Education

Existing law, until July 1, 2028, authorizes the San Mateo County Community College District to adopt a policy that uses local unrestricted general funds to provide fee waivers to students with the greatest financial need when other fee waivers are not provided to those students, as specified. Existing law authorizes the San Mateo County Community College District to use local unrestricted general funds, in addition to funding received under the California College Promise, to provide assistance to students for the total cost of attendance, as defined, only for students who reside within the boundary of the community college district. This bill would delete the repeal date, thereby extending the San Mateo County Community College District's authority to adopt the above-described policy indefinitely. The bill would also repeal an obsolete reporting requirement. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the San Mateo County Community College District.

This bill designates May 29, 2026, as 529 College Savings Day to raise awareness about college savings plans. It is a ceremonial measure that does not change laws or allocate funds, and it directly affects no specific group of people. The legislation simply establishes an official date for public recognition of the importance of saving for higher education.

This measure would recognize the historical wrongdoing committed against California Native Americans and urge the federal government to work alongside tribal leaders to address historic injustices, uphold treaty obligations, and ensure equitable access to resources, healthcare, education, and environmental stewardship.

Existing law establishes, until January 1, 2034, a pilot project authorizing the governing board of the Los Angeles Unified School District to award multiple annual task-order procurement contracts, as prescribed, for purposes that include services, repairs, and construction funded by the school district's general fund, local school construction bonds, or federal or state funds. This bill would, in addition, until January 1, 2031, authorize a school district with an average daily attendance of 2,501 or less or a county superintendent of schools to award multiple task-order procurement contracts for repair and renovation of buildings and grounds through a single request for bids. The bill would require these contracts to be paid for with money from the county or school district's general fund, a local construction bond, or federal or state funds and to be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2030, a school district or county superintendent of schools that uses the task-order procurement contracting method to submit to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature a report on its use of the task-order procurement contracting method, as specified. This bill would limit the scope of these contracts to those purposes authorized by its funding source. The bill would, except as specified, prohibit a bidder from being deemed qualified for these contracts unless the bidder provides an enforceable commitment that it and its subcontractors at every tier will use a skilled and trained workforce to perform all work on the project or contract that falls within an apprenticeable occupation in the building and construction trades. The bill would also require the contracting educational agency to ensure that it is in compliance with existing provisions that authorize personal service contracting for services currently or customarily performed by classified school employees before entering into a contract pursuant to these provisions. The bill would prohibit a school district or county superintendent of schools from utilizing a task-order procurement contract that is greater than $3,000,000 for an individual project unless it has entered into a project labor agreement, as specified, for all its public works.

Existing law, the Leroy F. Greene State School Building Lease-Purchase Law of 1976, effectuates the declaration of the Legislature that it is in the interest of the state and its people to reconstruct, remodel, or replace existing school buildings that are educationally inadequate or that do not meet present-day structural safety requirements, and to acquire new schoolsites and buildings for the purpose of making them available to local school districts for the pupils of the public school system. Existing law authorizes the State Allocation Board, by adoption of rules, to establish priorities for the construction and leasing of projects to schools districts whose pupils will benefit most. This bill would authorize the board to include, as priorities for projects, an efficient response to extreme heat and climate change. If the board adopts priorities related to an efficient response to extreme heat and climate change, the bill would require those priorities to apply only to project applications received after January 1, 2027.

This measure would declare Monday, April 13, 2026, to Friday, April 24, 2026, inclusive, as High School Voter Education Weeks and would encourage local educational agencies to dedicate at least one of those 2 weeks to educating pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, on the electoral process, as provided. The measure would encourage local educational agencies to provide digital and physical resources necessary to provide this information and would encourage the governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies to contract with third-party nonprofit organizations, as provided, to accomplish this endeavor.

This bill designates April 14 of every year as Sylvia Mendez Day to honor the civil rights activist who challenged school segregation in California. The measure is a commemorative resolution that does not change laws, allocate funding, or alter government operations. By establishing this annual observance, the state recognizes Mendez's historical contributions to education and civil rights.

This House Resolution encourages California high schools to participate in High School Voter Education Weeks, a designated period from September 14 to 25, 2026. The measure asks school administrators to promote voter preregistration and registration for eligible students, designate coordinators to lead civic engagement activities, and participate in the statewide Student Mock Election. It also reminds schools that students in grades 6 through 12 may take an excused absence to attend civic events with prior notice. The resolution does not change existing laws but serves as a formal recommendation to boost youth participation in the upcoming 2026 general election.

This measure would proclaim March 2026 as Arts Education Month and urge all residents to become interested in and give full support to quality arts education programs for children and youth.

This bill designates March 22, 2026, as California STEAM Robotics Day to recognize the importance of robotics within science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education. The measure directly affects schools and educational organizations across the state by providing a specific date for them to host events or activities focused on robotics. It does not create new funding, change laws, or mandate specific actions, but rather serves as a formal proclamation to raise awareness about the field. The legislation was passed by the state legislature and signed into law as part of the 2026 statutes.