Existing law, the Teachers' Retirement Law, establishes the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS) and creates the Defined Benefit Program of the State Teachers' Retirement Plan, which provides a defined benefit to members of the program, based on final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations. That law requires the Teachers' Retirement Board to administer STRS and requires employers and employees to make contributions to STRS based on the member's creditable compensation. Existing law, among other things, defines "position subject to membership" to mean prescribed positions at various educational institutions, including, among other positions, a position at a county office of education or school district, not including a charter school, where the position requires the holding of a valid credential, license, or certificate authorized by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing or the State Department of Health Care Services, as prescribed. This bill would expand the above-described definition to also include permitholders. The bill would additionally include as a "position subject to membership" a comparable position at a charter school eligible to receive state apportionment that is performing, directing, coordinating, supervising, or administering one or more prescribed functions, as specified. Existing law requires the board to determine the date that specified provisions related to this definition become operative based on when STRS has the capacity to implement those provisions and to post that date on the internet website of STRS no later than July 1, 2027. This bill would delete that requirement and would, instead, make this definition of "position subject to membership" operative on July 1, 2027. Existing law creates the Teachers' Retirement Fund, which is continuously appropriated for specified purposes, into which certain moneys are deposited, including employee contributions. By expanding the category of positions subject to membership under STRS and affecting the contributions to the retirement fund, the bill would make an appropriation.
Existing law creates the Office of Farm to Fork within the Department of Food and Agriculture, and requires the office, to the extent that resources are available, to work with various entities, including, among others, the agricultural industry and other organizations involved in promoting food access, to increase the amount of agricultural products available to underserved communities and schools in the state. This bill would require the office, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish the Healthy Food for California Public Institutions Program for the purpose of identifying vendors in California that have the capacity to provide healthy foods to California public institutions, as defined. The bill would require the office, to the extent that funding is available, to implement initiatives under the program, including, but not limited to, an initiative to develop a list of approved vendors that public institutions can use to procure food products that are whole or minimally processed and are grown or produced in California using climate-smart agriculture practices and climate-smart agriculture production systems.
(1) Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to issue district intern credentials authorizing persons employed by specified school districts to provide classroom instruction to pupils, as provided. Existing law makes a district intern credential valid for 2, 3, or 4 years, as provided, and authorizes the commission to grant a one-year extension of that credential upon the recommendation of the school district. Existing law requires the commission to require each applicant for a district intern credential to demonstrate that the applicant meets specified minimum qualifications for that credential. This bill would instead authorize the commission to grant a one-year extension of a district intern credential upon the recommendation of a commission-approved program sponsor. The bill would additionally require the commission to require that an applicant for a district intern credential demonstrate verified employment in a teaching position at a school district, county office of education, or charter school in the state. Existing law requires an internship program to provide interns who meet entrance criteria and are accepted to a multiple subject teaching credential program, a single subject teaching credential program, or certain education specialist credential programs the opportunity to choose an early program completion option, culminating in a 5-year preliminary teaching credential. Existing law requires that this early program completion option be made available to interns who meet specified requirements. This bill would clarify that the early program completion option is for interns who are enrolled in a multiple subject teaching credential program, a single subject teaching credential program, or certain education specialist credential programs. The bill would also limit the availability of the early program completion option to interns seeking their initial preliminary credential who meet those requirements. Existing law prescribes the minimum requirements for a clear multiple or single subject teaching credential, including, among other requirements, possession of a valid preliminary teaching credential and completion of a program of beginning teacher induction. This bill would apply the above-described minimum requirements to the clear education specialist teaching credential. (2) Existing law transfers, effective July 1, 2021, responsibility for certain childcare-related programs, responsibilities, services, and systems from the State Department of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the State Department of Social Services, as provided. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, in cooperation with postsecondary educational institutions, to establish rules and regulations governing specified childcare and development programs established on or near those postsecondary educational institutions, as provided. (3) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district, or 2 or more school districts governed by governing boards of identical personnel, having an average daily attendance of 400,000 or more, as specified, to change or alter a contract for reconstruction or rehabilitation work, without the formality of securing bids, if the cost of the change or alteration does not exceed 25% of the original contract price, the change or alteration is a necessary and integral part of the work under the contract, and the taking of bids would delay contract completion. This bill would extend the authorization to change or alter a contract for reconstruction or rehabilitation work, as described above, to the governing board of any school district, or 2 or more school districts governed by governing boards of identical personnel, having an average daily attendance of 250,000 or more. (4) This bill would also delete obsolete provisions, correct cross-references, and make other nonsubstantive changes. (5) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 44252, 44259, and 44325 of the Education Code proposed by AB 2206 to be operative only if this bill and AB 2206 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law authorizes a school district, with the approval of its governing board, to procure design-build contracts for public works projects in excess of $1,000,000, awarding the contract to either the low bid or the best value, as provided. Existing law requires specified information relating to design-build bid proposals to be verified under penalty of perjury. This bill would authorize a school district, on or before December 31, 2031, and with the approval of its governing board, to procure multiple design-build contracts for comparable shade structure projects at various sites, bundled through a single solicitation, if the total value of the projects exceeds $1,000,000 but does not exceed $10,000,000, awarding the bundled contracts to the lowest bid or the best value. The bill would require each contract awarded through the bundled solicitation to be a separate contract for a single project, as provided. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The Field Act requires the Department of General Services under the police power of the state to supervise the design and construction of any school building or the reconstruction or alteration of or addition to any school building, if not exempted, to ensure that plans and specifications comply with adopted rules and regulations and building standards published in regulations, and to ensure that the work of construction is performed in accordance with the approved plans and specifications for the protection of life and property. The California Building Standards Code requires that specified buildings, structures, and facilities be accessible to, and useable by, persons with disabilities, including that when alterations or additions are made to existing buildings or facilities, an accessible path of travel to the specific area of alteration or addition is provided. Existing law limits the cost of complying with the requirement to provide an accessible path of travel to the installation of a free-standing, open-sided shade structure project that meets specified requirements and that is on a school district, county office of education, charter school, or community college campus to 20% of the adjusted construction cost, as defined, of the shade structure project. This bill would additionally limit the cost of complying with the requirement to provide an accessible path of travel to the installation of a shade structure integrated with playground equipment that meets specified requirements and that is on a school district, county office of education, charter school, or community college campus to 20% of the adjusted construction cost, as defined, of the shade structure project. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 17250.20 of the Education Code proposed by AB 1860 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1860 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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.
For purposes of state apportionments based on average daily attendance, as provided, if the average daily attendance of a school district, county office of education, or charter school has been materially decreased during a fiscal year because of a specified emergency, including, among others, the imminence of a major safety hazard as determined by a local law enforcement agency, existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to estimate the average daily attendance in a manner that credits to the school district, county office of education, or charter school approximately the total average daily attendance that would have been credited to the school district, county office of education, or charter school had the emergency not occurred. This bill, for the above-described purposes, would additionally allow a local fire agency to make a determination of the imminence of a major safety hazard. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes the State Seal of Civic Engagement to recognize pupils who have demonstrated excellence in civics education and participation and have demonstrated an understanding of the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the democratic system of government, as provided, and establishes the State Seal of Biliteracy to recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. Commencing January 1, 2027, existing law vests all executive and administrative functions of the State Department of Education in an Education Commissioner. This bill would establish the State Seal of Climate Literacy for the purpose of giving high school pupils personal agency to help them and their communities understand and adapt to the effects of climate change. The bill would require the Education Commissioner, on or before December 31, 2027, to recommend to the State Board of Education criteria for awarding a State Seal of Climate Literacy to pupils who have demonstrated mastery in climate literacy disciplines, green skills or technical green skills, as defined, and any and all other best practices for climate literacy. The bill would require the Commissioner, in developing the criteria, to consider including (1) the successful completion of at least 2 approved courses in the area of climate literacy and (2) the successful completion and presentation of a climate literacy final experiential learning project, as provided. The bill would require the state board, on or before January 31, 2029, to adopt, or adopt with modifications, the criteria recommended by the Commissioner. The bill would require the Commissioner to, among other things, prepare and deliver to participating local educational agencies an appropriate insignia to be affixed to the diploma or transcript of the pupil indicating that the pupil has been awarded a State Seal of Climate Literacy by the Commissioner. The bill would make a local educational agency's participation in awarding the State Seal of Climate Literacy voluntary. For a local educational agency that chooses to participate, the bill would require the local educational agency, on or after the date that the state board adopts criteria, to, among other things, establish a process for determining if a pupil has met the criteria necessary to earn a State Seal of Climate Literacy.
Existing law requires the State Board of Education, on or before January 31, 2024, to appoint an independent panel of experts for the purpose of creating an approved list of evidence-based, culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate screening instruments for pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 to assess pupils for risk of reading difficulties, including possible neurological disorders such as dyslexia, as specified. Existing law requires the governing board or body of a school district, county office of education, or charter school serving pupils in kindergarten or grades 1 or 2 to adopt, on or before June 30, 2025, one or more screening instruments from the approved list to assess pupils for risk of reading difficulties, as specified, and commencing no later than the 2025–26 school year, requires those local educational agencies to assess each pupil in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 for risk of reading difficulties using the screening instrument or instruments adopted by the governing board or body of the local educational agency, as specified. This bill would, on or before July 31, 2027, require the state board to approve and the State Department of Education to post on its internet website criteria and guidance for selecting evidence-based, culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate mathematics diagnostic assessments for pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 to assess pupils' mathematics knowledge and learning needs and identify pupils in need of additional support. The bill would require the department, on or before January 31, 2028, to (1) publish on its internet website a list of approved diagnostic assessments that meet the criteria, and (2) post on its internet website additional guidance to assist local educational agencies in selecting diagnostic assessments from the approved list, as provided. The bill would require the list to include diagnostic assessments that are developed for both English learners and non-English learners, as provided. The bill would require the state board and the department to solicit stakeholder input when developing the criteria, guidance, and list of diagnostic assessments pursuant to these provisions and to allow for public comment. The bill would authorize the department to periodically update the list of approved assessments. The bill would require the governing board or body of a school district, county office of education, or charter school serving pupils in kindergarten or grades 1 or 2 to adopt, on or before June 30, 2028, one or more diagnostic assessments from the published list of approved diagnostic assessments to assess pupils' mathematics knowledge and learning needs. The bill would authorize a local educational agency to satisfy this requirement by using a diagnostic assessment that is not on the published list if the governing board or body self-certifies that the assessment tool meets the above-described criteria. The bill, commencing no later than the 2028–29 school year, would require those local educational agencies to assess each pupil in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 for mathematics knowledge using the diagnostic assessment or assessments adopted by the governing board or body of the local educational agency. The bill would require a local educational agency to provide parents or guardians of pupils eligible for assessment with information about the assessment and to make pupil results available to parents or guardians, as required by the state board, as provided. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the department, by April 30, 2028, to curate and maintain on its internet website guidance and resources on evidence-based support, intervention, and instructional strategies aligned with the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. 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 authorizes the governing board of a school district maintaining a secondary school to establish in the school courses in military science and tactics that comply with provisions of federal law regarding Reserve Officers Training Corps units in educational institutions. This bill would revise and recast those provisions by authorizing the governing board or body of a school district, county office of education, or charter school to establish in its schoolsites courses in military science and tactics that comply with provisions of federal law regarding Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) units in educational institutions. Existing federal law requires a public secondary educational institution that maintains a JROTC unit to permit membership in the unit to homeschooled students residing in the area served by the institution who are qualified for membership in the unit but for lack of enrollment in the institution. This bill would require a local educational agency offering a JROTC program within any of its schools to permit membership in the JROTC program for homeschooled pupils who reside within the attendance area of the local educational agency, if those pupils meet all applicable eligibility requirements for participation in the JROTC program other than enrollment in the school offering the JROTC program. The bill would require the State Department of Education to make information about existing JROTC programs available on its internet website and distribute implementation guidance to local educational agencies on an annual basis.
Existing law authorizes a chief administrative officer of a postsecondary educational institution, as defined, or an officer or employee designated by the chief administrative officer to maintain order on the school campus or facility, that has a student who has suffered unlawful violence or a credible threat of violence from any individual which can reasonably be construed to be carried out or to have been carried out at the school campus or facility, to seek a temporary restraining order and an injunction on behalf of the student and, at the discretion of the court, any number of other students at the campus or facility, as specified. This bill would also authorize a chief administrative officer of the postsecondary educational institution or an officer or employee designated by the chief administrative officer to maintain order on the school campus or facility to seek a temporary restraining order and an injunction on behalf of the postsecondary educational institution, upon becoming aware of unlawful violence or a credible threat of violence directed towards the postsecondary educational institution. The bill would require the Judicial Council, on or before January 1, 2028, to adopt or modify forms, as specified. The bill would also expand the course of conduct, as defined, for which a temporary restraining order can be sought to include making telephone calls or sending correspondence, including, but not limited to, email correspondence, to the postsecondary educational institution or its employees or students, or sending correspondence to the chief administrative officer. These provisions would become operative on July 1, 2029. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 527.85 of the Code of Civil Procedure proposed by AB 1753 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1753 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
The Donahoe Higher Education Act establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law establishes uniform residency requirements for purposes of ascertaining the amount of tuition and fees to be paid by students of public postsecondary education institutions. Existing law, until July 1, 2032, entitles a Team USA student athlete, as defined, who trains in the state in an elite level program approved by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to resident classification for the purpose of determining tuition and fees. After July 1, 2032, existing law entitles an amateur student athlete in training at the United States Olympic Training Center in the City of Chula Vista to resident classification for that same purpose. These provisions apply to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable. This bill would remove the July 1, 2032, sunset provision, and make conforming changes, thereby extending the provisions that entitle a Team USA student athlete who trains in the state in an elite level program approved by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to resident classification indefinitely. To the extent the bill would require community college districts to exempt more students from nonresident tuition, 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.
