The Legislature finds that each year one or more school districts or county offices of education experience severe financial difficulty. In some cases these school districts or county offices of education request emergency apportionments from the state under the provisions of Article 2 (commencing with Section 41320). In order to reduce the need for these apportionments, it is the intent of the Legislature that the Superintendent of Public Instruction be authorized to provide assistance and guidance to school districts and county offices of education that are experiencing severe financial difficulty. That assistance and guidance shall be limited to the fiscal concerns addressed by the standards and criteria adopted pursuant to Section 33127.