School accountability: local educational agencies: required plans and reports.

Section 1 was deleted entirely. It had expressed legislative intent to enact future legislation creating a task force to evaluate and recommend components of a single, centralized statewide data reporting system for local educational agencies serving K-12 pupils.

Throughout the bill, references to 'reports' were expanded to 'plans and reports,' explicitly including LCAPs (which are planning documents) in the scope of the burden-reduction effort alongside compliance and expenditure reports.

The deadline for the Legislative Analyst's Office to submit its report changed from July 1, 2027 to January 1, 2028, a six-month extension.

The fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now requires review by the appropriate fiscal committee, likely due to the expanded scope of work assigned to LAO and SDE.

The statewide data submission portal recommendations must now specify: (1) the data fields to be included, (2) which reports could be populated by portal data, and (3) which state entities are best suited to create, host, and maintain the portal. The language also changed from 'generate multiple reports' to 'autopopulate fields of multiple plans or reports.'

The statewide reporting calendar recommendations must now specify: (1) the content to be included, (2) which entities should create, host, and maintain it, and (3) the frequency and methods for updating it. The calendar scope also broadened from 'deadlines recommended for retention' to 'deadlines of all plans and reports required to be submitted by local educational agencies.'

In preparing portal recommendations, LAO must now confer with 'other state agencies that operate similar data portals or may be able to create a data portal,' not just the State Department of Education.

New Section 33318.3 added to the Education Code requiring the Legislative Analyst's Office to review existing required reports, planning documents, and deadlines for local educational agencies, and to prepare a report with recommendations to reduce or remove conflicting or redundant reporting requirements.

LAO must recommend a statewide data submission portal that allows a local educational agency to enter information once and generate multiple reports. LAO is required to confer with the State Department of Education and research portals used in other states.

LAO must solicit and incorporate feedback from statewide organizations representing school boards, county offices of education, school administrators, business officers, small/medium/large districts, and labor unions before finalizing its report.

LAO must submit its report to the Legislature and Governor on or before July 1, 2027. The State Department of Education must update the statewide reporting calendar by July 1, 2028 and annually thereafter.

The bill now explicitly defines 'local educational agency' as a school district, county office of education, or charter school, clarifying who is covered by the reporting reduction efforts.

The bill changed from a non-binding statement of intent (saying the Legislature intends to enact future legislation creating a task force) into a binding mandate with specific duties, deadlines, and deliverables assigned to the Legislative Analyst's Office.

Fiscal committee review changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amendment now requires fiscal analysis due to the new operational requirements placed on state agencies.