Existing law sets forth the maximum ratios of administrative employees to each 100 teachers in the various types of school districts. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to determine, for each current fiscal year, for each school district in the state, the total number of administrative employees and the total number of teachers, except as provided, the total maximum number of administrative employees that should be employed by the school district based upon the application of the appropriate ratio prescribed by law, and the number of administrative employees in excess of the number allowable without penalty, as provided. Existing law requires the Superintendent to determine a reduction in state support resulting from excess administrative employees, as specified, and requires the school district's 2nd principal apportionment for the current fiscal year to be reduced by that amount. Existing law exempts the Paradise Unified School District from that reduction in state support for the 2021–22 fiscal year to the 2023–24 fiscal year, inclusive. This bill would further exempt the Paradise Unified School District from that reduction in state support for the 2024–25 fiscal year to the 2026–27 fiscal year, inclusive. The bill would require the Paradise Unified School District to, by September 1, 2026, submit a report related to the administrative employee-to-teacher ratio to the Superintendent, the Department of Finance, and the appropriate budget and policy committees of both houses of the Legislature, as specified. By imposing additional reporting requirements on the Paradise Unified School District, 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 Paradise 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, consisting of 15 voting members, including the Superintendent of Public Instruction as a permanent member and 14 other members, including 6 practicing teachers from public elementary and secondary schools and 3 representatives of the public, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, serving staggered 4-year terms, as provided. The bill would authorize the governor to appoint to the commission, as one of the 6 practicing teachers, a teacher with a commission-issued child development teacher permit who teaches at a licensed state-funded preschool or prekindergarten program, as provided. The bill would, upon the occurrence of the first vacancy of a public representative position on or after January 1, 2026, reduce the number of public representatives on the commission from 3 to 2 and require the governor to appoint instead one early childhood faculty member representing the early childhood higher education systems who teaches at either (1) an early childhood or child development baccalaureate degree program at one of the California State University or University of California campuses or (2) an associate degree program in one of the California Community Colleges' early childhood education programs.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Education, under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and assigns to the department numerous duties relating to the financing, governance, and guidance of the public elementary and secondary schools in this state. This bill would require the department to, no later than September 1, 2026, identify and post on its internet website a list of inservice professional development programs for effective means of teaching literacy in specified grade levels that may be used by school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and state special schools for training teachers. The bill would require the department to ensure that the list includes programs offered in different modalities, including in-person and virtual formats, and ensure that the programs meet specified criteria. The bill would require the department to make specified funds available and the Superintendent to apportion those funds to school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and state special schools to provide opportunities for professional development for teachers who teach pupils in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 5, inclusive, using one or more of the above-described professional development programs, as provided. Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law sets forth the minimum requirements for a preliminary services credential with a specialization in administrative services, which include, among other requirements, completion of an entry-level program of specialized and professional preparation in administrative services or a one-year internship in a program of supervised training in administrative services, subject to approval by the commission, as provided. This bill would require the commission to, no later than September 1, 2027, ensure that the program standards for the professional preparation of candidates for a preliminary services credential with a specialization in administrative services meets specified criteria, including, among other things, that the program standards include preparation on how to support teachers in delivering instruction through effective means for teaching literacy, as provided. The bill would require the commission to, no later than September 1, 2029, certify that all professional preparation programs and internships for candidates for a preliminary services credential with a specialization in administrative services approved by the commission meet those program standards. Existing law requires the state board to adopt basic instructional materials for use in kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, for governing boards of school districts and county boards of education, subject to specified provisions, including, among others, that the State Board of Education adopt at least 5 basic instructional materials for all applicable grade levels in each of the specified subject areas, including, among others, language arts, including, but not limited to, spelling, reading, and English language development. This bill would require the state board, on or before June 30, 2027, and in adherence with specified provisions related to followup adoptions, to adopt instructional materials for kindergarten and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, in English language arts and English language development, as provided. The bill would require the state board to ensure that instructional materials adopted pursuant to these provisions adhere to specified criteria. This bill would make implementation of its provisions, as described above, contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature.
Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law requires the commission to issue a single subject teaching credential only in specified subjects and authorizes the commission to issue an authorization to teach a subject other than the one authorized by a single subject teaching credential if the holder of the credential meets certain requirements. Existing law, upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, requires the commission, on or before July 1, 2024, to convene a workgroup on credentialing for instruction in computer science, as provided. Existing law also requires the commission, on or before July 1, 2025, to provide a report of the workgroup's findings and recommendations, as provided. Existing law repeals these provisions as of January 1, 2028. This bill would extend the above-referenced deadlines by 2 years and delay the repeal date of those provisions by 2 years.
Existing law requires school districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools to adopt and update a local control and accountability plan (LCAP) using a template adopted by the State Board of Education that requires an LCAP to include certain information, including, among other information, (1) a description of the annual goals to be achieved for specified state priorities, including, among others, pupil achievement and pupil outcomes, (2) a description of the specific actions that the local educational agency will take during each year of the LCAP to achieve these goals, and (3) an assessment of the effectiveness of the specific actions described in the existing LCAP toward achieving the goals, as provided. This bill would, among other things, require the State Department of Education, in consultation with the state board and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, on or before December 31, 2026, to prepare, and update at least once every 2 years, a compilation of best practices to harness the power of technology to support pupil academic success and accelerate pupil academic achievement for school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that receive specified federal funding, including a model policy for incorporation of those best practices into their LCAPs. The bill would require the department, in collaboration with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, to conduct at least 3 informational webinars in 2027 for those local educational agencies to understand how to incorporate the best practices and model policy into their LCAPs. The bill would require the department to establish a School Technology Empowerment Advisory Committee that includes at least one school board member, administrator, teacher, and representative from the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, and multiple individuals or organizations that represent the interests of supporting the use of technology in public schools, with experience regarding the effective use of technology in accelerating pupil academic performance, as provided. The bill would require the advisory committee to share with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and advise the Superintendent on, best practices to harness the power of technology to support pupil academic success and accelerate pupil academic achievement for local educational agencies. The bill would also require the advisory committee, on or before December 31, 2028, and annually thereafter, to prepare an annual report on the progress in harnessing the power of technology to accelerate pupil academic achievement and to submit the report to the department and the state board.
Existing law establishes a single system for providing support to local educational agencies and schools and for specified federal educational programs. Existing law provides that the purpose of the statewide system of support is to build the capacity of local educational agencies, as specified. Existing law requires the State Department of Education and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to establish a process, administered by the department, to select, subject to approval by the executive director of the State Board of Education, an expert lead agency based on specific expertise in an area of need to conduct activities and build statewide capacity to address that area of need within the statewide system of support, as well as geographic lead agencies for other specified purposes, as provided. This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for these purposes, would require the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, on or before July 1, 2026, to select an applicant county office of education to serve as a Statewide School Library Lead to work collaboratively with the State Board of Education, the department, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, among others, to establish library and literacy services that support the statewide system of support. The bill would require the selected county office of education to employ at least one fully credentialed teacher librarian. The bill would specify that the Statewide School Library Lead's duties include, among other things, enhancing the state's investment in literacy and aligning those efforts with the California Comprehensive State Literacy Plan and working directly with school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to build capacity to develop excellent school library services and accelerate literacy and learning, including coordinating support, providing direct technical assistance, and delivering professional learning.
Existing law states the intent of the Legislature to provide for the adoption and selection of quality instructional materials for use in elementary and secondary schools and requires each governing board of a school district to provide for substantial teacher involvement in the selection of instructional materials and to promote the involvement of parents and other members of the community in the selection of instructional materials. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district, when adopting instructional materials for use in school, to include relevant technology-based materials, defined for these purposes to mean basic or supplemental instructional materials that are designed for use by pupils and teachers as learning resources and that require the availability of electronic equipment in order to be used as a learning resource, as provided. This bill would require the governing board or body of each school district, county office of education, and charter school to provide for substantial teacher involvement in the evaluation and selection of educational technology, as defined, that is required to be used by all teachers or all paraprofessionals of the local educational agency, and to promote the involvement of parents and other members of the community in the evaluation and selection process. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, on or before January 1, 2027, to develop, and post on the State Department of Education's internet website, best practices and resources to guide school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and joint powers authorities providing educational services in the evaluation and selection of educational technology that is required to be used by all teachers or all paraprofessionals, as specified. The bill would, commencing January 1, 2027, encourage school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to follow those best practices for the evaluation and selection of educational technology. 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.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow a credit against those taxes for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2031, in an amount equal to the unreimbursed amount paid or incurred by a qualified teacher during the taxable year for instructional materials and classroom supplies, as defined, not to exceed $250. The bill would define qualified teacher as a teacher in a public, charter, or private school offering instruction in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, for at least 900 hours during a school year. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill also would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
(1) Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials, certificates, and permits. Existing law requires the holder of a single subject teaching credential or a standard secondary credential or a special secondary teaching credential who either (A) has completed specified coursework approved by the commission at a regionally accredited institution of higher education in any subject commonly taught in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, other than the subject for which the credentialholder is already certificated to teach, or (B) has been verified as having subject matter competence, as specified, for any subject commonly taught in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, other than the subject for which the credentialholder is already certificated to teach, to be eligible to have that subject appear on their credential as an authorization to teach that subject. This bill would revise the above-described eligibility requirements for a credentialholder to have a subject appear on their credential as an authorized subject for the credentialholder teach by removing the qualification that the subject be one that the credentialholder is not already credentialed to teach. (2) Existing law requires both the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, to include physical education for a total period of time of not less of than 200 minutes each 10 schooldays, as specified, and the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to require all pupils to attend upon the courses of physical education for a total period of time of not less than 400 minutes each 10 schooldays, unless an alternate term schedule described below has been adopted or the pupil has been excused or exempted, as provided. Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district maintaining any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, to adopt a policy providing for an alternate term schedule for physical education courses if certain conditions are met, including, among others, that pupils in grade 6 receive no less than 400 minutes of instruction every 10 days for a semester of not fewer than 18 weeks during the regular school year, for a total of 3,600 instructional minutes for the school year, and that pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive no less than 800 minutes of instruction every 10 days for a semester of not fewer than 18 weeks during the regular school year, for a total of 7,200 instructional minutes for the school year. This bill would clarify that the alternative term schedule minimum minute requirements are required to be calculated instead by schooldays. (3) This bill would correct cross references and references to entities.
Under existing law, it is the public policy of this state to encourage the utilization of apprenticeship as a form of on-the-job training, when such training is cost effective in developing skills needed to perform public services. Existing law requires state and local public agencies to make a diligent effort to establish apprenticeship programs for apprenticeable occupations in their respective workforces. Existing law requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to, among other duties, establish standards for the issuance and renewal of credentials. Existing law requires, as a minimum requirement for a preliminary multiple-subject, single-subject, or education specialist teaching credential, the satisfactory completion of a program of professional preparation, as specified. This bill would require the commission and the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to partner in the dissemination, approval, and monitoring of credentialed educator apprenticeship programs in California, and to communicate apprenticeship requirements to professional preparation programs, local educational agencies, and other potential sponsors of educator apprenticeship programs. The bill, notwithstanding any other law, would authorize the commission to issue apprenticeship certificates or permits to educator candidates without a credential who are employed by local educational agencies and participating in approved credentialed educator apprenticeship programs, as specified. The bill would authorize the commission and the division to enter into a memorandum of understanding to establish processes and procedures for information sharing, application review, and data collection and reporting, and would authorize the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, in consultation with the commission, to issue rules and regulations that govern credentialed educator apprenticeship programs, including the approval and denial of programs, registration of agreements, program administration and procedures, evaluations, working conditions, and minimum standards, as specified. The bill would require an applicant for a new credentialed educator apprenticeship program or for the expansion of an existing credentialed educator apprenticeship program into a new geographic or credential area to submit specified documentation to the chief. The bill would require the division to present the apprenticeship program application to the commission for its review, as provided, and would require the commission, if it is satisfied that specified conditions have been met, to provide written notice of that fact to the chief.
