The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education and their respective institutions of higher education. The act requests the Regents of the University of California, and requires the Trustees of the California State University, to require each campus in their respective segments to grant students the right to reenroll in their baccalaureate degree program after withdrawing or stopping out, if the student was in good academic standing with the university. This bill, commencing with the 2027–28 academic year, would require a campus of the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges, a private postsecondary educational institution, or an independent institution of higher education to adopt a written policy to allow a student to take a voluntary medical leave of absence for a period to be determined by the postsecondary educational institution, or for a period of up to one academic year, whichever is longer. The bill would prohibit the leave of absence policy from, among other things, requiring a student who takes a medical leave of absence to submit an official notice of withdrawal to the postsecondary educational institution. The bill would require a postsecondary educational institution, among other things, to post the medical leave of absence policy on the institution's internet website and notify students and faculty of the location of the posted policy on its internet website by sending an email at the beginning of each academic semester or term. These provisions would apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable. By imposing additional duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. This bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and would request the University of California, to (1) as specified, jointly convene and participate in an intersegmental working group to develop and present recommendations for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) system procurement standards and training, which the bill would require to be submitted on or before January 1, 2028, (2) provide the training to students, faculty, or staff, as applicable, (3) review the training developed by the working group at least once per academic year, update the training as necessary, and maintain records of completed trainings for each student, faculty member, and staff member who receives a training, as provided, and (4) within 60 days following the execution of a systemwide contract for a GenAI system and until procurement standards are adopted, submit a written report to the Legislature and certain legislative policy committees with a description of, among other things, the process used in evaluating and selecting the GenAI system, as provided.
Existing law, the Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A Entitlement Awards, the Cal Grant B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Expanded Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. Existing law establishes eligibility requirements for awards under the Cal Grant Program for participating students attending qualifying postsecondary educational institutions, and prescribes requirements that postsecondary educational institutions must comply with in order to be a qualifying postsecondary educational institution for purposes of the Cal Grant Program, including, among others, certain disclosure requirements. This bill would require, as part of the criteria to be a qualifying institution under the Cal Grant Program, an institution, no later than the start of the 2027–28 academic year, to develop and implement a cost of attendance policy and adjustment process to estimate and adjust cost of attendance information in a manner that is consistent with federal standards, as specified.
Under existing law, each school district and county office of education is responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools operating kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in cooperation with certain local entities. Existing law requires that the plan include identification of appropriate strategies and programs that will provide or maintain a high level of school safety and address the school's procedures for complying with existing laws related to school safety. This bill would require the Education Commissioner, in consultation with the State Board of Education and specified stakeholders, to develop recommendations on the development and approval processes for school safety plans. The bill would require the Education Commissioner, in consultation with the stakeholders, to review existing comprehensive school safety plans and make recommendations on the development and approval processes for, and the required elements of, a comprehensive school safety plan, as provided. The bill would require the Education Commissioner to, on or before July 1, 2028, submit a report on recommendations on the development and approval of school safety plans to the Department of Finance and appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature. The bill would authorize the State Department of Education to enter into exclusive or nonexclusive contracts, as provided, with nongovernmental entities to implement these provisions.
If state funds are used for a public building or facility or local funds are used for a school or community college building or facility, including a school playground, existing law prohibits a contract from being awarded until the Department of General Services issues a written approval stating that the plans and specifications comply with the intent of provisions governing access to public buildings by physically handicapped persons, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Existing law establishes various state grant and funding programs administered by the State Department of Education that may be used for school facilities and related improvements, including school playgrounds. This bill would require the department to curate and maintain an internet resource that demonstrates best practices for inclusive school playgrounds, as provided.
(1) Existing law requires a county office of education and county probation department to have a joint transition planning policy that includes collaboration with relevant local educational agencies to coordinate education and services for youth who have had contact with the juvenile justice system. Existing law requires, as part of the joint transition planning policy, the county office of education to assign transition oversight responsibilities to existing county office of education personnel who will work in collaboration with the county probation department and relevant local educational agencies to ensure that specified transition activities are completed for the pupil. This bill would require, as part of the joint transition planning policy, the school district or charter school in which the juvenile court school pupil will be enrolling to assign a staff member of that school district or charter school to serve as the point person for transition liaison responsibilities, and notify the county office of education and the county probation department of the assigned staff member's name and contact information. The bill would also require that staff member, and other personnel of the school district or charter school as needed to serve the pupil, to work in collaboration with the county office of education transition oversight personnel throughout the calendar year to ensure that the transition activities noted above are completed for the pupil. Existing law requires, for pupils detained for 20 consecutive schooldays or fewer, the pupil's individualized learning plan, if one exists, to be made available by the county office of education to the pupil upon the pupil's release. This bill would additionally require that pupil's individualized learning plan to be made available to the pupil's school district or charter school point person for transition liaison responsibilities. Existing law requires the county office of education, in collaboration with the county probation department, to establish procedures for the timely, accurate, complete, and confidential transfer of educational records, as specified. This bill would additionally require the county office of education to collaborate with relevant local educational agencies to establish those procedures. By imposing additional requirements on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires local educational agencies to issue full or partial credit on an official transcript for all full or partial coursework satisfactorily completed by pupil in foster care, a pupil who is a homeless child or youth, a former juvenile court school pupil, a pupil who is a child of a military family, a pupil who is a migratory child, or a newcomer pupil, while attending a public school, juvenile court school, charter school, school in a country other than the United States, or a nonpublic, nonsectarian school, as provided. Existing law requires, for a pupil in foster care, upon receiving a transfer request from a county placing agency or notification of enrollment from the new local educational agency, the local educational agency to deliver the official transcript to the next educational placement within 2 business days, as provided. This bill would require the transferring local educational agency to issue that official transcript within 2 business days, as provided. By imposing additional requirements on local educational entities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (4) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 51225.2 of the Education Code proposed by SB 685 to be operative only if this bill and SB 685 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law, commonly referred to as the Density Bonus Law, requires a city or county to provide a developer that proposes a housing development, as defined, within the city or county with a density bonus and other incentives or concessions, as specified, if the developer agrees to construct, among other options, 20% of the total units, as defined, for lower income students in a student housing development that meets certain requirements. These requirements include, among other things, that all units in the student housing development be used exclusively for undergraduate, graduate, or professional students enrolled full time at an institution of higher learning, and the rent provided in the applicable units of the development for lower income students is calculated at 30% of 65% of the area median income for a single-room occupancy unit type. This bill, for the purposes of a student housing development being eligible for a density bonus and other incentives or concessions, would revise and recast the rent requirements for the applicable units of the development for lower income students. The bill would also require a city or county to provide an additional density bonus, as specified, for a student housing development that meets the requirements for being eligible for the above-described density bonus and meets other specified criteria, including that the development provides 24% of the total units to lower income students, and the applicant agrees to include additional rental units affordable to moderate-income students, as defined, provided that the resulting student housing development would not restrict more than 50% of the total units, as defined, to moderate-income or lower income students. By imposing new duties on local governments, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 65915 of the Government Code proposed by AB 2433, SB 1383, or both, to be operative only if this bill and AB 2433, SB 1383, or both are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Education and assigns to the department numerous responsibilities relating to the governance of the public elementary and secondary schools in the state. This bill would require the department, on or before October 1, 2027, to create and post to its internet website a standardized template, as specified, for use by school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools when completing programmatic or expenditure reports for competitive state grant programs, except as provided. In drafting the template, the bill would require the department to ensure that the template creates reporting efficiencies for local educational agencies and schools that receive state grants and to consult relevant stakeholders involved in local educational agency reporting, as specified. The bill would require the department, on or before October 1, 2027, to submit the template to the Legislature, as provided, and, commencing January 1, 2028, to issue the template to local educational agencies as part of the notice of award information and again 6 months before the final report due date, and to prepopulate certain local educational agency administrative information. Existing law requires a bill that requires a state agency to submit a report on any subject to either house of the Legislature, a committee or office of either house of the Legislature, or the Legislative Counsel Bureau, to include a provision that repeals the reporting requirement, or makes the requirement inoperative, no later than a date 4 years following the operative date of the bill or 4 years after the due date of any report required every 4 or more years. Existing law requires the Legislative Counsel, in drafting a bill or amendment that includes a reporting requirement as described above, to include a provision repealing the reporting requirement or making the requirement inoperative, as specified, unless directed to do otherwise. This bill, beginning January 1, 2027, would (1) require a bill that would require a school district, county office of education, or charter school to complete a plan or report to include a provision that repeals the planning or reporting requirement, or makes the requirement inoperative, no later than 4 years following the bill's operative date if the planning or reporting requirement has an undefined end date or 4 years after the final due date of any plan or report, and (2) require the Legislative Counsel to include a provision in that bill repealing the planning or reporting requirement or making the requirement inoperative, as specified, unless directed to do otherwise. The bill would require, beginning January 1, 2028, the Legislative Counsel, in drafting a bill or amendment that imposes a new programmatic or expenditure reporting requirement for competitive state grant programs on a local educational agency, except as provided, to include a provision that requires the final programmatic or expenditure report be submitted using the template created by the department, as described above, unless directed to do otherwise.
Existing law requires the California Community Colleges, on or before July 1, 2027, to adopt a common course numbering system for all general education requirement courses and transfer pathway courses, and requires each community college campus, on or before July 1, 2027, to incorporate common course numbers from the adopted system into its course catalog. This bill would require, on or before December 31, 2027, the California Community Colleges to develop and submit to the Legislature an implementation and funding plan to establish a common course numbering and alignment system for career technical education public safety courses that is focused on regional, agency-compliant, and professional standards, as provided. The bill would require the system to include a phased implementation for firefighting courses, law enforcement education courses, and courses related to a modern policing degree program, as specified. The bill would make implementation of the system contingent upon the availability of funding.
Existing law, the World Language Teacher Exchange and Recruitment Law of 1963, requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules and regulations under which teachers employed by California school districts may exchange positions with teachers in schools in other countries for a period of one year or less. Existing law requires the arrangements for the exchanges to be made through the State Department of Education and in cooperation with the teacher exchange programs administered by agencies of the federal government. This bill would revise and recast those provisions by, among other things, (1) no longer requiring the state board to adopt regulations, (2) no longer requiring the department to administer the program or take actions necessary to carry out the program, (3) expressly providing for exchanges with Mexico and Spain, (4) expanding the authorized exchanges to include county offices of education and charter schools, (5) eliminating the one-year time limit on the exchanges, and (6) , if regulations are adopted, requiring those regulations to authorize specified visa sponsors designated by the United States Department of State to sponsor teachers from other countries, including Mexico and Spain, for placement in California school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to promote cultural exchange for specified purposes.
