This measure would urge the administration of President Donald J. Trump and the Congress of the United States to rescind the National Institutes of Health funding cuts. This measure also affirms the Legislature's commitment to postsecondary educational institutions.
(1) Existing federal law, known as Title IX, prohibits a person, on the basis of sex, from being excluded from participation in, being denied the benefits of, or being subject to discrimination under, any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Existing state law, the Sex Equity in Education Act, requires public schools, private schools that receive federal funds and are subject to the requirements of Title IX, school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to post in a prominent and conspicuous location on their internet websites specified information relating to Title IX. This bill would require the State Department of Education to, on or before January 1, 2028, review the existing California School Climate, Health, and Learning Surveys system to identify areas of the surveys where age-appropriate questions related to sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sexual abuse safety can be incorporated, as provided. The bill would declare the second full week in September as "Sexual Harassment Safety Week," during which time the bill would require all public schools, including charter schools, to focus on fostering a safe and secure environment for all members of the school community and place an emphasis on preventing sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sexual abuse, as provided. By imposing new duties on schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would encourage public schools to host interactive activities that cover school policies related to preventing sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sexual abuse, and prominently post specified resources and information about preventing those acts on the school's digital platform, as provided. The bill would encourage school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to, in coordination with specified personnel, send a written notice to the school community highlighting the Sexual Harassment Safety Week. (2) Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education. Existing law, the California Healthy Youth Act, requires school districts, charter schools, county boards of education, county superintendents of schools, the California School for the Deaf, and the California School for the Blind to ensure that all pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention education, as specified. The act requires that instruction to include, among other things, information about sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and human trafficking, as provided. This bill would require the commission, when the Health Education Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve is next revised on or after January 1, 2026, to consider including in that curriculum framework information related to, among other things, the Uniform Complaint Procedures, Title IX, and what a pupil should do if they believe another pupil has been subjected to sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, or retaliation, as provided. The bill would encourage the same information to also be provided as part of the instruction required under the comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education provisions. (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.
Existing law establishes a public school financing system that requires state funding for county superintendents of schools, school districts, and charter schools to be calculated pursuant to a local control funding formula (LCFF) , as specified. Under existing law, school districts that receive local revenues that exceed the LCFF amount do not receive a specified apportionment of LCFF funds, as provided, and are known as "basic aid school districts" or "excess tax entities." The Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act, an initiative approved by the voters as Proposition 98 at the November 8, 1988, statewide general election, amended the California Constitution to, among other things, set forth a formula for computing the minimum amount of revenues that the state is required to appropriate for the support of school districts and community college districts in any given fiscal year. The California Constitution creates the Public School System Stabilization Account in the General Fund and requires the Controller to transfer, pursuant to a schedule provided by the Director of Finance, a specified amount from the General Fund to the account in each fiscal year, except as provided. The California Constitution generally prohibits the total annual appropriations subject to limitation of the state and each local government from exceeding the appropriations limit of the entity of government for the prior fiscal year, adjusted for the change in the cost of living and the change in population. The California Constitution defines "appropriations subject to limitation" for these purposes. This bill would establish the Equalization Reserve Account in the General Fund. The bill would require interest earned on funds in the account to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to increase per-pupil funding in non-basic aid school districts, defined as school districts that received the above-described apportionment of LCFF funds in any of the then preceding 3 fiscal years, in a manner prescribed by the Legislature. The bill would require the Controller, in any fiscal year in which there is an increase over the preceding fiscal year in the minimum amount of revenues the state is required to appropriate for the support of school districts and community college districts, to transfer from the General Fund to the Equalization Reserve Account an amount equal to the total amount transferred from the General Fund to the Public School System Stabilization Account in that fiscal year, as provided. These provisions would become operative only if a constitutional amendment, approved by the voters, (1) excludes funds transferred to or allocated from the account from computations of the minimum amount of revenues that the state is required to appropriate for the support of school districts and community college districts, from the moneys allocated for purposes of meeting that minimum funding obligation, and from the total annual state appropriations subject to the limitation described above, and (2) requires the Legislature, in each fiscal year, to allocate a percentage of the interest that has been deposited in the account to increase per-pupil funding in non-basic aid school districts.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt standards, rules, and regulations for school library services. Existing law requires the Instructional Quality Commission, among other duties, to recommend the adoption of minimum standards for courses of study in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools to the state board upon request. Existing law requires the courses of study in public schools to conform to those minimum standards when adopted. This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2028, and every 8 years thereafter, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the state board, to consider recommending revisions to the standards for school library services to the state board. The bill would require, if the Superintendent decides to recommend revisions, the Superintendent to convene a group of experts to assist the Superintendent in developing the recommended revisions. The bill would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the Instructional Quality Commission, to hold a minimum of 2 public hearings in order for the public to provide input on the recommended revisions. The bill would require the Superintendent, within 18 months of convening the experts, to present to the state board the revised content standards for school library services, which the state board is required to adopt, reject, or modify, as provided. The operation of the bill would be subject to an appropriation being made for its purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute.
Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that all public schools, in kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, operated by school districts, in cooperation with specified entities and individuals, develop a comprehensive school safety plan, as provided. Existing law provides that school districts and county offices of education are responsible for the overall development of a comprehensive school safety plan for each of its schools, as provided. Existing law, the Charter Schools Act of 1992, provides for the establishment and operation of charter schools, including countywide charter schools, and requires a petition for the establishment of a charter school to contain comprehensive descriptions of various matters and procedures, including procedures that the charter school will follow to ensure the health and safety of pupils and staff. The act requires those procedures to also require the development of a school safety plan, as provided. Existing law encourages, on or before July 1, 2030, each public school, including charter schools, with an enrollment of 100 pupils or more to implement a web-based or app-based school safety program that includes certain program parameters. If a school implements a web-based or app-based school safety program, existing law requires the school to ensure that the program developers ensure that best practices are implemented to protect the security and data of all pupils and staff listed within the program, as provided. This bill, upon appropriation by the Legislature, would establish the School Mapping Data Grant Program under the administration of the Office of Emergency Services to provide one-time grants to participating school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to enter into contracts with qualified vendors providing school mapping data, as provided, for purposes of assisting public safety agencies in efficiently responding to on-campus emergencies at schools. The bill would require a school mapping data program, to be eligible to receive funding under the grant program, to include the same program parameters as, and to have the program developers implement the same best practices to protect the security and data of all pupils and staff as, a web-based or app-based school safety program, as described above. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Existing law authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership with the governing board of a school district, a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school for the purpose of offering or expanding dual enrollment opportunities for pupils who may not already be college bound or who are underrepresented in higher education, as provided. Existing law requires the partnership agreement to outline the terms of the partnership, as specified, and to establish protocols for information sharing, joint facilities use, and parental consent for high school pupils to enroll in community college courses. Existing law requires the protocols to only require a high school pupil participating in a CCAP partnership to submit one parental consent form and principal recommendation for the duration of the pupil's participation in the CCAP partnership. This bill would revise the CCAP partnership provisions to eliminate the requirement that the protocols require principal recommendation. Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to revise the special part-time student application process to allow a pupil to complete one application for the duration of the pupil's attendance at a community college as a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement. This bill would require a CCAP partnership agreement to also establish protocols that authorize a pupil to complete one application for the duration of the pupil's attendance at a community college as a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement. Existing law authorizes a community college district to allow a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement to enroll in up to a maximum of 15 units per term in courses offered at the community college campus or the participating high school campus if certain circumstances are satisfied, including that the units constitute no more than 4 community college courses per term. This bill would eliminate the 4 community college courses per term limit for a special part-time student enrolling in up to 15 units under a CCAP partnership agreement. Existing law requires, for each CCAP partnership agreement, the affected community college district and school district, county office of education, or charter school to annually report specified information to the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, including the total number of community college courses, by course category and type and by schoolsite, enrolled in by CCAP partnership participants. This bill instead would require the affected community college district and school district, county office of education, or charter school to annually report the total number of high school pupils who successfully completed 12 or more units of college coursework by graduation, completed a certificate, or completed the courses required for an associate degree or an associate degree for transfer.
Under existing law, it is the public policy of this state to encourage the utilization of apprenticeship as a form of on-the-job training, when such training is cost effective in developing skills needed to perform public services. Existing law requires state and local public agencies to make a diligent effort to establish apprenticeship programs for apprenticeable occupations in their respective workforces. Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials. Existing law requires, as a minimum requirement for a preliminary multiple-subject, single-subject, or education specialist teaching credential, the satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as specified. This bill would require the commission and the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to partner in the dissemination, approval, and monitoring of credentialed educator apprenticeship programs in California, and to communicate apprenticeship requirements to professional preparation programs, local educational agencies, and other potential sponsors of educator apprenticeship programs. The bill, notwithstanding any other law, would authorize the commission to issue apprenticeship certificates or permits to educator candidates without a credential who are employed by local educational agencies and participating in approved credentialed educator apprenticeship programs, as specified. The bill would authorize the commission and the division to enter into a memorandum of understanding to establish processes and procedures for information sharing, application review, and data collection and reporting, and would authorize the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, in consultation with the commission, to issue rules and regulations that govern credentialed educator apprenticeship programs, including the approval and denial of programs, registration of agreements, program administration and procedures, evaluations, working conditions, and minimum standards, as specified. The bill would require an applicant for a new credentialed educator apprenticeship program or for the expansion of an existing credentialed educator apprenticeship program into a new geographic or credential area to submit specified documentation to the chief. The bill would require the division to present the apprenticeship program application to the commission for its review, as provided, and would require the commission, if it is satisfied that specified conditions have been met, to provide written notice of that fact to the chief.
Existing law creates the California Computer Science Coordinator as a position within the State Department of Education to provide statewide coordination in, among other things, implementing the computer science content standards and leading the implementation of the Computer Science Strategic Implementation Plan, as provided. This bill would establish the California Computer Science Demonstration Grant Program for specified purposes, including increasing the number of public high schools offering a computer science course to increase pupil access to computer science education and increasing the computer science course access of pupils eligible for free or reduced-priced meals and pupils that are underrepresented in the field of computer science. The bill would also establish the California Computer Science Demonstration Grant Program Working Group that includes the coordinator and nonprofit organizations and private industry stakeholders with relevant expertise and experience in computer science education. The bill would authorize only public high schools that do not offer computer science courses to be eligible to voluntarily participate in the grant program. The bill would require the funding entity or funding entities, as defined, to administer the grant program. If there are multiple funding entities, the bill, among other things, would require each funding entity to determine how the funds that it contributes to the grant program will be spent, provided that expenditure aligns with the grant program's purposes, and require the funding entities to coordinate implementation of the grant program. The bill would require the funding entities, in coordination with the working group, to select the public high schools to participate in the grant program, as provided. The bill would require the grant program to be funded through contributions, gifts, grants, in-kind donations, and donations from the funding entity or funding entities, and would specify the allowable uses of those funds. The bill would require the funding entity or funding entities, in coordination with the working group, to evaluate the effectiveness of the grant program and submit an interim report to certain legislative committees on or before August 1, 2027, and a final report on or before July 1, 2028, as specified. The bill would repeal the grant program's provisions as of January 1, 2029. The bill would separately require the department, on or before June 30, 2028, and annually thereafter, to publicly post specified computer science course-related data on its internet website, as specified.
(1) Existing law, commencing with the 2013–14 fiscal year, establishes a public school financing system that requires state funding for county superintendents of schools, school districts, and charter schools to be calculated pursuant to a local control funding formula, as specified. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to annually calculate a county local control funding formula for each county superintendent of schools that includes, among other components, a county office of education operations grant composed of (A) $655,920, as adjusted each fiscal year for inflation; (B) $109,320 per school district under the county office of education's jurisdiction, as adjusted each fiscal year for inflation; (C) $70 per unit of countywide average daily attendance up to 30,000 units, $60 per unit for 30,001 to 60,000 units, $50 per unit for 60,001 to 140,000 units, and $40 per unit above 140,000 units, as adjusted each fiscal year for inflation; and (D) commencing with the 2022–23 fiscal year, add-ons of (i) $175,000 to the per-school district amount and (ii) $14 to each per-unit amount. This bill, commencing with the 2036–37 fiscal year, would increase each of those inflation-adjusted amounts to instead be $1,308,227, $520,751, $164, $144, $124, and $104, respectively, and would retain the requirement to adjust those amounts for inflation each fiscal year. The bill, commencing with the 2036–37 fiscal year, would increase the per-school district and per-unit add-on amounts to instead be $262,500 and $21, respectively. (2) Existing law requires the county office of education local control funding formula to also include, among other things, an alternative education base grant that includes, among its own components, a base grant equal to the grade span-adjusted base grant for average daily attendance in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, for the 2022–23 fiscal year, multiplied by 1.33, as specified. Existing law requires that amount to be adjusted for inflation each fiscal year. This bill, commencing with the 2036–37 fiscal year, would require the inflation-adjusted base grant component of the alternative education grant to instead be $24,593 and would retain the requirement to adjust that amount for inflation each fiscal year. (3) Existing law provides for the funding of necessary small schools and high schools, as specified. Existing law requires that funding to include, among other things, various specified per-pupil and per-teacher amounts for different tiers based on the numbers of pupils and teachers, as specified. Existing law requires those amounts to be adjusted for inflation each fiscal year. This bill, commencing with the 2036–37 fiscal year, would increase those various per-pupil and per-teacher inflation-adjusted amounts, as specified, and would retain the requirement to adjust that amount for inflation each fiscal year. (4) Existing law, commencing with the 2013–14 fiscal year, requires school district and charter school funding pursuant to the local control funding formula to include, among other things, a base grant based on average daily attendance in kindergarten and grades 1 to 3, inclusive, grades 4 to 6, inclusive, grades 7 and 8, and grades 9 to 12, inclusive, of $6,845, $6,947, $7,154, and $8,289 per pupil, respectively. Existing law requires those amounts to be adjusted for inflation each fiscal year. This bill, commencing with the 2036–37 fiscal year, would increase those inflation-adjusted base grant amounts to instead be $14,879, $15,104, $15,551 and $18,023 per pupil, respectively, and would retain the requirement to adjust those amounts for inflation each fiscal year. (5) Existing law requires funding pursuant to the local control funding formula to include, in addition to the base grant, supplemental and concentration grant add-ons that are based on the percentage of unduplicated pupils, as specified, served by the school district or charter school. In addition to the base, supplemental, and concentration grants of the local control funding formula, existing law, commencing with the 2022–23 school year, requires the Superintendent to compute an additional add-on of $2,813 multiplied by the then current fiscal year's average daily attendance in transitional kindergarten, as specified, and requires that add-on to be annually adjusted for inflation. This bill, commencing with the 2036–37 fiscal year, would increase that inflation-adjusted add-on based on attendance in transitional kindergarten to instead be equal to $8,318 multiplied by the then current fiscal year's average daily attendance in transitional kindergarten for the school district or charter school, as specified, and would retain the requirement to adjust that amount for inflation each fiscal year.
Existing law authorizes a pupil with a moral objection to dissecting or otherwise harming or destroying an animal to refrain from participation in an educational project that involves the harmful or destructive use of animals. Existing law authorizes, if the pupil chooses to refrain and a teacher believes that an adequate alternative education project is possible, the teacher to work with the pupil to develop and agree upon an alternative education project in order to obtain the knowledge, information, or experience required by the course of study in question. Existing law requires each teacher teaching a course that uses live or dead animals or animal parts to inform the pupils of their rights pursuant to these provisions. Existing law applies these provisions to all levels of instruction in all public schools operating programs in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish and implement a system of complaint processing, known as the Uniform Complaint Procedures, for specified educational programs. This bill, commencing July 1, 2026, if a pupil chooses to refrain from participation in an assignment or assessment involving the dissection of animals, would require a teacher to provide an alternative assignment or assessment. The bill would prohibit a pupil's grades from being impacted as a means of penalizing the pupil for exercising their rights concerning the dissection of animals. The bill would require a teacher to provide, at a pupil's request, any sourcing information provided by the vendor or provider of the animals and information about the chemicals used to preserve the animals for dissection to which the pupil may be exposed. The bill would require a teacher, or a public school on behalf of the teacher, to provide written notice of the pupils' rights that includes specified information, including, among other things, the above-described rights and the complaint procedures described below. The bill would require, by the start of the 2026–27 school year, the State Department of Education to develop a template that a teacher, or a public school on behalf of the teacher, would be authorized to use to provide this written notice and to make the template available on its internet website. The bill would apply the above-described provisions to all public schools operating programs in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, including, but not limited to, public schools operated by school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, or state special schools, to the extent that the public school chooses to offer a course of study that uses live or dead animals or animal parts for purposes of dissection. The bill would encourage, by July 1, 2028, public schools to explore using effective alternative methods in lieu of using live or dead animals or animal parts for dissection in a course of study, except as provided. The bill would require, commencing July 1, 2026, the Uniform Complaint Procedures to apply to pupils' rights to refrain from participation in an assignment or assessment involving the dissection of animals and to choose an alternative assignment or assessment.