AB 1781 established the Instructional Materials Funding Realignment Program (IMFRP) that, starting with the 2002-2003 fiscal year, took the place of three previous funding sources for instructional materials and was reauthorized when Senate Bill (SB) 733 was signed into law in 2007:
- Kindergarten through grade eight Instructional Materials Fund
- Grades nine through twelve Instructional Materials Fund
- Schiff-Bustamante Standards-Aligned Instructional Materials Fund, Kindergarten through grade twelve
Charter schools receive IMFRP funds as part of the charter school categorical block grant.
The funds are appropriated in the annual budget to be used for the purposes of the IMFRP. These funds are to be allocated based on the prior year kindergarten through grade twelve enrollment as reported by the California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) count. See Funding for the Purchase of Instructional Materials and School Library Materials for more information.
The State Board of Education adopted IMFRP regulations to implement this program. The regulations give specific information on the purchasing requirements. Also check the IMFRP Frequently Asked Questions Web page for additional details on this program.
IMFRP Quick Summary
This is a simplified summary of the requirements of the IMFRP. See the more detailed explanation below for further details.
- Use IMFRP funds to provide each pupil, kindergarten through grade twelve, with adopted standards-aligned textbooks or basic instructional materials in reading/language arts, mathematics, science and history-social science. This must be done within 24 months of any new state adoptions in these subject areas for kindergarten through grade eight.
- When all pupils have standards-aligned instructional materials in the four subjects listed above, the governing board certifies that this has been accomplished. See sample IMFRP Certification-Suggested Language (DOC; 25KB; 2pp.).
- Districts may now use IMFRP funds to purchase other state adopted materials, for kindergarten though grade eight, such as foreign language, health, and visual and performing arts or other locally adopted materials for grades nine through twelve.
- The district governing board holds its annual hearing and adopts a Suggested Resolution on Sufficiency of Instructional Materials (DOC; 27KB; 3pp.).
If all the above has been accomplished, then the district may use any remaining IMFRP funds for other approved purposes (see question # 12)
Details of IMFRP
The Instructional Materials Funding Realignment Program (Education Code Chapter 3.25, Sections 60420-60424) provides that:
1. Districts or county offices of education must use funds to ensure that each pupil, Kindergarten through grade twelve, is provided with a standards-aligned textbook or basic instructional materials by the beginning of the first school term that commences no later than 24 months after those materials were adopted by the State Board of Education. (See #4 for details on this 24 month requirement.)
For grades nine through twelve the standards-aligned instructional materials must be adopted by the local governing board. These adoptions must be made by local governing board resolution.
2. Once a local governing board certifies that it has provided each pupil with standards aligned instructional materials, the district or county office of education may use 100 percent of any remaining IMFRP funds to purchase other instructional materials consistent with the content and cycles of the curriculum frameworks.
For Kindergarten through grade eight the local educational agency may purchase instructional materials from other state adopted materials lists. See Price Lists of Kindergarten through grade eight Adopted Instructional Materials for current Kindergarten through grade eight adoption lists.
For grades nine through twelve the local educational agency may purchase instructional materials adopted by the local governing board in any other subject area covered by a state curriculum framework.
3. The local governing board is required to hold a public hearing (pursuant to Education Code Section 60119) in any year in which the base revenue limit for each district increases by at least one percent. The governing board must make a determination by resolution as to whether each pupil in the district has sufficient instructional materials in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science that are aligned to the academic content standards and are consistent with the content and cycles of the curriculum frameworks. If the governing board determines there are insufficient materials, the governing board must do the following:
- Provide information on the reasons why there are insufficient materials.
- Provide information on the percentage of students by school and subject that lack sufficient instructional materials.
- Take action to insure that each pupil will have sufficient materials by the second month of the school year.
4. When the governing board certifies that it has provided each pupil with standards-aligned basic instructional materials, it also must certify that the standards-aligned instructional materials in history-social science, mathematics, reading/language arts and science (as required in #1 above) were provided by the beginning of the school term that starts no later than 24 months after those materials were adopted.
For Kindergarten through grade eight this applies to State Board of Education adoptions in the four core standards-aligned subject areas that take place after the implementation of this law. The first adoption that this time frame will apply under IMFRP is the history-social science adoption scheduled for 2005. See the Schedule for Curriculum Framework Development and Adoptions of Kindergarten through grade eight Instructional Materials (DOC; 49KB; 1p.). Please note that other state and federal programs may have other deadlines for the purchase of standards-aligned instructional materials.
5. After the local educational agency has met all of the above requirements, then 100 percent of any remaining annual allocation for IMFRP may be spent for other purposes as stated in Education Code Section 60242(a). These other purposes include the following:
- Purchase, "at the district's discretion, instructional materials, including, but not limited to, supplementary instructional materials and technology-based materials, from any source." These instructional materials must be reviewed and approved for compliance with the legal and social requirements of Education Code Sections 60040-60045 and 60048 and the State Board of Education Guidelines in Standards for Evaluating Instructional Materials for Social Content (revised 2000) (PDF; 363KB; 20pp.). The legal and social compliance review may be done locally or at the state level. Materials that have passed the state level review are listed in an online database of Legal and Social Compliance Out-of-Cycle Instructional Materials.
- Purchase tests
- Purchase classroom library materials for Kindergarten through grade four.
- Bind basic textbooks that are otherwise usable and are on the most recent list of basic instructional materials adopted by the State Board of Education.
- Fund in-service training related to instructional materials.
