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HomeEducation CodeCh. 2Art. 2§ 1259 Inmate Education Agreements

§ 1259 Inmate Education Agreements

Education Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 1259 Inmate Education Agreements

This law lets the prison boss set up school classes for inmates by making a deal with a nearby county school district, and the state has to pay the county back for the cost, but only up to a certain limit.

Key Takeaways

  • •The prison can only set up inmate classes through a formal agreement with a county school district.
  • •The state must pay the county back, but only up to the teacher salaries plus 20%; any extra retirement costs beyond that are not reimbursed.
  • •Inmate attendance in these classes does not count for extra state school funding.

Example

A prison in County X works with the school district in neighboring County Y to teach inmates math and reading.

The school district hires teachers and pays them, then the prison system reimburses the district for those costs, but the reimbursement can’t be more than the teacher salaries plus 20%. The district can’t count inmate attendance for extra state school money.

How to Calculate

Reimbursement = min( (Teacher Salaries) + (Retirement Contributions), (Teacher Salaries) × 1.20 )

  1. Find the total amount the county paid for teacher salaries.
  2. Find the amount the county had to pay into the teachers’ retirement fund.
  3. Add those two numbers together.
  4. Multiply the teacher salaries by 1.20 (that’s the salaries plus a 20% extra).
  5. The state will reimburse the smaller of the two amounts from Step 3 and Step 4.

County pays $10,000 in teacher salaries and $2,000 in retirement contributions for inmate classes.

Result: Reimbursement = min(10,000 + 2,000 = 12,000, 10,000 × 1.20 = 12,000) = $12,000

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 1259 Inmate Education Agreements

The Director of Corrections may establish and maintain classes for inmates of institutions or facilities under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections by entering into an agreement with the county superintendent of schools of a county in which the institution or facility is located, or of a county contiguous to such county, with the approval of the county board of education, under which the county shall maintain classes for such inmates. Any agreement entered into between the county superintendent of schools and the Director of Corrections, pursuant to this section shall require the Department of Corrections to reimburse the county for the cost to the county of maintaining such classes. “Cost” as used herein includes contributions required to be made by the county superintendent to the State Teachers’ Retirement System, but such cost shall not include an amount in excess of the amount expended by the superintendent for salaries of the teachers for such classes, increased by one-fifth. Salaries of such teachers for the purposes of this section shall not exceed the salaries as set by the county superintendent for teachers in other classes for adults maintained by the county. Attendance or average daily attendance in classes established pursuant to this section shall not be reported to the State Department of Education or the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for apportionment and no apportionment from the State School Fund shall be made on account of average daily attendance in such classes. No county superintendent of schools shall provide for the academic education of adult inmates of state institutions or facilities under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections except in accordance with this section. (Enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

educationretirementagreementattendancegovernorschoolportteacher

Related Statutes

  • § 1240 County School Superintendent Duties
  • § 46111 Kindergarten Daily Time Limits
  • § 48232 Student Leave For Travel
  • § 51210.2 Elementary Physical Education Requirements
  • § 59113 Retired Teachers As Substitutes

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Education Code. Section 1259.
View Official Source