2020-21 School Year: What Will Distance Learning Look Like?

This is the second in a series of updates where we delve into the various instruction, attendance, and accountability provisions being implemented in response to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic for the 2020-21 school year. Yesterday, we provided an analysis of the average daily attendance (ADA) hold-harmless for the 2020-21 school year and ongoing efforts to address […]

Budget Moves Forward with Controversial Attendance Rules

While a budget agreement was announced last week, and most of the bills necessary to implement the agreement were sent to Governor Newsom by Friday, a notable exception was the main K-12 education trailer bill. That bill, SB 98 (and its duplicate Assembly Bill, AB 77), were revised last week and thus not eligible for […]

Governor Newsom orders statewide mask requirement, but exempts schools and childcare

Today, Governor Newsom announced he will require masks in most public settings in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 as new cases and hospitalizations continue to rise daily. The order specifically exempts schools and childcare settings. Under the updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health released today, Californians must wear face […]

Assembly Education Committee Holds Hearing on Reopening Schools

On Tuesday (June 16, 2020), the Assembly Education Committee held an informational hearing on the reopening of schools for the 2020-21 school year. Spanning nearly three-and-a-half hours, with over an hour alone spent on public comment from concerned parents and equity groups, panels focused on the health and safety of students and staff, teaching and […]

Senate Budget Plan

In a hearing of its Budget and Fiscal Review Committee this afternoon, the State Senate revealed its response to the Governor’s May Revision and its plan for the budget.  The Senate’s plan rejects many of the cuts proposed in the Governor’s May Revision, and instead proposes to use a series of budget tools that were developed […]

Analysis Of Governor’s May Revision

Governor Gavin Newsom opened his May Revision press conference with the observation that “the world has changed dramatically since I proposed my budget in January.” After a wistful review of the January budget surplus and some of the many planned investments, the Governor got down to business – a summary of the devastating impacts of the […]

Governor’s budget projections reduce Prop 98 by $18 billion

On Thursday, May 7, 2020, the Governor’s Department of Finance (DOF) provided a Fiscal Update that anticipates a drop in state revenue of $54 billion and a corresponding reduction to the Proposition 98 guarantee for schools of $18 billion. The update also acts as a preview of the Governor’s May Revision of his budget proposal, which […]

Credentialing Update – CTC Provides Credential Flexibility and Program Modifications

On the first day of a two-day meeting, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) acted yesterday to provide flexibility to teachers, candidates, and preparation programs in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. As we have written before, the CTC has specific waiver authority over credential requirements that are included in Education Code (EC) or Title […]

Federal Dollars Sent to States

Yesterday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced the availability of $3 billion in education relief funding for governors to allocate at their discretion to support schools and colleges. California’s portion of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund is expected to be $355 million. We are also waiting for the U.S. Department of Education to act on […]