teachers of those classes.

(2) The average daily attendance or teachers in necessary small schools that are eligible to receive funding pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 42280) of Chapter 7 of Part 24 of Division 3.

(d) The applicable average-daily-attendance-to-certificated-employee ratios described in subdivision (a) may, in a charter school, be calculated by using a fixed average-daily-attendance-to-certificated-employee ratio of 25 to 1, or by using a ratio of less than 25 pupils per certificated employee. A new higher or lower ratio for all other educational programs offered by a charter school may be negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement, or a memorandum of understanding indicating that an existing collective bargaining agreement contains an alternative average daily attendance ratio may be entered into by a charter school. All charter school pupils, regardless of age, shall be included in the applicable average-daily-attendance-to-certificated-employee ratio calculations.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 86, Sec. 67. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2017.)