Elementary and secondary education: visual and performing arts and world languages: instructional materials: professional development.

Existing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt basic instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, for governing boards of school districts in specified subjects and any other subject, discipline, or interdisciplinary area for which the state board determines the adoption of instructional materials to be necessary or desirable; and requires the governing board of each school district maintaining one or more high schools to adopt instructional materials for use in the high schools under its control, consistent with specified conditions. Existing law authorizes a local educational agency to use instructional materials that are aligned with the academic content standards, including instructional materials that have not been adopted by the state board. Existing law requires the governing board of a school district, when adopting instructional materials for use in schools, to include only instructional materials that meet certain content requirements, including a requirement that, in the determination of the governing board, the instructional materials accurately portray the cultural and racial diversity of our society. This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, subject to an appropriation of one-time funds for this purpose in the Budget Act or another statute, to allocate funding for the purchase of standards-aligned instructional materials in visual and performing arts and world languages in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and for professional development in those subjects, as provided. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that these materials and professional learning opportunities reflect the cultural diversity of the state and of the world, consistent with state law, and that the professional learning opportunities be of high quality. The bill would include related legislative findings and declarations.