Blog

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 […]

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 […]