Local educational agencies: governance training.

Chapter number 618 was assigned and the bill's approval and filing date (October 11, 2025) was inserted, replacing blank signature fields.

Page headers changed from 'AB 640' to 'Ch. 618' and page numbers shifted from 95 to 94 throughout the document, reflecting reformatting for the official chaptered publication.

The definition of 'local educational agency official' was narrowed from 'any member' to 'any regular member' of a governing board or body. A new subdefinition clarifies that 'regular member' has the same meaning as in Section 1000, 35012, or 47604.2, effectively excluding alternates and temporary members from the training requirement.

A new exemption was added: a local educational agency official who completed the California School Boards Association's Masters in Governance program and provides proof of completion to their agency is exempt from the training requirement.

A new provision in Section 35223(c) states that an official who received training during their initial term and then serves one or more consecutive terms is deemed to have complied with the article's requirements, eliminating the need for retraining across consecutive terms.

The provision for officials commencing service was expanded to explicitly cover those who 'commence a subsequent nonconsecutive term,' clarifying that returning officials after a gap must retrain within one year of their new term.

The provision on how training may be delivered was substantially rewritten. The Assembly version allowed LEAs to simply offer courses, arrange for officials to receive courses from a different entity, or offer self-study materials. The Senate version replaces this with a detailed framework requiring that external providers have demonstrable experience in the applicable topic, that their primary function is supporting LEAs, and that trainers individually possess demonstrable experience. It also restricts which types of entities can train school district/COE officials versus charter school officials.

The curriculum update provision was changed from 'may be updated' (optional) to 'shall be updated periodically' (mandatory), requiring the County Office Fiscal Crisis team and California Collaborative to keep their curricula current with statutory changes.

Key dates were shifted from January 1 to April 1: officials 'in service as of' the date changed from January 1, 2027 to April 1, 2027, and the training deadline changed from before January 1, 2028 to before April 1, 2028. The California Collaborative curriculum development deadline was also extended from October 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027.

The reference to public school accountability laws for school districts and county offices of education was narrowed from all of Chapter 6.1 (commencing with Section 52050) to only Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 52059.5) within that chapter, reducing the scope of accountability topics covered in training.

The umbrella term for the training subject was changed from 'K-12 public education governance laws' to 'K-12 public education school finance laws,' though the definition still encompasses both school finance laws and public school accountability laws.

A new option (C) was added allowing local educational agencies to arrange training through the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, which is explicitly permitted to charge a fee for providing the training.

Periodic curriculum updates changed from 'may be updated' to 'shall be updated,' making it a mandatory obligation rather than an optional one.

Removed language requiring that officials already in service as of the effective date receive training at least once during their tenure (beyond the initial deadline).

The deadline for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to develop its curriculum was extended from October 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027.

All training compliance dates were shifted from January 1, 2027 / January 1, 2028 to April 1, 2027 / April 1, 2028, giving officials an additional three months.

Training method options were relettered from (A), (B), (C) to (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) to accommodate the new County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team option, with self-study materials moved to a separate option (E).

The defined term changed from 'K-12 public education governance school finance laws' (which included both school finance laws AND public school accountability laws) to simply 'K-12 public education school finance laws.' The entire category of public school accountability laws - including LCAP development, parent and community engagement requirements, and district-specific accountability provisions - was removed from the training requirement.

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence was removed as a curriculum developer. Previously it was required to develop a separate curriculum on accountability law topics by January 1, 2027. Now only the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team develops the curriculum (due October 1, 2026), covering all required topics.

The maximum training course duration was simplified. The old version allowed up to four hours for one topic area or eight hours if covering both finance and accountability topics. The enrolled version sets a flat four-hour maximum since only one topic area remains.

Added Assembly Member Wicks as co-author of the bill.

New definition of 'Entity managing a charter school' meaning a nonprofit public benefit corporation operating a charter school under Section 47604. This expands who is covered by the training requirement to include board members of these nonprofit entities, not just charter school governing bodies.

The definition of 'K-12 public education governance laws' was substantially expanded. School finance laws now specifically cite Chapter 6 (Section 42100) of Part 24 for budget laws and add a new subcategory covering fiscal penalties for noncompliance with specific statutory references. Accountability laws were restructured to include a general category for all local educational agencies covering LCAP development and parent/community engagement, in addition to the existing district/county and charter school categories.

New Section 35220.5 requires the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team to develop a curriculum on fiscal topics and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to develop a curriculum on accountability topics, both due by October 1, 2026. Both must consult with the state department of education, solicit input from experts and the public, and post curricula on their websites.

Section 35221 now requires that any entity offering training courses to meet the article's requirements must use the curricula developed under Section 35220.5. This replaces the introduced version's more flexible approach where entities could develop their own curriculum with departmental consultation.

New provision limits training duration: no longer than 4 hours for one topic area (fiscal or accountability) and no longer than 8 hours if covering both topic areas.