(1) Existing law sets forth a method for providing special education and related services to pupils with exceptional needs. Existing law permits, under certain circumstances, contracts to be entered into for the provision of those services by nonpublic, nonsectarian schools or agencies. Existing law defines "nonpublic, nonsectarian school" and "nonpublic, nonsectarian agency" for these purposes. Existing law authorizes a master contract for special education and related services provided by a nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency only if the school or agency has been certified as meeting specified standards. Existing law sets forth the certification process and procedures for the nonpublic, nonsectarian schools or agencies that seek certification from the Superintendent of Public Instruction, including that the school or agency file an application with specified information. Existing law requires the Superintendent, before certification of a nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency, to conduct an onsite review of the facility and program for which the applicant seeks certification and authorizes the Superintendent to verify that the school or agency has received a successful criminal background check clearance and has enrolled in subsequent arrest notice service for each owner, operator, and employee of the school or agency. Existing law requires the Superintendent to monitor the facilities, educational environment, and quality of the educational program of an existing certified nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency on a 3-year cycle, as provided. Existing law requires the master contract for nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency services to include, among other things, an individual service agreement for each pupil placed by a local educational agency. Existing law requires a contracting local educational agency to pay the full amount of the tuition or fees, as applicable, for individuals with exceptional needs who are enrolled in programs or receiving services provided pursuant to the contract. Existing law requires a master contract for nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency services to be developed in accordance with specified provisions, including, among others, that the master contract specify the general administrative and financial agreements, including teacher-to-pupil ratios, between the school or agency and the local educational agency to provide the special education and designated instruction services. Existing law requires a certified nonpublic school or agency to provide written notification to the State Department of Education and the local educational agency with which it has a master contract of any pupil-involved incident at the school or agency in which law enforcement was contacted. This bill would eliminate the requirement that nonpublic schools or agencies that enter into contracts for the provision of special education services be nonsectarian. The bill would (A) exclude from the above-described tuition or fees the amount attributable to the provision of religious instruction, which the bill would define for these purposes, (B) prohibit public funds paid pursuant to those contracts from being used to pay for religious instruction at a nonpublic school or agency, (C) prohibit a nonpublic school or agency from providing religious instruction to pupils placed by a local educational agency, as provided, (D) require an applicant seeking an initial or renewal certification to certify, under penalty of perjury, that all educational services provided to pupils placed by a local educational agency under a master contract with a local educational agency are secular, neutral, and respectful regarding religion and religious view, as provided, and (E) notwithstanding any other law, prohibit a nonpublic school or agency, in performing services under a master contract, individual service agreement, or individualized education program, from subjecting any person to discrimination on the basis of specified protected characteristics. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require a master contract and individual services agreement for nonpublic school or agency services to contain provisions requiring compliance with those 5 described provisions. The bill would require the above-described application for a nonpublic school seeking certification from the Superintendent to include (A) an assurance that the nonpublic school has requested from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing a list of all credentialholders who have had final adverse action taken against their credential, (B) commencing July 1, 2027, documentation that specified staff and administrators have obtained fingerprint clearance with the commission, as provided, (C) commencing January 1, 2028, a list of staff providing instruction and services to pupils in the state and copies of their credentials, as specified, and (D) affidavits and assurances necessary to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations that include criminal record summaries and subsequent arrest notifications required of all nonpublic school personnel, including contractors, having contact with minor children. The bill would require, instead of authorize, the Superintendent to verify that a nonpublic school or agency seeking certification has received a successful criminal background check clearance and has enrolled in subsequent arrest notice service for each owner, operator, employee, and contractor of the nonpublic school or agency, as applicable. The bill would require the Superintendent, as part of monitoring the quality of the educational program of an existing certified nonpublic school, to also monitor the criminal background checks required for employment and pupils' receipt of any mandated instruction required for all pupils of local educational agencies, as specified. The bill would require the Superintendent, as part of monitoring an existing certified nonpublic agency, to instead monitor the agency for compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. The bill would require the department to (A) require each person employed by a nonpublic school interacting with a California pupil to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check, (B) submit those fingerprints, and (C) request subsequent arrest records, as specified. The bill would require the Department of Justice to provide a state and federal response to those requests in accordance with specified provisions. The bill would require a certified nonpublic school to additionally provide written notification to the department and the local educational agency with which it has a master contract of any pupil-involved incident at the school resulting in, among other things, a serious injury to a pupil, as specified, or the commencement of an investigation into an employee or contractor involving an allegation of misconduct. The bill would require a nonpublic school employing a person with a credential to report any change in employment status of the credentialholder to the commission within 30 days if the change in status is a result of an allegation of misconduct, as specified. The bill would also make conforming changes. (2) Existing law authorizes the Superintendent to revoke or suspend the certification of a nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency for specified reasons, including, among other reasons, failure to notify the department in writing within 45 days of certain occurrences, including changes in staff or facilities, failure to notify the Superintendent in writing within 10 days of revocation or suspension of a license or permit, and failure to notify the Superintendent in writing within 10 days of the death of a pupil. This bill would, among other things, require, instead of authorize, the suspension or revocation of the certification of a nonpublic school or agency for any of those specified reasons, and would revise the above-described notification timelines, as specified. If an investigation conducted by the department results in a finding that pupil health or safety has been compromised or is in danger of being compromised at a nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency, existing law authorizes the department to immediately suspend or revoke the certification of the nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency. This bill would require, instead of authorize, the department to take the above-described action. (3) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district or a county board of education to request the State Board of Education to waive all or part of specified education laws or regulations adopted by the state board, as provided, with exceptions. Existing law requires the state board to approve any and all requests for waivers except in those cases where the state board specifically finds, among other things, that the educational needs of the pupils are not adequately addressed. This bill would prohibit the state board from waiving all or part of any laws relating to special education pursuant to the above-described provisions. Existing law authorizes a public agency, as defined, to request the state board to grant a waiver of any provision of education laws or regulations adopted pursuant to those provisions if the waiver (A) is necessary or beneficial to the content and implementation of a pupil's individualized education program and (B) does not abrogate any rights provided to individuals with exceptional needs and their parents or guardians, or affect the compliance of a local educational agency with specified federal regulations. Existing law authorizes the state board to grant, in whole or in part, any of those requests when the facts indicate that a failure to do so would hinder implementation of a pupil's individualized education program or compliance by a local educational agency with specified federal mandates. This bill would prohibit a waiver submitted by a public agency on or after January 1, 2027, that is related to the placement of a pupil other than at a local educational agency to waive specified requirements from being approved unless it includes, among other things, a description of how the public agency requesting the waiver will oversee and evaluate the pupil's placement and that certain requirements are met, as provided. (4) Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to establish standards and procedures for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law requires the commission to make available to each private school a listing of all credentialholders who have had final adverse action taken against their credential which is required to be identical to that made available to public schools in the state. This bill would require the commission to also make available the above-described listing to the State Department of Education. The bill would require the department to request notice from the commission regarding the list, monitor the status of the credentialholders at nonpublic schools, and confirm that a credentialholder has been removed from contact with California pupils when a credentialholder has their credential suspended or revoked, and would impose the same requirements on a local educational agency with respect to each nonpublic school that it has a master contract with, as provided. (5) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 48986 of the Education Code proposed by AB 1943 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1943 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 51225.2 of the Education Code proposed by AB 1659 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1659 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (6) 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 exempts a student, other than a nonimmigrant alien, as defined, from paying nonresident tuition at the California State University and the California Community Colleges if the student meets certain requirements. Existing law makes a student who meets these requirements for exemption from nonresident tuition, or who meets equivalent requirements adopted by the Regents of the University of California, eligible to apply for, and participate in, any student financial aid program administered by the state to the full extent permitted by federal law. Existing law requires the Student Aid Commission to establish procedures and forms that enable these students to apply for, and participate in, those student financial aid programs. This bill would require the commission, by the start of the 2026–27 financial aid cycle, to amend the California Dream Act application, and any of its grant processing systems, to clarify and ensure that the application can be used by any student eligible for state financial aid programs, regardless of their eligibility for federal financial aid. The bill would also require the commission to consult with California's public and private colleges and universities to promote the California Dream Act application effectively and inform students and their families of their available financial aid application options, as provided.
The Personal Income Tax Law, in conformity with federal income tax law, generally defines "gross income" as income from whatever source derived, except as specifically excluded, and provides various exclusions from gross income. Existing law, known as the Golden State Scholarshare Trust Act, establishes the Golden State Scholarshare College Savings Trust (Scholarshare trust) , under the administration of the Scholarshare Investment Board, to provide financial aid for postsecondary education costs of participating students. Existing state and federal law generally includes in gross income distributions from a qualified tuition program, as defined to include the Scholarshare trust, except as provided. Existing federal law, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, excludes from gross income, for federal income tax purposes, distributions from a qualified tuition program that are made after December 31, 2023, and are paid in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to a Roth IRA, as described. This bill would exempt from gross income distribution made from a long-term qualified tuition program during the taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and before January 1, 2030, that are paid in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to a Roth IRA, and would conform state tax law to those changes relating to federal law, as described above. Existing law requires a bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law creates the Commission on State Mandates and establishes procedures for implementing the requirement in the California Constitution that the state reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Existing law makes a reimbursement claim for actual costs filed by a local agency or school district subject to the initiation of an audit by the Controller, and authorizes the Controller to make a field review of a claim after it has been submitted but before it has been reimbursed. Existing law requires the Controller to notify the claimant in writing within 30 days after issuance of a remittance advice of any adjustment to a claim for reimbursement that results from an audit or review. This bill would, instead, require the Controller to notify the claimant in writing within 30 days of any adjustment that results from an audit or review. The bill would also require the Controller to allow a local agency or school district, at the sole discretion of the local agency or school district, to offset any reduced reimbursement, as prescribed, or to remit funds to the Controller.
Existing law requires each county to develop and implement a memorandum of understanding (MOU) setting forth the roles and responsibilities of agencies and other entities that serve children and youth in foster care who have experienced severe trauma. Existing law requires that the MOU include provisions addressing, among other things, the establishment and operation of an interagency leadership team. Existing law requires the Secretary of California Health and Human Services and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish a joint interagency resolution team consisting of representatives from specified state departments to support implementation of those MOUs, among other functions. Existing law requires the resolution team to develop and submit certain recommendations to the Legislature on various items, including a statewide plan for any additional development needed for a trauma-informed, therapeutic continuum of care to support youth in-state in the least restrictive setting. Existing law requires the team to track and report deidentified information of children and nonminor dependents in foster care who have been assisted to preserve, or secure new, intensive therapeutic options. This bill would require a county, in collaboration with the leadership team, inclusive of tribes, to submit plans to the resolution team describing how the county intends to ensure that coordinated, timely, and trauma-informed services are provided to children and youth in foster care who have experienced severe trauma. The bill would require the county to submit the first plan by January 1, 2027, and to submit updated plans every 2 years thereafter. The bill would require the county to take into consideration certain information regarding the placement and service options available to county child welfare agencies and county probation departments for children and youth in foster care who have experienced severe trauma, as specified. By creating new duties for counties relating to those plans, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district that determines during a fiscal year that its revenues are less than the amount necessary to meet its current year expenditure obligations to request an emergency apportionment through the Superintendent of Public Instruction, subject to specified requirements. Existing law authorizes emergency apportionments to be provided through an interim loan from the General Fund and lease financing made available by the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, which is authorized to issue bonds for purposes of the emergency apportionments and related costs, or as an alternative to lease financing, as an emergency apportionment from the General Fund. Existing law prescribes the financing conditions on emergency apportionments, including the calculation of the interest rate. Existing law, notwithstanding any other law, authorizes the Inglewood Unified School District, through the State Department of Education, to request cashflow loans from the General Fund for a total of up to $55,000,000 for emergency operational purposes, as provided. Existing law requires the interest on these loans to be charged at the annual rate of return of the Pooled Money Investment Account, plus an additional 2%. This bill, notwithstanding any other law, and once the Inglewood Unified School District has successfully repaid at least 10 years of a General Fund cashflow loan made pursuant to those provisions, would authorize the school district to seek, and would require the Department of Finance to grant, a waiver of interest on that loan for the next succeeding fiscal year if specified conditions are met, including, among other conditions, that the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, in consultation with the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, determines that the school district is making substantial progress towards fiscal solvency and that a waiver of interest would help the school district to exit receivership, as provided. In each subsequent fiscal year, the bill would authorize the school district to seek, and would require the Department of Finance to grant, a subsequent waiver of interest for the applicable fiscal year if the school district again meets those same requirements. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Inglewood Unified School District. 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 Student Aid Commission as the primary state agency for the administration of state-authorized student financial aid programs available to students attending all segments of postsecondary education. 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 commission. Existing law also establishes the Middle Class Scholarship Program under the commission's administration. Existing law establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. The eligibility requirements under these programs and other financial aid programs administered by the commission include meeting various application deadlines. Existing law requires the commission to grant a postponement of an application deadline of up to 30 calendar days for any financial aid program administered by the commission pursuant to a formal request, as provided. Existing law authorizes the commission to grant a postponement of an application deadline of up to an additional 30 calendar days, without submission of a formal request, if the commission finds that a state of emergency declared by the Governor or the President of the United States has occurred. This bill would additionally authorize the commission to grant the above-described postponement of an application deadline without submission of a formal request if the commission finds that there was a delay in the opening of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, as declared by the commission.
Existing law establishes the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. The Donahoe Higher Education Act prohibits the campuses of those segments from charging mandatory systemwide tuition or fees to specified students who apply for a waiver, including a child of any veteran of the United States military who has a service-connected disability, has been killed in service, or has died of a service-connected disability, an undergraduate student who is a recipient of a Medal of Honor, or an undergraduate student who is a child of a recipient of a Medal of Honor and who is no more than 27 years of age, if certain requirements are satisfied. This bill would additionally prohibit the campuses of the University of California and California State University from charging tuition or fees for specified students who enroll in an extended education course if certain requirements are satisfied and the extended education course is being used to meet the requirements of an undergraduate degree program. The bill would apply to the campuses of the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California, by appropriate resolution, make it apply. Existing law establishes various student financial aid programs under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, including the California Military Department GI Bill Award Program. Existing law requires a qualifying member of the California National Guard, the State Guard, or the Naval Militia that receives an award under the program to, among other things, agree to use the award to obtain a certificate, degree, or diploma that the person does not hold at the time they apply for the award. Existing law authorizes the award to be used to obtain one baccalaureate, graduate, or doctoral degree or a certificate, degree, or diploma that leads to a baccalaureate, graduate, or doctoral degree. This bill would authorize the award to also be used for an extended education course at a campus of the University of California or the California State University if the extended education course is being used to meet the requirements of an undergraduate degree program.
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 or a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school, as provided. Existing law provides that the minimum schoolday in any high school is 240 minutes, except as provided, including that a day of attendance for a pupil enrolled in grades 11 and 12 at an early college high school or middle college high school is 180 minutes of attendance if the pupil is also enrolled in a community college, classes of the California State University, or classes of the University of California, as specified. This bill would additionally reduce the 240-minute minimum schoolday to instead be 180 minutes of attendance for a pupil enrolled under a CCAP partnership if the pupil is also enrolled in a community college, as specified.
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, the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, provides that the purpose of the act is to increase California community college student access and success by providing effective core matriculation services of orientation, assessment and placement, counseling, and other education planning services, and academic interventions. This bill would require the board of governors to require all community colleges to award degrees and certificates retroactively in accordance with specified provisions. The bill would require, commencing with the 2026–27 academic year, a community college, before the beginning of the spring term of the academic year, to identify students who, during the previous 5 academic years, (1) have completed the semester or quarter units required to receive a degree or certificate, (2) need 12 semester units or 18 quarter units, or less, to complete the minimum number of units required to receive a degree or certificate, or (3) have completed the general education transfer requirements, and to notify those students, as provided. This bill would require, beginning in September 2026, a community college to annually identify and notify new and returning students who do not have an education plan and ensure that the students identified receive education plans before the end of their first academic year, as provided. By imposing additional duties on community colleges, this 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.
