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.

Unless a bill specifically states otherwise, the laws summarized below take effect on January 1, 2027.

Landmark Bill Establishes Education Commissioner to Oversee Department of Education

In his final budget blueprint, Governor Newsom proposed shifting oversight of the California Department of Education (CDE) away from the elected Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to an Education Commissioner appointed by the Governor. The proposal prompted concerns from the Legislature that having a political appointment in that role could hinder policymakers’ access to, and responsiveness from, the Department of Education. After months of negotiations, AB 181 (Alvarez, D-San Diego) contains the final compromise.

Beginning in January 2027, the new Education Commissioner will assume responsibility for CDE’s day-to-day administration. The Commissioner will be appointed by the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation, and will report to both the Governor and the State Board of Education (SBE). The law strongly encourages the appointment of someone with experience managing a large organization and in public education leadership. To address concerns from the Legislature, the bill requires the Commissioner to direct CDE to respond promptly to legislative requests for information, data, and technical assistance, to the extent practicable.

Beginning January 15, 2027, the Senate and Assembly will each appoint one member to the SBE, expanding the Board from 11 to 13 members. The Governor’s appointments go from 10 to nine, and the SPI will also become a voting member of both the SBE and the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. The Superintendent’s role is somewhat undefined but, as written, will focus on advocacy and coordination across education sectors.

AB 181 also requires recommendations for a second phase of governance reform, including review of education programs and support entities outside CDE, further definition of the Superintendent’s responsibilities, and a long-term staffing and funding plan for that office. An interim report is due by June 30, 2027, and final recommendations are due by October 1, 2027.

Public Records Bill Narrowed After Transparency Fight

Beginning January 1, 2027, AB 1821, by Assembly Member Blanca Pacheco (D-Downey), gives public agencies more time to make their initial determination on a public records request by changing how response deadlines are counted. Under existing law, an agency has 10 calendar days to determine whether a request seeks disclosable records in its possession and notify the requester. AB 1821 changes that deadline to 10 business days, excluding weekends and holidays. The additional extension available in certain circumstances also changes from 14 calendar days to 14 business days. Agencies are still obligated to make records promptly available and provide an estimated production date.

The law is considerably narrower than an earlier version of the bill, which would have authorized processing fees for certain commercial requests and allowed agencies to seek court review of requests allegedly submitted with malicious intent. Journalists, transparency organizations, and civil rights advocates opposed those provisions, which were removed in June. The remaining change gives agencies additional business days to review requests, although some opponents continued to argue that it would worsen delays in accessing public information. Local educational agencies (LEAs) should update their public records procedures and deadline tracking to reflect the new business-day standard.

Schools Cannot Make Addictive Social Media Feeds a Condition of Participation

Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) authored AB 302 to ensure that students can participate in school activities without having to use an “addictive feed.” Beginning with the 2027–28 school year, LEAs cannot exclude students from extracurricular activities, including sports and clubs, because they do not have or use these feeds. The law also prohibits LEAs from using an addictive feed as their sole means of contacting students or their parents or guardians.

The definition covers feeds that recommend or prioritize user-generated content based on information associated with a user or device, with exceptions that include direct, private communications. Schools should review how staff send announcements and information, and ensure families have an alternative way to receive communications currently available only through a covered feed. AB 302 also encourages schools to explain these rights in student handbooks or similar materials.

New Law Intended to Expedite Inter-District Processing Times

To promote timely responses to inter-district transfer requests, Senator Roger Niello (R-Rocklin) authored SB 1082, which sets new requirements for both districts of residence and districts of proposed enrollment. Specifically, SB 1082 requires a school district of proposed enrollment that has entered into an interdistrict transfer agreement with another district to begin reviewing the request upon receipt. The bill also provides that, if either district determines the request is incomplete, the review period may be extended by up to 30 calendar days, provided the district notified the parent of what information is missing and sent a written notice of extension within 30 calendar days of receiving the request. If the new requirements conflict with an existing interdistrict agreement entered into before January 1, 2027 the prior law continues to apply until that agreement expires or is renewed.

Governance and Operations Bills Signed Into Law

The Governor signed the following governance and operations bills:

Brown Act

• SB 1187 (Durazo) – Open meetings.SB 1187 repeals specified language access requirements for local government meetings that were enacted last year by SB 707.Chapter 324, Statutes of 2026

District Boundaries and Student Transfers

• SB 1082 (Niello) – Pupil attendance: interdistrict transfers: agreements: policies.This bill requires, beginning January 1, 2027, school districts that enter into an interdistrict transfer agreement to adopt and post a policy describing the transfer process. If a parent’s application is incomplete, the district must identify the missing information or documents within 30 calendar days of receiving it. The bill also allows limited extensions of the deadline for a final decision when an application is incomplete or an individualized education program (IEP) meeting is scheduled or pending. New interdistrict agreements must include these requirements.LEAs should ensure their board policies comply with the new requirements.

  Important date: Within 30 calendar days of receiving an incomplete request, district must identify missing information and provide the required extension notice, as applicable.

  Chapter 675, Statutes of 2026

Elections

• SB 884 (Umberg) – Elections in 2026 through 2029.SB 884 makes several temporary changes applicable to regular and special elections beginning with the November 3, 2026, statewide general election and continuing through 2029, including elections proclaimed in 2029. Those changes include:
  • All ballot drop-off locations must be open beginning at least 30 days before the election.
  • Prohibits law enforcement officers from making arrests within 200 feet of a polling place on Election Day, except for a crime related to disrupting the operation of the polling place or a crime against a person or property.
  • Requires law enforcement to notify the Secretary of State and Attorney General of a suspected, planned, or actual violation of the prohibitions on arrests or electioneering activities near polling places.
  • Authorizes the state and local governments to place reasonable restrictions on polling places located on their property.
  • Authorizes a county elections official to extend the time for closing the polls at any polling place if the county elections official determines that voting at the polling place was disrupted as a result of a violation of the prohibitions on arrests or electioneering activities near polling places.
  • Authorizes a county board of supervisors to extend the prohibition on electioneering activities to up to 200 feet of the specified voting locations.

  Chapter 340, Statutes of 2026

Governance and Operations

• AB 181 (Alvarez) – Education governance: State Board of Education: Superintendent of Public Instruction: Education Commissioner: State Department of Education: transfer of duties.This bill makes several changes in furtherance of the new governance structure of CDE. Specifically, AB 181 establishes the position of Education Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, requires the Education Commissioner to assume management of CDE, establishes the Office of the SPI, and removes or changes several previous roles of that position. The bill also adds two members to the SBE to be appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly, and requires the SPI to become a voting member of the SBE and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.Chapter 66, Statutes of 2026
• AB 302 (Bauer-Kahan) – Pupil and parental communication: extracurricular activities: addictive feeds.Commencing with the 2027–28 school year, AB 302 prohibits a school district, county office of education (COE), or charter school from excluding a pupil from participating in any extracurricular activity due to the pupil not having or using addictive feeds, and further prohibits LEAs from using addictive feeds as the only means of contacting pupils or pupils’ parents.LEAs should ensure their board policies comply with the new requirements.

  Chapter 181, Statutes of 2026

• AB 395 (Gabriel) – Holidays.This bill requires LEAs, beginning with the 2027–28 school year, to consider making efforts to avoid scheduling the first day of class and high school graduation on a date when the LEA knows or suspects that members of the public will be unable to participate due to the observance of a religious, cultural, or ancestral holiday. AB 395 requires LEAs to seek input from the affected community and consider any other relevant sources to ensure inclusive public participation when deciding which dates to avoid.LEAs should ensure their board policies comply with the new requirements.

  Chapter 865, Statutes of 2026

• AB 1331 (Elhawary) – Workplace surveillance.This bill prohibits an employer from using a workplace surveillance tool to monitor or surveil employees in a bathroom located in the workplace, and provides employees the right to leave workplace surveillance tools behind when entering a bathroom, except as specified.Chapter 851, Statutes of 2026
• AB 1572 (Alanis) – California Interscholastic Federation: officials: registration, certification, and eligibility verification.AB 1572 requires California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials to register annually through a CIF-selected platform before they can be assigned to officiate CIF contests. CIF must verify completion of a standardized background screening, required training and sport-specific certification, and liability insurance coverage. Then, beginning July 1, 2028, the platform must instead record a valid Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate and update eligibility when a certificate is suspended or revoked. CIF must give participating schools, districts, COEs, and charter schools access to check an official’s eligibility without exposing sensitive records.Chapter 267, Statutes of 2026
• AB 1908 (McKinnor) – Settlement agreements: victims’ compensation funding.AB 1908 allows courts, under specified conditions, to enforce settlement agreements resolving tort claims against local public entities when the settlement is eligible for payment from a victims’ compensation fund or other specified victim-related financial assistance program. The measure is intended to facilitate local public entities’ ability to finance qualifying settlements.Chapter 907, Statutes of 2026
• AB 2017 (Haney) – State holidays: Eid.AB 2017 adds “Eid al-Fitr” and “Eid al-Adha” to the list of state holidays, and authorizes community colleges and public schools to close on “Eid al-Fitr” and “Eid al-Adha.”Chapter 571, Statutes of 2026
• AB 2467 (Committee on Education) – Elementary and secondary education: omnibus.This “cleanup” measure updates the State Seal of Biliteracy eligibility requirements, delays until the 2028-29 school year the requirement that LEAs administer an approved screening instrument to identify multilingual learners in TK, and clarifies that a charter authorizer is required to annually notify a charter of material concerns by July 1. Additionally, after a prior bill prohibited contractors from charging fees to LEAs, AB 2467 exempts childcare and expanded learning providers from that prohibition. Any LEAs that use contractors who charge pupil fees for programs or services other than California State Preschool, 21st Century High School After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (High School ASSETs), After School Education and Safety (ASES), Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), schoolage childcare programs, or subsidized child care programs should update their policies to comply with the new law.LEAs should ensure their board policies, specifically those around Contracts, Fees and Charges, and Supporting English Learners, comply with the new requirements.

  Important date: By July 1 of each year, chartering authorities must identify and provide written notification of any material concern arising out of their ongoing oversight and monitoring during the previous 12 months to charter schools under their jurisdiction.

  Chapter 608, Statutes of 2026

• SB 549 (Allen) – Heritage schools: enrollment and notice.This bill authorizes heritage schools to serve children who are enrolled in transitional kindergarten (TK), and requires those schools to provide notice to a child’s parent or guardian stating that CDE has no regulatory authority over them and does not monitor their operations or instruction.Chapter 970, Statutes of 2026
• SB 1412 (Rubio) – Parental communication: teacher meetings.This bill gives parents, guardians, or educational rights holders of children enrolled in public schools the right to communicate with their child’s teacher by telephone or a school-approved web conferencing platform if they are unable to attend an individual meeting in person about their child. SB 1412 prohibits these meetings from being recorded or transcribed.LEAs should ensure their board policies comply with the new requirements.

  Chapter 736, Statutes of 2026

PRA/Gov. Code 1090

• AB 1821 (Pacheco) – California Public Records Act: agency response time.This bill allows public agencies 10 business days, rather than 10 calendar days, to tell a requester whether they have records they can disclose and explain their decision. In unusual circumstances, they could extend that response deadline by up to 14 business days, rather than 14 calendar days.Chapter 899, Statutes of 2026
• SB 401 (Hurtado) – Political Reform Act of 1974: filing deadlines: emergency situations.This bill authorizes the Fair Political Practices Commission to extend any filing deadline established by the Political Reform Act by no more than 60 days for individuals that live in an area impacted by an emergency situation if it is reasonably likely to affect their ability to file on time.Chapter 968, Statutes of 2026

Source: Adapted from the October 2026 Governance and Operations: Changes in Law brief by Capitol Advisors Group.