News & Insights
Updates Shaping Independent Study in California
2026 Changes in Law: Technology
In 2026 the Legislature and Governor Newsom stopped debating whether to regulate children's technology and artificial intelligence (AI) and started writing...
2026 Changes in Law: Governance and Operations
California’s 2026 education legislation includes changes to state education leadership, public records response deadlines, school communications, student transfers, and other governance and operations requirements. This update highlights major developments and summarizes the bills signed into law.
The First 90 Days: A Roadmap for New Independent Study Teachers
Building Relationships, Confidence, and Student Success from Day One Beginning your journey as an Independent Study educator is both exciting and rewarding....
Early Math Assessment, Substitute Permits, LCAP/SARC Relief, CTEIG, and More
Over the weekend, Governor Newsom acted on a large batch of bills ahead of his September 30 deadline to sign or veto. Below is a quick rundown of the actions...
Independent Study and AI: Are You Ready to Lead?
Every August, I find myself thinking the same thing. This is the year we build on what we have learned and make it even better. This year, that means facing...
Back to School: What’s Ahead at CCIS
August always brings a familiar mix of excitement, optimism, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. Some of us are already back at school and...
Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) Updates Forecast, Urges Caution on Governor’s Education Budget Proposal
The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released an updated revenue outlook reflecting the recent state tax collections that have come in significantly above...
Changes in Law 2025 – School Finance
The 2025 legislative session focused heavily on budget stability and accountability within a slower-revenue environment. The Governor signed a series of major...
Impacts of Potential Federal Government Shutdown
Today is the last day of the Federal fiscal year and it appears a deal to avert a federal government shutdown will not materialize. Following up on the email...
SBE Updates Student Score Reports, Sets Threshold Scores for California Spanish Assessment
The State Board of Education met last week for their penultimate meeting of the year. Having addressed any outstanding accountability-related items ahead of...
Contentious Education Bills Head to Governor in Final Hours of 2025 Legislative Session
As of early-Saturday afternoon, the regular 2025 legislative session has come to an end. Rarely in our team’s collective history can we recall an end to the...
Significant Education Bills Pass out of Appropriations Committees
Today, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees acted on several major education bills pending on their “suspense files,” including bills addressing...
More good news on federal funding beyond the release of withheld funding last week
In addition to the release of the remaining $5 billion of impounded Federal school funding for this year, we saw very surprising but welcome action in the...
Feds Release $1.3 Billion for After School & Summer Programs
Today, the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget announced the conclusion of a review of the 21st Century Community Learning...
Fight to release the Federal Withholding of 2025 Funding Just Got More Interesting
This afternoon, almost a dozen key Republican U.S. Senators released a letter urging the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in federal...
State Education Funding Due Today Held Back by Trump Administration
Federal education grants totaling $6.9B, including $800M for California, suddenly withheld, impacting school budgets and key programs nationwide.
2025-26 Budget Deal Funds $1.7 Billion Discretionary Block Grant
Today, the Legislature put into print SB 121 and AB 121 , identical K-12 education trailer bills implementing the bulk of the 2025-26 State Budget K-12...
Federal Threats and an Update on President’s Proposed 2026 Budget
President Trump proposes major cuts to K-12 education in the 2026 budget, sparking concerns over funding, program eliminations, and state impacts.