Education

This Senate Resolution designates February 2026 as Montessori Month in California to honor the educational contributions of Dr. Maria Montessori and the state's Montessori schools. The measure recognizes the Montessori Method's focus on child development, independence, and peace education, and acknowledges the presence of hundreds of public and private Montessori schools across the state. Additionally, the resolution encourages the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to work toward creating certification pathways for Montessori-trained educators to obtain Child Development Permits.

This Senate Resolution recognizes and celebrates school board members across California for their work in public education. It declares January 2026 as School Board Recognition Month to honor the dedication of nearly 5,000 locally elected school board members who serve on over 1,000 school districts and county offices of education. The resolution urges community members to support local school boards and work together to improve the education system for all children. This is a commemorative measure rather than a policy change, as it does not alter existing laws or regulations.

This House Resolution declares January 2026 as School Board Recognition Month to honor the nearly 5,000 school board members across California's 1,000 school districts and county offices of education. The resolution recognizes these locally elected officials for their work in guiding public education and serving diverse communities, emphasizing their role in ensuring students' academic, social-emotional, and health needs are met. It calls on community members to join in acknowledging the dedication of school board members and collaborate to improve the education system. The bill has no operational effect beyond this symbolic recognition and does not change any laws or policies.

This bill is a House Resolution that formally recognizes the work of school board members across California by designating January 2025 as School Board Recognition Month. It directly affects local school districts and county offices of education by honoring the nearly 5,000 elected school board members who serve in these roles. The resolution expresses appreciation for their dedication to public education and encourages community members to support these local officials in their efforts to serve students. This is a commemorative measure rather than a policy change, as it does not alter laws or regulations but instead highlights the importance of school governance.

Existing law establishes the Department of Health Care Access and Information under the control of the Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information, to administer various health professions development programs. Existing law requires the department to maintain a Health Professions Career Opportunity Program to, among other things, implement programs at colleges and universities selected by the department and include in those programs pipeline programs that provide comprehensive academic enrichment, career development, mentorship, and advising in order to support students from underrepresented regions and backgrounds to pursue health careers. Existing law creates within the department the Health Professions Education Fund, for the primary purpose of providing scholarships and loans to students from underrepresented groups who are accepted to or enrolled in schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, or other health professions. Existing law authorizes the department to receive private donations to be deposited into the fund and continuously appropriates all moneys in the fund to the department for those purposes. This bill would enact the California Podiatric Pipeline Program Act, to require the department to establish and administer the California Podiatric Pipeline Program to promote careers in podiatric medicine and support the educational advancement of California residents pursuing the doctor of podiatric medicine degree, as specified. The bill would specify that the department may use funds from the Health Professions Education Fund or Health Professions Pathways Program for the purposes of this bill, subject to the requirements of the fund. This bill would authorize the department to award planning or coordination grants to participating universities or colleges to support implementation of the program as funding is made available. The bill would also require the department, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, to annually report to the Legislature regarding the number of students participating, the number matriculating into doctor of podiatric medicine programs, and recommendations for expanding residency opportunities for podiatric graduates. The bill would make implementation of these provisions contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2032.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California as the 3 segments of public institutions of higher education in the state. Existing law requires the California State University and each community college district, and requests the University of California, to grant priority registration for enrollment to a member or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is a resident of California and who has received an honorable discharge, a general discharge, or an other than honorable discharge, and to any member or former member of the State Guard, as specified, for any academic term attended at one of these institutions for 4 academic years after leaving state or federal active duty for use within 15 years of leaving state or federal active duty. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, remove the above-described provision limiting priority registration to 4 academic years after leaving state or federal active duty for use within 15 years of leaving state or federal active duty. To the extent the bill would add 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.

(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 prohibits the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District from issuing general obligation or revenue bonds, or any other form of long-term indebtedness, except to finance an interim system of buses and ferries or to finance capital improvements or modifications relating to seismic safety of the Golden Gate Bridge. This bill would authorize the district to accept contributions and loans from this state and the United States for the purpose of financing capital improvements or modifications related to seismic safety on the Golden Gate Bridge, as specified.

Existing law requires the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, and the governing body of a charter school to, no later than July 1, 2026, develop and adopt, and update every 5 years, a policy to limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones while the pupils are at a schoolsite or while the pupils are under the supervision and control of an employee or employees of that local educational agency. Under existing law, a pupil shall not be prohibited from possessing or using a smartphone under specified circumstances, including, among others, when the possession or use of a smartphone is required in a pupil's individualized education program. This bill, commencing July 1, 2028, would require the above-described policy to continue to apply only to pupils in any of grades 9 to 12, inclusive. The bill would require the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, and the governing body of a charter school that serves pupils in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or grades 1 to 8, inclusive, to, no later than July 1, 2028, develop and adopt a policy that prohibits the use of smartphones by those pupils while the pupils are at a schoolsite or while the pupils are under the supervision and control of an employee or employees of that local educational agency, as provided. The bill, commencing July 1, 2028, would prohibit instruction provided to pupils in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and any of grades 1 to 8, inclusive, from requiring the use of a smartphone by a pupil. The bill, commencing January 1, 2027, would require (1) a pupil in any grade to also be allowed to possess or use a smartphone when the possession or use of a smartphone is required in a pupil's plan developed pursuant to the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and (2) a policy adopted or updated pursuant to these provisions be included in a pupil handbook, if one is provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would constitute a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the State Department of Education, on or before January 1, 2029, to submit to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, and post on their internet website, a report that contains (1) a description of the pupil smartphone policies of at least 30 selected local educational agencies that have provided consent to participate and that are representative of the demographic and geographic diversity of the state, including a copy of each policy, as provided, (2) the results of a survey of those local educational agencies, which the bill would require the department to conduct, and (3) recommended best practices for future local educational agency pupil smartphone use policies. The bill would authorize the department to collaborate with specified organizations with relevant expertise in preparing the report. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2033. 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.

(1) 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 public 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. Existing law authorizes community college districts to admit nonresident students, and requires that nonresident students be charged a nonresident tuition fee unless an exemption applies. Existing law authorizes a community college district to exempt a student who attends Lake Tahoe Community College and who has residence in one of several designated communities in Nevada, as specified. This bill would additionally authorize a community college district to exempt from the nonresident tuition fee a student who attends College of the Siskiyous and who has residence in one of several designated counties in Oregon. The bill would require the governing board of the Siskiyou Joint Community College District to adopt rules and regulations for determining a student's residence classification and for establishing procedures for an appeal and review of the residence classification. By imposing new duties on the Siskiyou Joint Community College District, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The bill would, in any academic year, prohibit more than 200 students from being exempted from payment of the nonresident tuition fee pursuant to this exemption. (2) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for College of the Siskiyous with respect to students who reside in nearby counties located in Oregon. (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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.