Section 51745.6.

(a) 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 State Department of Education, shall not exceed the equivalent ratio of pupils to full-time certificated employees for all other educational programs operated by the school district. 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 State Department of Education, shall not exceed the equivalent ratio of pupils to full-time 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. The computation of those 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 of Public Instruction.

(b) Only those units of average daily attendance for independent study that reflect a pupil-teacher ratio that does not exceed the ratio described in subdivision (a) shall be eligible for apportionment pursuant to Section 42238.5, for school districts, and Section 2558, for county offices of education. Nothing in this section shall prevent a school district or county office of education from serving additional units of average daily attendance greater than the ratio described in subdivision (a), except that those additional units shall not be funded pursuant to Section 42238.5 or Section 2558.

(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.

(d) The pupil-teacher ratio described in subdivision (a) in a unified school district participating in the class size reduction program pursuant to Chapter 6.10 (commencing with Section 52120) may, at the school district's option, be calculated separately for kindergarten and grades 1 to 6, inclusive, and for grades 7 to 12, inclusive.

(e) The pupils-to-certificated-employee ratio described in subdivision (a) may, in a charter school, be calculated by using a fixed pupils-to-certificated-employee ratio of 25 to one, or by being a ratio of less than 25 pupils per certificated employee. All charter school pupils, regardless of age, shall be included in pupil-to-certificated-employee ratio calculations.

(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 543, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2006.)