Newsom Administration Releases Elementary Waiver Guidance

On Monday night, August 3, 2020, the Newsom Administration released highly anticipated guidance for local health officers (LHOs) to consider when reviewing Elementary Education Waivers that would allow elementary schools to open for in-person instruction under specified conditions. The full waiver guidance can be found here. Waiver process Under state guidance, schools located in counties […]

Governor Mandates Some School Closures, Updates School Guidance

This afternoon, Governor Newsom announced new statewide requirements that public and private schools shall be closed to in-person instruction in counties that are on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list. A map of county status can be found here. Schools in these counties must provide distance learning only when beginning the school year and cannot open for in-person instruction […]

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 […]

COVID-19 Update – Guidance on grading and graduation requirements released

As anticipated, tonight the California Department of Education released guidance on grading and graduation requirements for students affected by school closures due to COVID-19. The guidance includes information on grading work through distance learning and alternative grading systems. With regards to the state’s minimum graduation requirements, the guidance provides that local educational agencies (LEAs) are […]

COVID-19 Update – School meals regulatory relief addressed and other key issues

We wanted you to know that the USDA has acted today on important waivers. The lack of flexibility on school meal programs has been front and center for us over the past few weeks. We reached out to the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky and the Undersecretary Brandon Lipps who have both been very responsive. We […]

COVID-19 Update: Federal Guidance on Special Education and Distance Learning

The U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance on serving children with disabilities during the COVID-19 crisis. The guidance is perhaps the clearest we have received so far. For example, it states: Some educators … have been reluctant to provide any distance instruction because they believe that federal disability law presents insurmountable barriers to remote […]

COVID-19 Update – Critical Advice on Collective Bargaining and Paid Leave

In addition to our work with state leadership in Sacramento, we’ve been in daily contact with our partners at Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo (AALRR) to make sure we understand the laws that impact LEA operations during this crisis. AALRR has done an excellent job of interpreting the various Executive Orders, legislation and guidance related […]