The Budget Act of 2026 appropriates, for the 2026–27 fiscal year, $1,000,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Education to administer the California Community Schools Partnership Program to distribute funding to local educational agencies, as defined, in accordance with a specified formula, to support a network of their eligible schoolsites to implement new, and provide ongoing support for existing, community schools, as provided. Existing law authorizes a local educational agency who receives funds under these provisions to retain up to 10% of the total funds awarded for its eligible schoolsites each fiscal year to be used for specified activities, including, among other things, administering community schools established at eligible schoolsites. This bill, to be known as the It Takes a Village Act of 2026, would (1) require any retained funds described above to be used consistent with a specified community schools framework, as provided, and (2) authorize a local educational agency that retains those funds to also use those funds to serve as a network lead for multiple schoolsites located in a Promise Neighborhood, as provided. By expanding the purposes for which previously appropriated moneys may be expended, the bill would make an appropriation. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 8903 of the Education Code proposed by AB 133 or SB 133 to be operative only if this bill and either AB 133 or SB 133 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
The California Constitution, pursuant to provisions enacted by the Proposition 209, an initiative measure adopted by the voters at the November 5, 1996, statewide general election, prohibits the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting, as specified. This measure, the Closing the Student Opportunity and Achievement Gap Act, would, instead, limit the above prohibition to the operation of public employment, public higher education admissions and enrollment, and public contracting. The measure would require that it appear on the ballot at the November 7, 2028, statewide general election.
Existing law authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to authorize the establishment of community college district baccalaureate degree programs, as provided. Existing law requires a governing board of a community college district that is seeking authorization to offer a baccalaureate degree program to submit specified information for review by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and approval by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Beginning January 1, 2028, this bill would additionally require, among other things, a community college district to submit information relating to a determination of unmet current or future projected workforce need and consultation with the California State University and the University of California regarding collaborative approaches to meeting regional workforce needs. The bill would require this information to be submitted for review by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the Chancellor of the California State University, and approval by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law requires the Chancellor of Community Colleges to ensure, for the application and review process for community college districts to participate in the baccalaureate degree program, that only 15 baccalaureate degree programs are approved during each application period and that the total number of baccalaureate degree programs offered by a community college district, at any time, does not exceed 25% of the total number of associate degree programs offered, among other things. This bill would instead prohibit a community college district from submitting more than 3 applications during an academic year and would require a community college district offering a baccalaureate degree program to not displace enrollment opportunities for students seeking associate degrees, associate degrees for transfer, certificates, or noncredit instruction, and maintain access to lower division instructional offerings. Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to consult with and seek feedback from the Chancellor of the California State University, the President of the University of California, and the President of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities on proposed baccalaureate degree programs, as specified. Existing law authorizes the California State University and the University of California to assess whether proposed baccalaureate degree programs are duplicative of existing baccalaureate programs offered by state universities. If the California State University or the University of California believes there is program duplication, existing law requires them to submit written objections with supporting evidence to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges within 30 working days of receipt of the proposal, and requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, within 30 working days after receiving the written objections, to convene with the applicant and the segment or segments that raised an objection to collaborate and establish a written agreement before the program is approved. This bill would instead require written objections with supporting evidence to be submitted to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges within 45 working days of receipt of the proposal, except as provided, and would require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to provide the application to the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development within 30 working days, as specified. Upon receipt of a written objection filed by the California State University, the bill would instead require the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development to determine if the proposed baccalaureate degree program addresses an unmet current or projected future workforce need and if the capacity of the substantially similar academic program of the California State University is sufficient to meet the regional workforce needs, as specified. This bill would require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to report annually to the Legislature, no later than March 1, on the status of all baccalaureate degree programs approved under these provisions, as provided. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 78042 of the Education Code proposed by SB 960 to be operative only if this bill and SB 960 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would make the operation of its provisions contingent upon the enactment of SB 960 of the 2025–26 Regular Session.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes them to provide instruction to students at community college campuses. One of these districts is the Los Angeles Community College District. Existing law appropriates $5,000,000 to the Los Angeles Community College District for the development and initial operations of the California Center for Climate Change Education at the West Los Angeles College with the mission to promote climate change education at the California Community Colleges and establish opportunities for students to engage in hands-on internships and other learning opportunities. This bill would codify the establishment of the center. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Los Angeles Community College District.
The California Constitution prohibits the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. 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. A provision of the act applies to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, act to make the provision applicable. This bill would state that the California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions may consider providing a preference in admissions to an applicant who is a descendant of slavery, as defined, to the extent it does not conflict with federal law.
Existing law establishes the California DREAM Loan Program, which authorizes a student attending a participating campus of the University of California or California State University to receive a loan, referred to as a DREAM loan, if the student satisfies certain requirements. Existing law prohibits a student from borrowing more than $4,000 within a single academic year and more than $40,000 in the aggregate under the program. Existing law prohibits a student enrolled in an undergraduate program from borrowing more than $20,000 as an undergraduate student and prohibits a student enrolled in a graduate program from borrowing more than $20,000 as a graduate student. This bill would instead prohibit a student enrolled in an undergraduate program from borrowing more than $4,000 within a single academic year, and a student enrolled in a graduate program from borrowing more than $20,500 within a single academic year. The bill would increase the aggregate limit under the program for a student enrolled in a graduate program to $118,500 as a graduate student, while maintaining the $20,000 aggregate limit under the program for a student enrolled in an undergraduate program, thereby increasing the overall aggregate limit under the program for a student who receives a DREAM loan for both undergraduate and graduate enrollment to $138,500.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state and authorizes them to operate campuses and provide instruction to students. This bill would provide that a community college district is not required to comply with the zoning ordinances of a city, county, or city and county, for a university housing development project constructed on property owned or leased by a community college district if specific requirements are met. If the project includes units for faculty and staff, the bill would require the community college district to ensure that a portion of the units of the project are made available at affordable rents to extremely low income faculty and staff and lower income faculty and staff. 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.
Existing law, the Compulsory Education Law, generally makes persons between the ages of 6 and 18 years of age subject to compulsory full-time education, unless exempted. Existing law makes a parent or guardian of a pupil of 6 years of age or more who is in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 8, inclusive, and subject to compulsory full-time or continuing education, whose child is a chronic truant, as defined, who has failed to reasonably supervise and encourage the pupil's school attendance, and who has been offered support services to address the pupil's truancy, guilty of a misdemeanor that is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, or imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or both that fine and imprisonment. This bill would repeal that criminal offense.
