Assembly Education Committee, Wednesday, April 8, 2026
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Assembly Education Committee California State Assembly
Ihren Sitzungen folgenRedner 4
I happen to also be the chair of the leadership council for AFT's AI Academy. If you have not read that in the news, it's something they created this past year. Today, the CFT is asking you to vote yes on the committee's recommended amendments to AB twenty one forty eight. But I wanna be clear, this cannot be where we stop. AI in education is moving at lightning speed.
It is unproven. It is unknown. And without legislative guardrails, it is already causing harm to children. The Brookings Institute recently reported on an AI on AI in education and came to this conclusion. AI can benefit students or harm them.
Two paths. It depends entirely on how we choose to use it. Overreliance on these tools pay puts kids' ability to learn at risk, their social and emotional well-being, their privacy, and their safety. We're also watching the courts. Meta was recently ordered to pay $375,000,000 after being found liable on a child exploitation case in New Mexico.
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While not directly an AI education case, it is a warning about what happens when we allow powerful technology companies to operate without accountability. That is why CFT is sponsoring bills like this one, to prevent harm to students, to protect educators, rural professionals who show up every day to do the work of teaching, and to protect our education system for the long haul. AB twenty one forty eight is a beginning step, but we also need legislative guardrails to include teacher agency. With teacher agency, educators, not algorithms or companies, must decide how curriculum is taught and what technology belongs in their classroom. And we need to we need you to give us that agency because we have tried in negotiations and districts who are refusing to treat us like the professionals we are.
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Your vote today is part of the agency you have, as the Brookings Institute put it, to move us towards AI enriched learning or allow AI diminished learning. CFT asked you to vote yes on a b twenty one forty eight and to commit to acting with urgency on further legislative guardrails that are greatly needed.
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Afternoon, madam chair and members of the committee. Kat Brechman, on behalf of the California School Employees Association, we're proud cosponsors of a b twenty one forty eight. School employees, not just teachers, but paraeducators, psychologists, and nurses are supportive adults that are trusted to help students through challenging times. Educators tailor lesson plans to their students based on real world experience and a professional understanding of childhood development. Nearly every industry is facing the threat of human jobs being replaced by AI.
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Last year, artificial intelligence replaced over 50,000 jobs in The US, and some reports estimate that AI could replace up to 30% of jobs in education. Reliance on AI can impact students' learning capacity, their social and emotional skills, and their relationships with peers and educators. The replacement of humans in any facet of our education system could have far reaching and unforeseen consequences on future generations' ability to learn and communicate. Education is one area where a human touch is necessary. An algorithm can't understand each student's unique needs or help a child to regulate complex emotions.
AB twenty one forty eight will implement the necessary safeguards to guarantee that our students are getting the personalized, humane education we know they deserve. And for these reasons and many more, we respectfully ask for your I vote. Thank you.
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At this time, we'll take any, public comments in support. Please line up to the microphone. State your name, affiliation, and position on the bill only. Thank you.
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Thank you, chair members. Elmer Lizardi here on behalf of the California Federation of Labor Unions in strong support.
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Good afternoon, chair committee members. Brian Maramontes with California Teachers Association in support.
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Good afternoon. I'm Leah Griffin with the American Federation of State County Municipal Employees in support.
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My name is Ariane Adamchukova, a 24 human high school Spanish teacher. Been teaching for twenty four years. I still use paper and pencil and face to face communications domains affiliation. Sharon Adamchukova, high school Spanish teacher, and a member of CTA, and I strongly, strongly support humanizing education.
Redner 1
Thank you. Seeing no further, public comment, let's go to opposition witness. Are there any opposition witnesses? Please step forward. Good afternoon, Christine and Marcy.
Take a seat and Oh, I'm sorry. We're just doing me too. Any opposition witnesses?
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Dorothy Johnson, on behalf of the Association of California School Administrators, we are grateful for the work with the author and the committee to address our deepest concerns, and, this removes our opposition that was expressed previously. So I'm kind of that tweener position. Thank you for the grace. Thank you.
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on behalf of the Small School Districts Association, look forward to reviewing the amendments, and we'll cert we appreciate the work, and we'll certainly be back in touch once we've had a chance to see them in print. Thank you.
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Lucy Salcedo Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education. We're in similar position waiting to see the amendments in in print but have been opposed.
Redner 1
Thank you. That seems to conclude our public comment in opposition. Let's bring it back to the, committee for discussion. Before we begin discussion, I do have a brief statement I wanna read. I wanna acknowledge that emerging technology, including AI based tools, presents both benefits and risks to public education.
As we consider how to safely bring new technology into the classroom, it's critical that we center the needs of our educators and allow their expertise to guide us. I wanna thank the author, specifically, and sponsors for bringing attention to this important issue at this time. The timing is quite critical, And I look forward to working with you on future legislation that, really protects the safety, autonomy of teachers, protects the safety of students, the autonomy of teachers in this new emerging world where we're submersed in AI. So bringing it back to the committee, are there any questions for the author at this time? Assembly member Hoover.
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Just wanna thank the author for bringing this forward. I think, you know, with the amendments, we're definitely striking a good balance. I guess my question is, you know, it's interesting we had a Spanish teacher test or not testify, but speak in support as well. But one of the challenges we're having in education right now is a shortage, right, of a lot of qualified teachers. And, I just wanna make sure that as technology sort of improves, that we're not creating roadblocks to using it to supplement, certainly not replace, certificated qualified teachers.
I just wanted to kinda hear your thoughts on that, and how you view this bill and maybe future legislation as as interacting with that challenge.
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Thank you. Maybe I'll start and see if, our supported witnesses want to to jump in. But vice chair Hoover, as as you and I know, we we have seen the the the the pendulum swing on education technology. And and as parents, I think we've been seeing growing evidence about the the the the impacts of of technology on on our children. We we we know that, as the chair stated, we're we're still seeing all
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the technology being developed. And while there's promises of of of, you know, great potential in terms of supporting our our our teachers, supporting our educators, there there's also the the the very real fear as as we're seeing in industries across our society where where job losses are already being seen at this early stage of the AI revolution. But I I I I think one clear theme that we're we're seeing even at this early stage is the importance of the human connection that that our children need to be taught by human beings, that they need to interact with human beings, you know, at at the school front office, you know, paraeducators. I mean, on on in identifying so many different categories of of school employees, I I think we all can intuitively recognize the the importance of ensuring that that AI doesn't replace that human contact, that human relationship. As long as we're human beings, we're going to need that human relationship.
And so, you know, while much of the bill has been stripped out, the principle that an educator needs to be a natural person, I I I think, is is at the heart. Again, this is a a modest but important first step in in recognizing that our educators need to be natural persons. But in terms of how specific technologies are are are can gonna continue to be developed and implemented, that is where we we need to spend more time to to address. And how do we make sure that we are taking advantage of AI as a tool while at the same time making sure that it's not harming our students as well as our staff?
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add and if I can bring up legislation that you've actually supported before, I think that the scarcity issue is something that we aren't just hear hearing from your question. We I I communicate with several international organizations. We brought the education National Education Union from England here. That was part of the effort to discover what we needed to carry in legislation. They're carrying that same language.
That's a creation that we create, that scarcity. And I know we talk about where we're it's hard to hire people, but we need to create solutions that aren't AI driven. Because once we open that door, it's just gonna propagate and then start erasing that opportunity. Look at go to a fast food restaurant. We now no longer order to if you don't if you do or not.
But, we no longer order from humans. We order from a a screen, and that's it will propagate even further. So we need to avoid that type of argument, and I appreciate that argument, and I appreciate your vote to increase salaries 50% to not have that scarcity. And there was that connection that we need to make sure we provide the professionalism for all educators, and we won't have that scarcity issue. But that I think we need to avoid that question, but I appreciate it.
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No. And and I agree with that. I think largely, there there are solutions there. Right? And and I do wanna address that issue, but it is sort of a separate issue.
Right? So, I think the goals of the bill are are really good. I appreciate, you know, your work with the committee. And and and I do largely support, right, this idea of, the, you know, the critical need of humans in the classroom and also maybe even a relook at, down the road at, technology in the classroom as a whole and how we can maybe readjust some things there to help create more social interaction and engagement as well. Look.
We'll be supporting Bill today and, be happy to to be a coauthor if if if you are looking for those. Thanks.
Redner 1
Excellent. So next, any other committee members? Questions? Do I have a motion? Mister assemblymember Murasuchi, would you like to close?
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File item four, AB2148. The motion is due passed as amended to higher education. Patel? Aye. Patel, aye.
Hoover?
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Hoover? Aye. Alvarez, aye. Bonta? Aye.
Bonta, aye. Castillo, aye. Garcia, Lowenthal, Helleran, Zabur.
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bill has five votes, and it is out. Thank you. Next, we have file item seven, a b twenty two zero two. Assembly member, you may proceed when ready.
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Thank you. I'm here to, now present a b twenty two zero two, a bill to establish the closing the achievement gap commission an advisory body to the State Board of Education. We know that closing the achievement gap has been the holy grail of public education for many, many years. And while we have many programs and billions of dollars being devoted to closing the achievement gap, we need to do a better job in making sure that that our statewide systems are designed to improve the support that the state is providing to local educational agencies to promote their local efforts to close the achievement gap. And so that is the core proposal of this bill.
And as you know, madam chair, this is part of a larger package of of bills of which you and other members of this committee are are are carrying to focus on this critical issue of closing achievement gaps. With me to testify in support of the bill today is the sponsor of the bill, the California School Board Association, represented by Carlos Machado, as well as Tristan Brown, representing the California Federation of Teachers.
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Good afternoon, madam chair and and committee members. Carlos Machado here on behalf of the California School Board Association, the proud sponsor of AB twenty two zero two. CSBA represents nearly a thousand school districts and county boards of education tasked with local stewardship of the state's nearly, 6,000,000 students. While our locally elected trustees are held to a high standard of public accountability through elections, audits, and state the school dashboard, They often find themselves operating within an uncoordinated state level architecture. For too long, local leaders have had to navigate a series of disconnected mandates and ad hoc reforms that, while well intentioned, often conflict with one another at the local level.
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AB twenty two zero two provides the state board of education with a vital mechanism to bridge this system systematic gap. By establishing the closing the achievement gap commission, the bill creates a structured feedback loop between the local leaders and educators and state policymakers. The commission will provide a important local perspective for the State Board of Education, including ground level experience necessary to refine and update state programs so they act as a strategic partner in local success rather than a source of regulatory friction. For CSBA members, a b twenty two two is about governance coherence. The bill addresses the dueling state and local priorities created by a fragmented state mandates that often dilute a board's ability to focus on student outcomes.
By requiring the state board to consider the commission's recommendations, the bill ensures a local a level of transparency and shared responsibility that matches what is expected of, local boards. AB twenty two zero two will help us move toward a state system that is organized for results. On behalf of, California schools and county trustees, CSB, asked for your I vote on a b twenty two zero two.
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Good afternoon, madam chair and members. Tristan Brown with the CFT, Union of Educators and Classified Professionals, emphatically in support of this idea because, while we do have many over a thousand school districts that are implementing this vital program, we always known that education is an is a issue of state concern. Even in the founding of our country, those folks who were putting together our constitutions understood that public education was something that had to be administered for the good of all by the good of all. And this helps align that sort of 30,000 foot view as to the overall program of how we're doing rather than relying on individual districts to helpfully submit program. This is not a rebuke of local control.
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In fact, it's something that could help assist where local control may have blind spots or be unable to see beyond their borders. And as we move into more worlds of inter district transfers, dual enrollment, and other ways in which our students and families are more interconnected than ever before, it makes all the more sense for school the state of California to be able to take a look and see how this system is doing on that level. So for those reasons, we really appreciate what's gonna happen with this policy and we look forward to how it can really bolster all of our, goals to improve education in every district. So we ask for your aye vote. Thank you.
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Assembly member, just to clarify, I may have missed it. Are you accepting committee amendments?
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At this time, we will take witnesses or public comment in support. Please line up to the microphone. Name, affiliation, and position only, please.
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Madam chair and members, Adam Keglin on behalf of the California Charged Schools Association in support.
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Madam chair, Brian Easter, superintendent of the Maple School District and school board member for the Panama Buena Vista School District in support of this bill. Thank you.
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Madam chair, Rob Effa, superintendent principal of North Tao Creek Elementary School District in Northern California in support of this bill.
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Madam chair, Susan Markarian, Pacific Union Elementary School District board member, I'm in support of this bill.
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Madam chair, Sabrina Rodriguez, Ventura Unified School District and in support of this.
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Madam chair, Melanie Matta, superintendent principal at Hope Elementary School District in full support.
Redner 1
This time, if there were any witnesses in opposition, it's time to step forward. Seeing no witnesses in opposition, any public comment in opposition? Alright. That bring. Thank you.
There's a motion. Is there there's a motion and a second. Are there any comments or questions from somebody member Bonta?
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Thank you. Appreciate you bringing this bill forward. Thank you to the author. I did have a question around the composition of the of the commission. The analysis aptly points to the need to make sure that we're focused on early learning opportunities and early learning gaps that exist.
We know that kindergarteners, and now even four year olds, TK are coming into our school sis our TK 12 school system, with a differential opportunity gap. So I don't believe that there's anyone on the commission that is focused more on the disparities that exist within the early learning fields. And your quick response might be to say that you're offering opportunities for LEAs that have t k 12 systems to be able to participate. I would I would ask you to not offer me that response because the response of t k 12 LEAs participating in the commission because I think that there's a world of work around early childhood learning that happens before a child hits four years old that isn't encompassed in this composition of the commission.
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Yes. Miss Bonta, thank you for calling that out, especially given your long background in early childhood education. I I think you're absolutely right. You know, the committee analysis correctly points out that the the data shows that so much of the achievement gap begins in the first zero to to four years, if not zero to five years. And and that is also a important fact that that supports your point.
You know, while certainly the current composition may allow for the representation of of someone with expertise in early childhood education, I I would like to have the conversation with with the sponsor of the bill, you know, as to whether we should whether we need to get more specific in terms of requiring representation from early childhood education. So I appreciate your comment.
Redner 1
Do we have any further questions or comments from committee members? Assembly member, would you like to close?
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File item seven, a b twenty two zero two. The motion is due passed as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel, aye.
Hoover? Alvarez? Aye. Alvarez, aye. Bonta?
Aye. Bonta, aye. Castillo?
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We take could do jump to the consent calendar and get a motion on consent.
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We're gonna now jump to the consent calendar and get a motion on the consent. Is there a second? A motion and a second. Secretary, please
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call the roll on consent. The consent calendar motions are as follows. A b fifteen sixty nine do pass as amended to transportation. A b twenty seventy one do pass as amended to appropriations. A b twenty two zero six do pass as amended to higher education.
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A b twenty two ninety eight do pass to appropriations. A b twenty four sixty seven do pass to military and veterans affairs. A b twenty five eighty do pass as amended to higher education. A b twenty six fifty two do pass as amended to appropriations, and AB twenty seven twenty six do pass to higher education. On the consent calendar, Patel?
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The vote is five zero. The consent calendar is out. At this time, we're gonna take up, a bill on special order due to a witness needing to leave. The bill is file item what was it? File item 15AB2555.
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We'd like to have you, present your bill, and then we'll follow with your witnesses afterwards.
Redner 1
Thank you. Thank you, mister chair, acting chair, and members. I will open my statement by saying I accept all the committee amendments. California's goals for education for English learners is articulated in the English learner road map, and they are that, these learners attain high levels of English proficiency, mastery of grade level standards, and have opportunities to develop proficiency in multiple languages. California's system for reclassifying students as fully English proficient is a critical part of realizing this vision.
Fifty years ago, California established its system for reclassifying English learners as fully English proficient. It has not materially changed since that time. Over the years, evidence has mounted that the current system is inconsistent, redundant, subjective, complex, and highly influenced by educator mindsets about reclassification. Concern has also grown over the outcomes of this system. Research has shown that roughly half of all English learners who are not reclassified by the end of elementary school are in fact proficient in English.
Research has also found significant gaps in reclassification rates by home language with Spanish speaking students significantly less likely to reclassify than other students even when they are just as proficient as their peers. On average, it takes two hundred and twenty six days for a student who has scored proficient in English to reclassify, with some students waiting years before reclassification. Many students score proficient year after year before they are reclassified. It's time for a comprehensive reform of this system. A b two five five five will establish a coherent, consistent, efficient, and transparent reclassification system By streamlining reclassification criteria, making reclassification automatic, better engaging parents, strengthening the monitoring of reclassified students, and reframing reclassification as a milestone on the pathway to biliteracy.
This bill will create a fair and efficient system, one worthy of our students' true potential. With me today to testify in support are marianacom Comes? Comes? Comes, Second year law student at UCSD UC Davis School of Law, and Martha Hernandez, executive director of Californians Together, cosponsor of AB twenty five fifty five. Thank you.
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Good afternoon, chair and members. My name is Mariana Kames, and I'm a second year student at UC Davis School of Law. I was born in Baghdad, Iraq and came to The United States at 12 years old as a United Nations refugee. On my first day of middle school, I did not speak any English. I was placed in an English learner program where we were taught 20 vocabulary words per week.
For nearly two years, I was not allowed to take any substantive math or science classes. As my English improved, I noticed that many of my classmates also spoke English well, yet we all remained in this class. Over time, I began to worry that I had fallen behind in other subjects and would not be able to take advanced classes. I was stuck relearning material I had already mastered. My English continued to improve, but I could not move into regular classes.
I asked my teacher about the reclassification process, but it was never explained to me. I later heard about a meeting where decisions about schools were being made, and I asked my mom to take me. Years later, I learned that it was a school board meeting. During public comment, I shared my story and asked for help. The following year, in eighth grade, I was reclassified.
That year, I was placed in honors English. Nothing changed, but I went from being an English learner to an honors student over the summer. I earned an a in that class. In high school, I took as many AP classes as I could, primarily in English and history as those subjects naturally became my strengths. By the time I began college at San Diego State University, I had already completed 21 college units.
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Within six years of being out of the English learner program, I was appointed by governor Gavin Newsom to serve as a student trustee on the California State University Board of Trustees, where I represented almost half a million students across the state. After graduating, I became a fellow in the assembly fellowship program. I worked in the office of assembly member Lisa Calderon, first as a fellow and then a legislative aide. Today, I am nearly done with my second year of law school at UC Davis. I often think about how easily my trajectory could have been different, how my reclassification began a chain reaction of opportunities, and what happened to other students in my class who remained stuck in the system with their potential unrealized.
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I share my story because I'm one of many students who were held back by a complicated reclassification process that is neither objective nor culturally competent. For years, while I was learning English, I was told not to speak my home language. Today, being multilingual is an asset that makes me more competitive in the workforce. AB twenty five fifty five ensures that reclassification is based on objective criteria focused on English proficiency. It involves parents like my mother who wanted to be part of the process from the very beginning.
Finally, it ensures that students receive the support they need after reclassification so they don't fall through the cracks. No student should have to beg to be reclassified. When English learners work hard to become proficient, they deserve the opportunity to move forward. For these reasons, I urge you to support a b twenty five fifty five. Thank you.
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Good afternoon, chair and members. I am Martha Hernandez, the executive director of Californians Together. We are a coalition of 40 organizations that champion English learner success, and we are proud cosponsors of a b twenty five fifty five. I bring forty two years in California public education, including thirty years as a site district and county administrator, where I have seen firsthand the challenges and the consequences of our current reclassification system. I do wanna begin by thanking the author, and, this bill is long overdue because at its core, this is about students and the opportunities that we either open or close for them.
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For fifty years, California has relied on a reclassification system that is inconsistent, complex, and too often inequitable. We are the only state in the nation that uses four criteria and then applies those criteria differently across districts. I have seen the consequences of this system up close. I have seen students in my forty two year career reclassified too early, struggling because they lacked sufficient language proficiency to succeed. But I have also seen students reclassified too late, denied learning opportunities, and separated, segregated from their peers, and underestimated.
And we have to be clear that reclassification is not the finish line but a milestone on a student's journey toward full biliteracy. As twenty five fifty five moves us, toward assist AB twenty five fifty five moves us toward a system that reflects what we know is right, a system that is fair, where all students are evaluated consistently, a system that supports success so students can fully access learning opportunities and thrive, a system that ensures accountability so we can improve outcomes for all multilingual learners. We know what works. The question is whether we up will align our systems to reflect that knowledge.
Redner 27
Thank you very much. Appreciate your testimony. Now we'll take, public comment that is in support. You are in support of this item. Please come forward.
Please state your name, affiliation if any, and, again, just state, your that you are in support of this measure.
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Christina Marcellus on behalf of the San Diego County Office of Education in support.
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Vishal Warshaw on behalf of the California Teachers Association in strong support.
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Elizabeth Englekin on behalf of the SELPA administrators of California and Sonoma County SELPA in strong support.
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Patrick McGrew, representing the SELPA administrative for California in strong support. Thank you.
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Christina Salazar on behalf of the Riverside Riverside County superintendent of schools in strong support.
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Manuel Bongrostro with Californians Together in strong support. Also doing a me too on behalf of Ed Trust West and the California Association for Bilingual Education who are also, CABE is also a cosponsor. Thank you. Thank you.
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Sarah Lillis with Teach Bus California in support. Thanks. Sierra Cook with the San Diego Unified School District in support, also speaking today on behalf of the Association of California School Administrators in
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Lucy Salcedo Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in support.
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Tristan Brown on behalf of the ELD practitioners of the CFT, enthusiastic support.
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Good afternoon. Derek Lennox on behalf of California County superintendents. Our legislative committee meets tomorrow, but we look forward to formalizing our support after that.
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Ariane Adam Chukova, Spanish, Japanese, multilingual language, newcomer English high school teacher in San Mateo County in support. Thank you.
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Anna Cordero, eighth grade history teacher for seventeen years, CTA member in strong support.
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Good afternoon. Kelly Mikashi, school board member from Pleasanton Unified School District, delegate assembly from the California School Board Association, and an employee from Fremont Unified School District in support.
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Melanie Mata, Hope Elementary School District superintendent principal, absolute full support.
Redner 27
Thank you. Anyone else in support? Seeing, no other, witnesses in, support or testimony in support will take opposition witnesses. If there are any opposition witnesses, please come forward. Seeing no opposition witnesses, are there any public comment in opposition?
Redner 27
We don't see any. Thank you. We have a motion and a second on the bill. Do we have any committee member questions or comments? Yes, miss Bonta.
Redner 25
Welcome home, Mariana. Good to have you back. Thank you. It's wonderful to hear your story as well.
Redner 27
Thank you. It's always great to see talent from the Assembly Fellowship here. Congratulations, and thank you for sharing your story. It is very, it was done very eloquently as an English language learner, or now we call them English learners, myself. I I saw my my story reflected in yours, and and I wanna thank doctor Patel.
You probably, like me, did a lot of reading over the course of the recess, and I read the article or read the research that was presented. At the moment. I'm not forgetting who it was. You may remember, but on this issue of reclassification. And I remember thinking we should do something about this.
Redner 14
And I'm glad you are because, clearly, as was so well presented by your by your witness here, it's about opening opportunities if you're not reclassified, which is really shocking for me to learn when I was reading about this because as a parent also of English learners, we taught our children Spanish first, and they learned English in the education system. Reclassification at our elementary school was a big deal. We celebrated that, and it was important for kids to achieve that. So to come to learn that it often does not happen, was really, eye opening for me. So you are taking on an issue that is very real, that is limiting opportunities for students, and so, I'm I'm thankful to you for doing that.
Redner 1
I would. At this time, I I just wanna say thank you to my witnesses, especially to hear the stories from a first person narrative. I also had my own reclassification issues even though felt that I was fully bilingual as a kid, and I lost my mother language because I was told not to speak it. So, there are stories that, students have gone through over the years, and I think it's time to end that pain and to move forward in a new chapter. I also wanna extend extend a deep gratitude to committee staff, specifically Tanya Lieberman, for having worked on this issue for many, many years to bring us to a place where we can bring this bill forward in a way that has no opposition.
Redner 27
Well done. It speaks to your work and your diligence and to your staff as well. Yep. So with that, we do have a motion and a second. We'll ask ask the secretary to call.
Redner 10
File item 15, a b twenty five fifty five. The motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Patel. Aye. Patel, aye.
Hoover. Alvarez? Aye. Alvarez, aye. Bonta?
Aye. Bonta, aye. Castillo?
Redner 10
Castillo, aye. Garcia, aye. Lowenthal? Aye. Lowenthal, aye.
Patel, Zuberg?
Redner 27
Six to zero, the vote the bill is out. We'll have the next Oh, miss McKinnon is here. Welcome, miss McKinnon. Come on up. We'll give the gavel back to the chair.
Redner 1
Talk. Will allow members to add on to all bills as as we wrap up this meeting. Assembly member McKinnon, you may proceed when ready.
Redner 36
I would like to begin by accepting the committee's amendments and thank the chair and committee staff for their work on the bill. AB eighteen sixty would authorize design bill and progressive design bill for county offices of education, align COE authority with K through 12 districts and community colleges, and improve project coordinate coordination, reduce delays, and increase efficiency. This bill would also preserve all applicable prevailing wage and labor standards such as public works contractor registration, apprenticeship utilization, and the use of skilled and trained workforce. County Office of Education are responsible for building and maintaining some of the most complex and specialized educational facilities in the state. However, COE currently lacks access to bottom project delivery, tools widely used across public education.
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Without design bill authority, COE faces delays, higher cost, and fragmented oversight projects. As COE construction needs grow, there is a risk that some contractors could exploit gaps in procurement authority to undercut wages, safety standards, and apprenticeship standards. I appreciate the constructive conversation my office and I have had with stakeholders on this bill to ensure language that secure labor standards and recognizes county super superintendent's authority. Here to set testify in support is Mike Greenlee, director of communication with the International Unit Union of Painters and Allied Trade, district council sixteen, and Adam Cortez with the Work Preservation Fund, a joint labor management committee for labor compliance. Thank you.
Redner 23
Good afternoon, chair and members. My name is Michael Greenlee. I'm the political and communications director for district council sixteen, Painters and All Trades. AB eighteen sixty is about making our school construction rules clear and more consistent. For a minute more than twenty years, the legislature has recognized a design build when paired with the best value selection helps deliver projects faster at a lower cost and with better outcomes for students.
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But right now, the county offices of education are treated differently from school districts in our statutes. Even though COEs manage complex facilities and serve some of the most, vulnerable student populations, that difference has created a gap in the law. And that gap has led to confusion, uneven practices, and in some cases, the belief that COEs can award design build contracts without following the same safeguards that districts have followed for years. AB eighteen sixty closes that gap in a straightforward practical way. The bill updates the design build and alternative design build statutes so the school districts and county superintendents operate under one clear unified framework.
It aligns definitions, best value criteria, conflict of interest protections, and procurement authority. And it assures that when COEs use design build, it follows the same transparent, accountable process that has served districts well for decades. The bill also clarifies who has authority under under authority. Under a b eighteen sixty, the county superintendent, not the county board, is responsible for awarding design build and alternative design build contracts. That clarity helps avoid conflicting decisions and ensures that the entity delivering the project is also responsible for meeting all the compliance obligations.
AB eighteen sixty simply ensures that when COEs choose to use these tools, they do so within the framework that protects taxpayers and maintains the integrity of public contracting. It's about fairness, consistency, and responsible stewardship of public dollars, and that's why I'm asking for an I vote.
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Thank you. Good afternoon, chair and members of the committee. My name is Adam Cortez, and I'm the deputy director for Work Preservation Fund Incorporated, a labor management cooperative committee or LMCC. I've also been in the trades for thirteen years and have a passion for the labor movement. As an LMCC, work preservation believes this bill is needed because county offices of education are currently utilizing design build contracting without statutory authority to do so.
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That gap in the law means these agencies are awarding design build projects outside the framework that ensures accountability and labor standards. The design build contracting method is meant to include a skilled and trained workforce, which ensures high quality construction, enhances safety, protects taxpayer investment, and verifies that workers are qualified often through state approved apprenticeship programs. These requirements promote a qualified workforce preventing construction defects and ensuring structural longevity. When work preservation investigates these types of projects, we are routinely told by county offices of education that because superintendents are not specifically called out in statute, the skilled and trained workforce requirement does not apply to their design build projects. Assembly bill eighteen sixty will close this loophole for superintendent of schools and ensure the design build contracts will require the utilization of a skilled and trained workforce without redefining what a school district currently is.
This bill will bring those design build contracts up to the same standards as any other agency using them and will promote fairness and equality across public agencies when contracting. Contracting. I appreciate your time and ask for support on a b eighteen sixty. Thank you.
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Thank you. At this time, we will have, public comment in support. Name, position name, affiliation, and position only, please.
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Madam chair, members, Mike West, on behalf of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, cosponsors of the bill. Thanks to the committee for their work on this.
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Thank you. Elmer Lazardi, here on behalf of the California Federation of Labor Unions in support.
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Good afternoon. Gabriela Cervantes here on behalf of the American Council of Engineering Companies of California in support.
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Adam Keglin on behalf of the California State Association of Electrical Workers, California State Pipe Trades Council, and Western States Council on Chief Metal Workers in support.
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Bob Giraud on behalf of Painter's District Council thirty six, which is every county lower than Bakersfield.
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Alright. Seeing no further public comment, are there any witnesses in opposition? Please step forward. Seeing no witnesses in opposition, any public comment in opposition?
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Good afternoon, chair and members. Derek Lenis with the California County Superintendents. Wanna, start by appreciating the member and her office for the work on the bill. With the amendments that were adopted today, we're gonna remove our opposition and go to neutral and express appreciation. Thank you very much.
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Madam chair and members, Rebecca Killeen on behalf of the County School Facilities Consortium. We've previously adopted an opposed unless amended position, but with the amendments that are being taken today, we are looking forward to removing that opposition. We wanna thank the committee and the author for working through those concerns. Thank you.
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On behalf of the Riverside County superintendent of schools with the amendments, remove your opposition. Thank you.
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Lucy Salcedo Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education, and we are in the same position as our California County SEUPS and Riverside colleagues.
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Good afternoon, madam chair and members. Pamela Gibbs representing the Los Angeles County Office of Education. We did not have a position on the bill, but we wanna thank the author, sponsors, and staff for their work on the amendments. And, just wanted to thank you for that and considering our position or interest.
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Thank you. Seeing no other public comment, we'll bring it back to the committee. Are there any questions for the author? No? So member McKinnon, would you like to close?
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Motion second? We have a motion and a second. Secretary, can you please call the roll?
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File item two a b eighteen sixty. The motion is to pass as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel, aye.
Huber Alvarez? Bonta? Aye. Bonta, aye. Castillo?
Aye. Castillo, aye. Garcia?
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vote is six zero. The bill is out, and we will leave the roll open for add ons. Thank you. Next up, we have a file item 14 that is a b twenty five fourteen, assembly member Ransom. You may proceed when ready.
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Alright. Thank you. Good afternoon, madam chair and members. I wanna start by thanking, your committee for your commitment and your work on this bill, and I appreciate and accept the amendments that, we've previously discussed. So thank you for that.
I'm here today to present Assembly Bill twenty five fourteen. This is one of four bills in the comprehensive legislative package that's working to close the achievement gap in the state of California. Our achievement gaps are simply unacceptable. And though districts have well adopted and well intentioned programs, large gaps persist across social, economic, geographic, and ethnic lines. These disparities are realities that are affecting our classrooms, our schools, and the future of millions of California students.
Progress has been slow, and one of the largest barriers in improving student outcomes is the fragmented governance approach that lacks a coherent and unifying state level plan to help school districts and county offices of education close achievement gaps. We see some districts doing well while others struggle, and we're making investments across the state, and we need to make sure that we level the playing field and find out what works for California. AB twenty five fourteen would create a statewide dashboard known as the state of achievement gap dashboard. This state can use this as a tool to provide the public with a clear way to measure the state's progress in closing the decision gap and making informed decisions about our statewide plans. This dashboard will allow educators, policymakers, and communities to see how state agencies, legislature, and the administration is doing in meeting the goals established in our plans.
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And measuring this progress and being transparent about results will help inform decisions to create conditions at the state level that set our schools up for success at the local level for decades to come. AB twenty five fourteen does this by ensuring our work to to close the achievement gap is backed by clear data and public accountability. I respectfully ask for your I vote when the time comes. And with that, I'm going to introduce my witnesses today. I have in support of the bill Sabrina Rodriguez, Ventura Unified School District board member and California School Board Association president-elect, and mister Brian Easter, the superintendent of Maple Elementary School District.
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Good afternoon, chair and committee members. My name is Brian Easter, superintendent of the Maple School District and also school board member for the Panama Buena Vista Union School District in Kern County. I've spent twenty years in public education as a teacher, a coach, a superintendent, and a school board member. I'm here today representing superintendents and board members across California, especially those leading small districts in support of AB 2514. Let me start with this.
In my role, data and results drive every decision I make. If students aren't improving, programs aren't working, and families aren't being served based on the need, that burden is squarely on my shoulders, as it should be. Something that makes this burden heavier than it should be is a state system that lacks clarity in what's actually helping and what's getting in the way. While certainly some state programs help, others overlap, and many, unfortunately, can decrease positive outcomes, there's no clear statewide picture of what legislative efforts are working and those that are not. This is a problem you can correct by passing AB twenty five fourteen.
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Our state has spent decades adding new mandates and compliance requirements for schools with rare look backs to see if student performance has improved or the achievement gaps have closed. AB 2,514 would finally let us see how the state is performing in supporting one of its biggest investments, our school districts, by creating a state level operations and support dashboard. Currently, we measure schools. We measure districts. With no current clear and transparent state level reporting, it is nearly impossible to have confidence in whether the state's own decisions, investments, and programs are delivering results for kids.
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From the classroom to district leadership, clarity is critical. When the system is clear, we can move faster, we can be more effective, and hold ourselves and our partners accountable. An effective educational system has mutual accountability. If our state is serious about improving student outcomes and closing the student achievement gap, then our district leaders should be confident
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That the system of our state, I'm almost done, has built, is actually working. On behalf of superintendents and school board members across California, I respectfully ask you to support a b twenty five fourteen. Thank you, madam chair. Two
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minutes. Good afternoon, madam chair and members of the committee. My name is Sabrina Rodriguez, and I'm honored to represent my colleagues around the state as president-elect of the California School Board Association and a trustee with Ventura Unified School District. As trustees, our role is to set direction, monitor progress, and ensure our decisions lead to better outcomes for our students. We operate where state policy meets local practice, and what we consistently see is that strong local efforts can be undermined by a state system that isn't properly aligned to support us.
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School districts manage complex systems while simultaneously navigating numerous state and federal programs. Each program may make sense individually, but viewed as a group, their independent requirements and timelines place an extraordinary burden on our staff. California has made a significant investment in education for which we are truly grateful. But without alignment and transparency, this investment fails to generate the necessary return on investment. This is precisely what a b twenty five fourteen is designed to address.
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Twenty five fourteen creates a state level operations and support dashboard providing visibility into how well the state is performing and supporting student outcomes. Locally, we measure schools and we measure district performance. What's missing right now is a way for you and the public to evaluate whether state level decisions are having their intended outcomes. From a governance perspective, that step is essential. Local school boards rely on data to set goals, track progress, and adjust course where we need to.
We monitor to evaluate whether the decisions we make are having the desired outcomes for our students. The state should be doing the same, and use outcomes and not inputs to measure your success. AB twenty five fourteen gives us the clarity we need about what is working and how we can better align our local strategies. Time.
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Alright. At this time, we'll take any, public comment in support. Please step forward to the microphone. State your name, affiliation, and position on the bill only. Thank you.
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Adam Kagan on behalf of the California Charter Schools Association in support.
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Madam chair, Deborah Shea, board member of Solana Beach School District, support.
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Susan Markarian, board member, Pacific Union Elementary, strongly support.
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Melanie Mata, superintendent, principal of Hope Elementary, strong support.
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Madam chair, Rob Effo, superintendent, principal of North Cow Creek Elementary School in support.
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Hello again. Kelly Mikashi, school board member from Pleasanton Unified School District, delegate assembly from the California School Board Association, and an employee from Fremont Unified in support.
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At this time, we'll take witnesses in opposition. If there are any, please step forward.
Redner 1
Thank you. Any, public comment in opposition? Alright. We'll bring it to the dais. Any comments or questions from our members?
Assembly member Bonta.
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Thank you. And, I suppose this is the second of four, a package of four that we are hearing. So my question might be ill placed. Forgive me if it is to the author. One is, in the committee analysis, there is some comment about the, use and existence of of a new dashboard when we already have existing dashboards that provide some of this kind of information.
So hoping that you can speak to that, else, I will reserve my question, to the chair around why there is going to be a working group as well as a commission. Perhaps you'll round us all out with the entirety of it. So that's just one question I have about this. And then also given the fact that we had a very robust hearing about the proposed governance structure that I believe, CSBA was a supporter of, how would you imagine this dashboard, the work of these series of of commissions and work groups working in concert with that proposal?
Redner 44
So thank you, assembly member. So I'm happy to start with answering your question regarding this bill, which is for the achievement gap dashboard. And so, yes, the state currently has multiple dashboards where you can pull data. But if you ever try to pull that data, it's very fragmented. I actually went to play around with it.
It goes city by city. It goes school by school. There's no way to see if a district is making progress collectively. The state makes a lot of mandates, we're making large investments. And some districts are doing other better than others.
And so we wanna be able to have the comprehensive data when you go to the dash dashboard and you're able to see where a district is doing well and if a program or an investment is doing well in one district. Because, ultimately, if things are going well in one area, we would like to be able to apply, similar things in another district that may not be doing as well. So when you look at the current dashboard, you can pull up the school district, and then you have to go school by school. You cannot see, how the progress is is happening. We have, like, a bunch of different colors.
So this is really an opportunity for us to fine tune this so that we can actually pull usable data. It's one thing to have a dashboard, but we wanna have data that is going to be able to be analyzed and used so that we can improve the outcomes across the entire state. So this there is a dashboard, but this is an enhancement so that we can evaluate the effectiveness of our own policies and programs and investments in boosting the student achievement. And I will allow CSVA to answer the question about the working groups because that's not part of
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Or just in regards to the dashboard as well and and the working groups. One of the things that we did talk about in that hearing was the need to streamline the multiple reports Mhmm. Mhmm. Visualizations of progress, that school districts are required to produce in order to be able to give us a picture. How is this not end at 1,001?
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To the chair, Chris Reif on behalf of the California School Boards Association. Appreciate the questions, and definitely, I just wanna piggyback on what somebody member Ransom had said in the definitely in terms of the enhancement side of of the dashboard. The dashboard, we understand this can be confusing because we do have a school dashboard, right, that measures student achievement, and it measures schools and districts in that fashion. This would be separate and apart from that approach in that it would create a measurement by which the state projects or works towards greater alignment and coherence of its governance structure, if you will, across public education as a whole. Right?
I think to your question, if we look at state government as a whole when we're talking about public education, we could name upwards of eight to 10 different entities that all play an oversight role of some form or fashion of public education. How much do those entities work in in to coalesce together in coherence and in terms of alignment? And that's what the dashboard really would be measuring and to provide the public a facing to a public facing tool for them to be able to see that. It's not dissimilar to what the current administration, the current state administration is doing for other agencies. We have dashboards that exist at other departments to measure how they measure and and track their goals and expectations.
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So it becomes a public facing tool by which the state, the public can see that progress. And so it's very similar to that approach. It shouldn't be necessarily coalesced with or compared to these the the student dashboard, which would be completely different, if that's helpful.
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Are there any other questions at this time? Alright. Do we we have a motion and a sec. Need a second. Okay.
So we have a motion and a second. The second? Would you like to close?
Redner 44
Absolutely. So first of all, I wanna again thank your committee and staff for the support on this bill. I wanna thank miss Rodriguez and mister Easter for their testimony and all of those who joined in from all the school districts to support this bill on behalf of students across California. Again, Assembly Bill twenty five fourteen is about creating a coherent ecosystem in our education, to better serve students and make substantive progress in closing the achievement gap. And with I with that, I with that, I ask for your I vote.
Thank you.
Redner 1
Thank you very much for that. We have a motion and a second. Secretary, would you please call the roll?
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File item 14, a b twenty five fourteen, the motion is due passed as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel, aye. Hoover?
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Hoover, aye. Alvarez? Fonta? Aye. Fonta, aye.
Castillo? Aye. Castillo, aye. Garcia, Garcia,
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The bill has seven votes. It is out, and we will hold the roll open for add ons.
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Next, we have file item 13. That is a b twenty four ninety. Do we have the author? Alright. So then we'll move on to file item five.
Assembly member Garcia, are you ready to present? So we'll take a b twenty one forty nine, assembly member Garcia. And you may proceed when ready.
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Thank you, madam chair. Good afternoon, everyone. I I wanna thank you for the opportunity to present a b twenty one forty nine. And I just wanna state that I am accepting the committee amendments. AB twenty one forty nine is a bill that requires the legislative analyst office to assess and publicly report the state's process in closing pupil achievement gaps and to provide recommendations of actions that the state can take to meet its performance targets.
For decades, the state of California has held local governing boards accountable for closing the achievement gap through various mechanisms, but has never held its agencies or policy making bodies accountable for supporting the improvement of student achievement. California's achievement gaps are stubborn, and the status quo is unacceptable when more than a million California students fail to reach proficiency every year. Fewer than four fewer than four in 10 students are proficient in math, and only about half meet standards in English language arts. Achievement gaps in education remain stark. The state's black students and Latino students far underperform their white and Asian peers.
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Along with the racial achievement gap, the socioeconomic achievement gap also ticked upward as the scores of affluent students continue to pull away from those recorded by students in low income families. The issue is not a lack of state efforts, but rather the absence of a coherent and cohesive plan to support LEAs in closing achievement gaps. AB twenty one forty nine requires the legislative analyst office as a component of the assessment of the state budget to assess and publicly report to the legislature and the governor the state's process in closing people achievement gaps and to include recommendations of actions that the state can take to meet its performance targets. And so with me today to testify in support is mister Carlos Machado from CSBA and Tristan Brown from CFT.
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Good afternoon, chair Patel and members of the committee. Carlos Machado representing California School Board Association. CSBA urges support for a b twenty one forty nine. As the local elected officials responsible for the success of California's nearly 6,000,000 students, School board members understand accountability. Our members live through it, every election audit and local dashboard report.
However, local governments cannot succeed in a vacuum. Currently, our LEAs are navigating a fragmented state policy landscape characterized by volatile short term funding streams and disconnected mandates. While LEAs are held accountable for rigorous standards, the state's overarching strategy often lacks the same objective scrutiny. AB twenty one forty nine closes this governance gap, enhancing the legislature's oversight authority. It does this by through the report, which will serve as a vital tool during the budget and legislative processes.
It will serve to validate, program impact. It moves us towards measuring genuine progress, ensuring that state directed initiatives are are yielding a return for, our students. We'll also ensure fiscal integrity. The LAO will provide a nonpartisan assessment of whether the state's budget is truly optimized to support local success. For our school boards, this isn't about creating more work.
It's about operational clarity. It provides the transparency necessary to ensure that the state's policy intentions match the operational realities of our school districts. On behalf of the state's nearly 1,000 school districts and county office of education, CSBA urges your I vote on this bill.
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Thank you, madam chair and members. Tristan Brown of CFT. No doubt you can tell that the CFT is a big supporter of these this package of legislation to bring some more coherence is how the state handles our public education system. Makes all the sense of the world to have our policy analysts, our expert policy analysts also provide their input into what we're doing. Unlike prop 98, I do view the two minute rule of this committee as a ceiling, not a floor.
So with that, I would ask for an I vote.
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Thank you. At this time, we will take public comment in support. Step up to the mic. Name, affiliation, and position. Thank you.
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Adam Kegel on behalf of the California Charter Schools Association in support.
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Brian Easter, super intendent of the Maple Elementary School District and board member of Panama Buena Vista Union School District in strong support.
Redner 1
Thank you. At this time, are there any witnesses in opposition? Please step forward. Any public comment in opposition? Seeing none, we'll bring it back to the dais.
Committee members, are there any questions or comments? Assembly member Hoover.
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I'll make a brief comment. Just wanna thank the author for bringing this bill forward. I cannot think of a more important goal, right, than closing the achievement gaps that we have in California, to lift up all students. I appreciate the approach you're taking here and and the entire package of bills, and and also appreciate the the wide coalition of support that it gets because I think this is something that we can all agree on. The only point that I would I would mention is I think the funding piece is really critical, and I think your bill points that out.
Also, really want to make sure we're focusing, and this is more of comments for the committee as a whole, on the accountability side as well, right, and making sure that when we're not hitting the mark, what is our response, right, as state lawmakers and as legislators to holding accountable school districts and and employees and who whatever may be, you know, need to be held accountable for getting better results. And and that would be my the only thing that I would add. But I really do appreciate all the work that you've done on this and and everyone involved in this working group because I think it's really critical we close these achievement gaps for our students. So thank you.
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Seeing no other comments from the dais, so member Garcia, would you like to close?
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It's a really important issue, and I I just respectfully ask for an I vote.
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It's a motion. It's a motion and a second. Secretary, will you please call the roll?
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File item five for a b 20 149. The motion is due pass as amended. Patel? Aye. Patel, aye.
Hoover? Aye. Hoover, aye. Alvarez? Fonta?
Aye. Fonta, aye. Castillo? Aye. Castillo, aye.
Garcia?
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Garcia, aye. Lowenthal? Aye. Lowenthal, aye. Kelleran, aye.
Kelleran, aye. Zipper.
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Next up, we have, file item 13 a b twenty four ninety. Assembly member, Valencia, please step forward. And you may proceed when ready.
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See if I can squeeze my knees under this desk. It's a little tight. Oh, boy.
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Okay. Discrimination. I know. Jeez. Height discrimination, mister Lontel?
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Well, when I start this, madam chair and members, I appreciate the opportunity to present this bill. I wanna start off by sharing that I'll be accepting the committee amendments and give a special thank you to Chelsea and then also the chair for working diligently on this bill with me. AB twenty four ninety would provide greater continuity to students whose teachers are out of the classroom for an extended period of time. As proposed to be amended, a substitute teacher could serve in a classroom for up to sixty days through the existing sixty day career substitute permit. Committee amendments also ensure substitute teachers receive ongoing support and mentorship, professional development, and an orientation through establishing specialized training and mentorship requirements.
The bill would also enhance accountability and oversight by requiring notification to parents of students taught by a substitute. We continue to face an unprecedented teacher shortage even as California continues to invest in teacher retainment programs and grants. The research is clear. Students have better educational outcomes when they experience minimum disruptions in the classroom and have stable learning experiences. While this legislation does not solve the teacher shortage, it is an important interim tool to support our schools until longer term solutions can be implemented and take effect.
With me to provide testimony on the bill is doctor Don Hubbell, the director of human resources at Merced City School District, and Kristen Wright, executive director of inclusive practices and supportive services of the Sacramento County of Office of Education.
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two minutes. Thank you. Good afternoon, honorable chairperson and members. I am doctor Don Hubbell. I have been an educator for more than twenty years in Merced City School District.
I am currently the director of human resources, and before that, I taught eighth grade algebra one for more than a decade before I became an educational leader. I have the heart of an educator, which I hope you'll hear today. I came to champion for children. I'm a proud AXA member, and I'm counting on you for a yes vote on twenty four ninety. Imagine I am your student's algebra one teacher this year, and I am going to have a baby in October.
I'm going to be out on an absence for more than seven months this year and will return the last week of school. This is not a vacancy. This is not a permanent position. It will not be posted. It is a leave of absence.
This bill is not about looking past any fully credentialed teacher in the substitute pool. Our pools are not full of fully credentialed teachers. The additional accountability requirements met in this bill don't exist now for the day to day teachers that children have to experience a different face every day, nor the twenty days, nor the thirty days. This scenario is real, and we call this the subchurn. I'm I'm if I'm your child's algebra math teacher this year who's out for seven months, I want you to consider an alternative position.
My sister Barbara Hubbell is with me today. She's a special education teacher in a moderate to severe class for more our most exceptionally at risk students. Imagine a new face every twenty days, every thirty days in a gen ed class or a set or a special education class. A new face, new rules, a new culture, explaining that to a child can be devastating for them. This can be a pedagogical disaster for families who lose trust with the school for a variable that's outside of our locus of control.
Teachers take leave of absences. They're real people with real lives. This is a real scenario that happens often. This bill is about what we do to stabilize a classroom when we have exhausted that list, not about eloping the list. The revolving door already exists.
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Good afternoon, madam chair and members. I'm Kristen Wright. I'm executive director of inclusive practices at the Sacramento County Office of Education. I'm also the mom of a daughter with very extensive support needs that went through our school system. I'm here because a b twenty four ninety matters, and I wanna be honest with you about why, including the parts that are very complicated.
California's in a teacher shortage. That's not an opinion. It's just a documented urgent reality that's hitting our most vulnerable students the hardest. And nowhere in that shortage, do we see more than in special education. Education specialists, the credentialed teachers who serve students with disabilities, are among the hardest positions to fill and the hardest to keep.
Districts are searching and recruiting and often come up short, just as you heard. But I wanna be clear, this bill does not solve that problem. No single bill can solve that problem. The pipeline challenges, the compensation gaps, the workload demands, those require sustained systemic attention. They go far beyond any one piece of legislation.
But here's where I land. We're not choosing between this bill and a perfect solution. We're choosing between this bill and the reality happening in our classrooms right now. Let me share a real situation. Imagine a 10 year old with autism and significant communication needs.
The teacher of his SDC class goes out on leave in October. The district searches, posts the position, makes every effort. No education specialists are available. They're all in classrooms in other schools. We have a shortage.
So they bring in a substitute. That substitute learns his communication system, earns his trust, begins to figure out what works, and then twenty days, the clock runs out. A new substitute starts that on day 21, and it starts over. By January, he's had three different adults in the front of his classroom, none of them able to stay long enough to truly know him or implement his IEP with any consistency. As a mom, if that was my child, I would not send them to school.
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This is the kind of status quo we're defending when we say this bill goes too far. That is also harm, the kind that doesn't show up in a policy brief but shows up every day in the classroom. So this bill seeks to make the best of a less than ideal situation. In a perfect world, we'd have enough highly qualified educators, to staff all classrooms, but that's not the reality. So when I weigh the documented harm of chronic instability against the risk of imperfect policy, I believe we have an obligation to act.
Redner 1
Thank you. At this time, we will take any public comment in support. Please step to the microphone. Your name, affiliation, and position on the bill only, please. Thank you.
Redner 10
Thank you, madam chair and members. Sarek Kaminski, on behalf of the Association of California School Administrators, proud cosponsor urging your I vote. Thank you.
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Good afternoon, madam chair and members. Chris Ruif on behalf of the California School Boards Association, also a proud cosponsor urging your support. Thank you.
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On behalf of the California Suburban School District Association in support.
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Good afternoon, chair and members. Brianna Brands on behalf of the California County superintendents, one of the cosponsors of the bill in strong support.
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Good afternoon. Patrick McGrew on behalf of the self administrators of California in strong support.
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Good afternoon, madam chair and committee members. Michelle Gil on behalf of California Association School Business Officials, one of the proud cosponsors asking for a vote. Thank you.
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Sid Polston on behalf of the Small School Districts Association in support.
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Good afternoon. Kyle Hyland on behalf of the coalition for adequate funding for special education in support. Thank you.
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Hello. Elizabeth Engelken of Sonoma County and Sonoma County Charter, SELPA, in strong support.
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Christina Serracar with the Riverside County superintendent of schools in strong support.
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David Patterson on the Association of California County Boards of Education in support.
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Lucy Salcedo Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in support.
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Melanie Mata, superintendent, Hope Elementary, also board member of Small School Districts Association and president of AXA's Small School District Leaders Council, full support.
Redner 1
At this time, if there are any witnesses in opposition, please step forward. You will have two minutes each.
Redner 31
Good afternoon, madam chair and members. My name is Michelle Worshaw. I'm I'm here on behalf of the California Teachers Association to speak in respectful opposition to a b twenty four ninety. The previous iteration of the bill, a b twelve twenty four, was vetoed by the governor. In the response, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing conducted extensive engagement and later provide proposed regulations addressing the long term substitute general ed assignments through a framework that paired flexibility with preparation, support, and oversight.
The rule making process for these regulations is underway to create a pathway for long term substitutes while still providing that necessary support and training for the substitute teacher. It includes fifteen hours of pre service prep, thirty hours of training, at least two hours a week from a credentialed educator, allows training to be completed on the job. When substitute teachers are in the classroom for months at a time, students don't just need a supervisor, a babysitter. They need instruction, support, routines, classroom management, and real learning. There's already a rule making process in place for a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to substitute teacher options, So it seems redundant and unnecessary to move forward with the legislative solution.
We recognize that there is a staffing shortage, and there needs to be long term solutions to bring people into the profession and support and provide real support and investment to retain teachers. There have already been over 2,200 layoff notifications just this year in over a 100 districts. So I'm just having a hard time understanding the justification with needing to have those long term substitutes when districts are already choosing to not keep qualified educators.
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say that there's not extraordinary circumstances, and there are pathways to address that. The TPSOL, which is the, teaching permit for statutory leave for things like maternity leave, already exists, state board waivers, and, of course, the CTC proposed regulations. So for these reasons, CTA respectfully urges your no vote. Good
Redner 17
afternoon, madam chair and members of the committee. John Afell from public advocates in opposition. The ink is not yet dry on, our successful victory in the court of appeals two weeks ago against the West Contra Costa Unified School District where the court ruled that it is illegal to over rely on substitutes unless and until districts have exhausted all of their options. And the proponents of this bill have not exhausted all their options, we think the evidence shows. They haven't put forward numbers of some gross inadequacy of substitute teachers.
We're seeing layoffs. As the analysis points out, credential new credentials are on the uptick, and there are hundreds of thousands of expired or credentials fully credentialed teachers out there that aren't being utilized. The we appreciate the amendments that the committee has put forward. They're they're certainly the right sentiment, but they still have the same fundamental flaws of twelve twenty four that was vetoed last year. Five hours of pre service training is inadequate.
Even if it is focused on special ed, that's not enough. And where's the English learner training for teachers? Where's the subject matter training for teachers? You're not going to get that in five hours. And thirty hours verified after a year of service is too little too late.
A proposed mentor, good, but there's no accountability in the amendments even for any kind of minimum amount of time with that mentor or oversight in the system. The CTC regs are in process. We think that should be allowed to proceed first and then if there's a problem with that, revisit. We understand the main
Redner 17
Okay. If I can just wrap up. The main issue is really around special ed. And as we lay out in our opposition letter, that part of the law of the per bill is preempted by federal law. The IDEA requires a higher standard, a highly qualified teacher, including for substitute, someone who has an ed specialist credential or is an ed specialist intern.
So you're setting this up for litigation if we just proceed with the special ed piece of this. Thank you.
Redner 1
Thank you. Do we have any public comment in opposition at this time? Step up to the microphone. Name, affiliate affiliation, and position, please. Thank you.
Redner 9
Jonathan Howard, on behalf of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, here in opposition to the bill. Commission staff are encouraged by the amendments taken today and look forward to working with the author and the other interest holders in finding the solution that best protects our students. Thank you.
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Good afternoon, madam chair and members. Conrad Crump with Disability Rights California in opposition. Thank you.
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Anna Cordero, United States history teacher who also holds a multiple subject and mild moderate credential in respectful opposition.
Redner 16
Thank you, madam chair. And members, Tristan Brown of CFT, we have an opposing less amendment position. We're very we we wanna align our comments with the CTC and have all the faith in the author that we can meet in the middle here. So thank you.
Redner 1
Thank you. Seeing no further public comments, I'll bring it back to the dais. First, I wanna allow the author to address some of the concerns raised by the opposition.
Redner 12
Thank you. And as I did last year, I am still of the thought that we need to do something about our teacher shortage in the state. Fact of the matter is nothing is being done, and we have more need now than we did then. The substitutes out there that we have, pool wise, is not enough to address the current need, which is exactly why we're pushing this issue. If I may, through the chair, have, one of our witnesses address the special education component in detail, I'd appreciate that.
Thank you.
Redner 46
Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to bring clarity from the applicable site level as well as district level. Our substitute teachers in the sub pool, there is a list, and we do exhaust the list as was spoken for before. Interns on those lists are seeking permanent positions, and a lot of times, these absences are created by leaves. They're not vacancies.
They're not posted positions. They're leaves of absence. And you did hear about things that are underway, and although with much respect to things that are underway, what happens now? And so now who is in our pool? With respect to understanding we have exhausted the list, first and foremost, we want a fully credentialed teacher in every classroom.
We don't appreciate nor do we seek the subchurn for our students either. With that, with respect to the absences, our substitute teachers are not case managers for students on individual education plans. They have case managers. We also have in the list those who are fully credentialed. It's the spirit of what we call a professional learning community.
Redner 40
You have department leads and you have grade level leaders that lean in with your administrators in the field to ensure that instructional integrity for a classroom, for any classroom, is met, and that's the spirit of a professional learning community. Our substitute teachers are not case managers. Our interns may be case managers. Our tips and pips who who do have more training maybe, but those are in in in majority of frequency in permanent positions, and those are vacancies. There is this large gap for absences and absence of leaves leaves of absence, and there's a gravity of different kinds of leaves that people can take, but those aren't open vacancies.
Redner 46
And so I say again, I urge you to consider that the personnel who are in the pool are not fully credentialed teachers. And if they were, they would have a permanent position. And our outlying districts also seeking those hard to fill positions in special ed and math and speech and language pathology. Those harder to fill positions are they're so sought after that they're very rarely people who are in our substitute pools. Thank you.
Redner 1
With that, do we have any questions from committee members? Assembly member Lowenthal. I just
Redner 45
have a question for the opposition. Do you envision any scenario as it relates to language deficiency, for immigrant communities? When I speak specifically about the 6th 9th Assembly District, we have a large concentration of Cambodian Americans, the largest diaspora of those speaking Khmer. They also have the largest diaspora of Filipino Americans in one concentrated area, so Tagalog. In a scenario where we have substitute teachers that can provide continuity and learning for those students, those immigrant communities, do you see a scenario where there's value in having substitutes to serve be a lot longer than thirty days?
Redner 31
I apologize, assembly member. I have to face this direction to okay. There is certainly value in having individuals who have either a member of that community or be able to speak that language. I think there is there is added value if that person also has training in being able to provide support for English learner and multilingual communities and have that base knowledge and understanding to be able to provide real instruction and real learning and support. I hear what you're saying.
Redner 45
I don't discount the training, actually, and I wanna validate the concerns about the training, but I'm specifically asking about language. Communicating with students that don't speak English.
Redner 26
Sure. I I think are you just to clarify your question, are you talking about individuals who maybe they're community members and they're serving as long term substitutes and they speak that language? I think that there are certainly opportunities for partnership with community members and even opportunities to help support individuals who may have their substitute permit and are interested in being a credentialed teacher or interested in being a career substitute. I believe the committee amends address some of that and including a pathway for career career substitute assignments and being able to have that pathway. CTA isn't opposed to providing options and pathways for long term substitutes, but making sure that they do have the needed support, guidance, and learning to get there, and ideally, eventually become certificated teachers.
Redner 17
Yeah. I would just add that the certainly bringing in community members possibly as aids who have the language skills would be a tremendous benefit. But the research does show that continuity of underprepared teachers is not the answer. That does not help learning. It's continuity of prepared teachers.
That's what the research shows. And so I don't think there's good support for the idea that just because you might be bilingual but you're otherwise completely unprepared, there's not good support in the research that that is gonna lead to good student outcomes.
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of this bill with some hesitation last year. I was look to see what has changed between time one and time two when another bill gets introduced. What seems to have substantively changed is that the CTC has now taken action, approved proposed regulations, and is in the process of is in the rulemaking process, which begs the question around timing. So, do you have any sense of when the rule making process might be completed, and would there be a gap between that rulemaking process and when this bill would go into effect?
Redner 46
I I would, ask that you consider that the, career substitute timeline now. The TPSL does, the TPSL is what we call it. I apologize for the acronym. But the TPSL does address subject matter competency now. The barrier there is that it also requires forty five hours per year every year for that person, and so those people are not likely to be in our sub polls right now already, because of that requirement.
They do offer subject matter competency, but without that, the timeline they're in, the career substitutes, that are they're I have one in the pool of 260 right now.
Redner 1
CTC staff is in the audience. Does someone from CTC wanna come step up and provide some insight? Thank you. Sorry to put you on the spot, but you're here.
Redner 9
if I could just make a comment, Brianna Brent's one of the cosponsor of the bill with California County superintendents. So I just wanna emphasize the rule making process is underway currently as you suggested, assembly member. They are currently in a review period of public comment. They're in the forty five day window to receive public comment. We, as cosponsors of the bill, have some feedback on how we would like to see the proposed regulations, amended a bit to be more, effective and to be more, obtainable, frankly, for for individuals.
Redner 37
That said, what the, what the proposed the approved proposed regulations do not include is the special education component of this bill. So what you see, in the most recent version version of the amended bill is us trying to conform as closely as possible to what the CTC has proposed, but adding in the special education piece that we can have equity in our classrooms.
Redner 25
So I guess if we're in public comment period, the response that is gonna come through on that text message at some point is, imminently, we will have some resolution around this. I I just I'm stuck on our governance, 1,000 reports, a lot of different bodies, the responsibility and the role of legislature in confounding some of the, operational challenges that exist in schools. And I am concerned about this legislation potentially being in conflict with what ultimately would be the rule making process of for the commission on, teacher credentialing around these substitute permits. CTC or you all have offered, I'm sure, public comments. Correct?
Redner 48
So the regulations were submitted at the end of last month. There's a forty five day public commenting process, and then we have, you know, thirty days to to provide a response to all those, and then there's a thirty day process at OAL. And then regulations are adopted on a quarterly basis. So it's between sixty and a hundred and eighty days.
Redner 25
Okay. And our bills go into effect the following January. So there could be a scenario where there's some information through that rulemaking process that is either duplicative, conflates, is contradictory to what is in this legislation Sure. With the exception of the components around special education.
Redner 16
Which is a major component of this specific bill. And in my opinion, we have constant conversation in the legislature around how much power we yield to the regulatory process and the administration, and I am of the thought that the legislature should be making the laws that the regulatory agencies or the administration implements. And this is exactly why I think this bill is necessary, particularly because of the special education component. And we all know the status of what education is at the national level. And if we leave something like this to the national level, assembly member, I do have concerns that it may not go in the right direction, in part why I am also including that special education component in this bill.
Redner 19
Yeah. And and we we would point out, madam chair, that the this is a fairly nuanced as you point out, member Ponta, circumstances change over time, Eric. And it seems to us a more appropriate forum is the regulatory process as was done with the TIPSL ten years ago where the stakeholders got together and there's a back and forth. And it is much harder to undo a mistake that's in the statute than it is to go back to an agency and modify or improve if experience proves that over time. So Sure.
Redner 17
We think the administrative process is superior. As to the special ed process, the we pointed out that we think that that is legally problematic, but there's also the SPI had and their five six zero six one has the ability, but never it's been used to actually give people relief if they need more than twenty days in a in a subsetting and it's a special ed.
Redner 12
Absolutely agree that narratives and dynamics change. And because of that, we've included a sunset date in the bill as well that would sunset in 2032 in the event that there is a discrepancy or that change in ideology and direction that we do need to take.
Redner 1
We won't have any back and forth. Thank you. Assembly member Hoover? Thank
Redner 3
Yeah. You know, it's interesting. I I couldn't disagree with the opposition more on this bill. I think we've
Redner 3
of interesting conversations being discussed here. First and foremost, I I I think it's absolutely, regulations are not the way to go. I think this is exactly what we need to be doing on policies like this, and I really do appreciate the author, for bringing this bill forward. I think the legislature needs to take, to your point, a larger leadership role on this topic. We can't leave this up to the regulators.
We you know, if there are mistakes or things we need to fix in this bill, let let's go ahead and fix them here in this committee and in the legislative process in the future. But, I do appreciate this bill being brought forward. I think we need to try again for sure. I think the other, pushback I would give to the opposition is we're sort of making this false comparison between, I think, what we would all agree with, which is the continuity of a, you know, fully qualified classroom teacher and the continuity of a substitute teacher. When you compare those two, I think we all agree, that we want a you know, the continuity of a fully qualified teacher in the classroom.
I think the reality, though, is very different. What we really are asking is, you know, do we want the continuity of a substitute teacher or basically no constitute continuity and have multiple substitute teachers who may not be fully qualified. Right? So I think when you compare what is actually happening in the classroom, the answer is pretty clear that this bill is is much needed. So I think for those reasons, I'll definitely be supporting the legislation, and I wanna thank the author for continuing this conversation.
Redner 1
please. I think, my experience as a school board trustee over the years has shown time and time again that our students with disabilities are often left on the short end of the stick. And I think, continuing to have pressure on the system to move towards those regs being released is important. The amendments that committee staff have put forward put the the bill as proposed with amendments accepted in line and consistent with the regs that are being proposed except for the addition of, taking care of our students with disabilities and making sure that they have that continuity of care that they really need, continuity of instruction. With students with autism, some who are nonverbal, students with significant emotional disabilities, it's not okay for them to constantly experience change every few weeks.
Parents also get continually worried about is the care of their students going to be addressed. We have students on a regular basis where our parents are most worried about their physical and emotional safety when they set foot on campus. And doing what we can to further those goals is also very important. The regs, I the timing of that is very interesting in that you brought this bill forward last year while this problem has been going on and persisting for quite a long time. And it's only after that bill was vetoed that the possibility of these regs got introduced.
So today, I'm supporting your bill. I'm hoping that you continue to work with opposition to make sure we can have it be aligned. I did get a clarification that the sunset in our amendments was removed so that it can be aligned with the regs. So if that is something you're interested in doing at the next stage, should this bill pass out of the committee, that's something you can consider. However, at this time, it is as much in line with the regs that we will be see coming forward as possible.
And I believe there will also be opportunity for you to consider timing of this as those if the regs come out sooner, you will have options as the author of this bill
Redner 1
the process. So with that, are there any other further comments from the committee? Did we have a motion?
Redner 12
Very much appreciate those remarks, madam chair, and respectfully ask for a yes vote.
Redner 1
There's a motion. Is there a second? Motion and a second. Madam secretary, will you please call the roll?
Redner 10
File item 13, a b twenty four ninety. The motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Patel. Aye. Patel, aye.
Hoover?
Redner 10
Fonta, not voting. Castillo? Aye. Castillo, aye. Garcia, aye.
Garcia, aye. Lowenthal?
Redner 1
The vote is six zero. Your bill is out. We will hold the roll open for add ons.
Redner 1
Thank you. You. Our next bill that we're hearing is file item six a b twenty one fifty eight. Assembly member Hoover, you're up. And you may proceed when ready.
Redner 3
I'll sit over here if you wanna wear a cup of Coke. Just a sec. Thank you, madam chair. Members, I appreciate the opportunity to present a b 21, 58, the outdoor learning and environmental literacy act of 2026. I wanna start by accepting the committee amendments and thanking the chair and committee staff for their thoughtful consideration.
As we are all aware, our students and young people face increasing pressures and dangers associated with more time indoors, on our devices, and alone. I and other legislators have introduced a collection of legislation, targeting digital wellness, online safety, screen time, social media use. But when we ask our students to spend less time looking at their screens, it's also important that we provide them with opportunities for better alternatives. A b twenty one fifty eight provides those alternatives. The bill recognizes outdoor learning as an effective and developmentally appropriate instructional method.
It encourages LEAs to integrate outdoor learning into instruction and requires the Department of Education to develop and maintain on their website statewide guidance on outdoor learning. It also paves the way for the department to provide resources to LEAs for the advancement of outdoor learning and would establish the statewide outdoor learning pilot program. With me today in support of the bill to share their experience is Mackenzie Weiser, CEO of Sacramento Splash, and Craig Strange, associate director emeritus at the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley. I would like to pass it to them.
Thank you. Hello. I'm Craig Strange. For thirty two years, I was the associate director of the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley. I now work with Tenstrands, the bill's sponsor, where I lead the California Campaign for Outdoor Learning, is powered by dozens of pediatricians, epidemiologists, mental and physical health professionals, LEAs, and a wide array of science, environmental, and outdoor learning organizations.
Redner 51
Our children are suffering from an epidemic of learning and mental health crises that have accelerated since the pandemic. We all see this, and our observations are confirmed by a growing body of alarming research. There's also an impressive body of educational and clinical trial medical research showing that time learning outdoors accelerates learning, attention, and concentration, significantly decreases symptoms from ADHD, hypertension, depression, anxiety, and even myopia, decreases screen time and exposure to toxic social media, and promotes pro social behavior. California is rich in green spaces, on school campuses, in nearby parks and open spaces, in our regional state and national parks, and in our amazing network of residential outdoor schools that provide an immersive memorable week at Science Camp. We need to make experiences outdoors available to all our students, but most urgently to those in communities furthest from the opportunity.
This bill will establish outdoor learning as a recommended instructional strategy, provide guidance to schools, and launch a statewide pilot to gather evidence about the benefits. We may not be able to make the world less stressful for our children, but we still can build their capacity to live healthy lives despite the stresses. AV twenty one fifty eight will help ensure the health of our two most precious California resources, our spectacular open spaces, and our children, and I hope that you'll vote in favor of it.
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afternoon, chair and committee members. My name is Mackenzie Wieser, and I'm the CEO of Sacramento Splash. We're a local Sacramento based environmental education nonprofit that connects over 20,500 Sacramento area students to the outdoors through outdoor field trip experiences. Our mission is simple, and it's to help children understand and value our natural world through hands on and outdoor education. But before leading Splash, I spent nine years as a governor's office appointee under governor Brown and Newsom working on climate policy.
And as the mother of three kids, these experiences helped me realize that many young people do not have access to outdoor experiences. Many have little connection to nature at all. And in fact, eighty five percent of students that come on field trips with us tell us they've never stepped off of concrete like they are with us on a hike in fourth grade. That's unacceptable to us. They aren't comfortable being in the outdoors.
Redner 25
And in schools post COVID, kids spend 75% of their day on their Chromebooks, and then they go home to even more screen time because their parents are working two and three jobs. However, working at Sacramento Splash, I see something incredibly powerful every single day. When students are given the opportunity to spend even half a day outside exploring their local wetlands, rivers, and ecosystems right in their own community, they actually change. Their minds are drastically improved. They become engaged in learning and curiosity.
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They ask questions, and they're genuinely happy, and they feel connected. That connection is the foundation to stewardship, and it's that spark of wanting to disconnect to the noise that we hear every day on screens. It makes them want to spend more time exploring, engaging, and learning.
Redner 1
Thank you. At this time, we will take public comment in support. Name, affiliation, and position. Thank you.
Redner 11
Lucy Salcedo Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in support.
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Good afternoon, chair and members. Derek Lenis with California County superintendents. We look forward to, bringing our, support position to our members tomorrow and formalize then getting sent in. Thanks.
Redner 10
Caitlin Levenstrong, executive director of Oakland Goes Outdoors, which is embedded in Oakland Unified School District, and we are in strong support of this bill.
Redner 8
James Riddell with the Catherine Robert Riddell Fund and advisory council to Oakland Goes Outdoors in very strong support. Kaim Jackson on behalf of Orange County Department of Education and support.
Redner 17
Good afternoon. Marissa Cooper, chief executive officer of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors. On behalf of my organization and the outdoor industry that we support, we strongly urge your support on this bill.
Redner 24
Hi, everyone. My name is Sierra Mathias. I'm the director of movement building and advocacy at Justice Outside, and we are in very strong support of this bill. Thank you.
Redner 18
Adam Keglin on behalf of the California Charter Schools Association in support.
Redner 1
Before we move on to bringing opposition witnesses forward, as assembly member, Hoover, I did not hear. Can you please clarify whether you'll be accepting committee amendments?
Redner 1
you. There's a motion and a second. At this time, we'll take any witnesses in opposition. Seeing none, any, public comment in opposition? Alright.
Let's bring it back to the dais. Any questions or comments for the author? Yeah. Somebody member?
Redner 45
I wanna thank the author for bringing this forward. This is an incredible bill. It is timely. I'm proud to to join you on this bill. I I hope that's made its way into officially into into the system.
Redner 31
Young people are spending on average five hours a day on social, seven and a half hours a day on screens every day, including weekends. That's on average. So let's consider those that don't have supportive home environments or other activities that they're already engaged in that are spending ten, twelve longer hours online. And when you stop to think about that, that's significantly more time that's spent in school. Think about the oversight that we have over schools, the access that we have as stakeholders in our system, the ability to contact teachers, administrators, school board members.
Redner 45
We're notified when our students are are tardy to class. We know about their grades on a real time basis, on a weekly basis, what's going on with them. And if we have concerns, we can we can discuss those concerns with so many relative to overall policy and certainly relative to what's happening with our children. We don't have any of those things in digital life. We don't even have anybody that
Redner 45
call. It is so critically important while the sector that is engaging, and and and putting those products forward with our children that are refusing to hear us, that we actually invest public resources into, riding that ship. And this is the way. I really, you know, firmly believe, and I think honestly that this is a drop in the bucket, that we're gonna have to be incredibly intentional about this, in the decades ahead, and we're gonna have to think about measuring effectiveness and how that's working over time. I'm just proud to be on this journey with you, and I thank you for bringing this forward.
Redner 1
Thank you. Seeing no other comments or questions from the dice, assembly member Hooper, would you like to close?
Redner 3
Thank you. And, yes, we'd love to, have you as a joint author if we could note that with the committee, as well. I appreciate your, support of the bill. I I think we have a real opportunity here. Obviously, I'm working on a number of pieces of legislation to help reduce harms.
Redner 10
I think this bill has the opportunity to do the opposite, which is increased benefits, right, for our kids. You know, some of the benefits highlighted in the committee analysis, which I really appreciate, is, you know, getting outside really will help reduce stress, encourage student engagement, improve cognitive function, improve self esteem, conflict resolution, relationships, problem solving. These are all things that we can do if we can get our kids outside more often. And so I just wanna close by saying at a time when our kids are spending more and more times on their screens, a b twenty one fifty eight is going to give schools a practical way to help students reconnect with the natural world while strengthening their focus in academic success. I really wanted to call this bill the touch grass act, but I kinda get mad.
Redner 3
But we want something with something a little more professional, but but I really do wanna encourage our kids to get outside, and so would appreciate your support. Thanks.
Redner 10
File item 6, AB2158. The motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Patel. Aye. Patel, aye.
Hoover?
Redner 10
Hoover, aye. Alvarez? Aye. Alvarez? Bonta, aye.
Castillo? Aye. Castillo, aye. Garcia?
Redner 1
The vote is eight zero. Your bill is out. We will hold the roll open for add ons. Thank
Redner 3
Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Absolutely. Yeah. I would love to come out there
Redner 3
Alright. Thank you. Madam chair, please, present. We're on file item nine, a b twenty two twenty five. Please present when ready.
Redner 1
Thank you. Waiting for my witnesses. Good afternoon towards the end of a very long hearing, mister chair and colleagues. I'd like to start by stating that I'm happy to accept the committee amendments as presented to clarify members of the working group in our proposal. I'm here to present a b twenty two twenty five, which convenes educators, families, researchers, policymakers to develop a comprehensive statewide plan with clear goals, benchmarks, and annual performance targets to close the achievement gap and evaluate how well our state education programs are supporting our students and their success.
California is home to extraordinary public schools and incredibly dedicated educators, but we also know something that should concern every one of us. Too many students across all social dimensions, income levels, race, ethnicity, language background, and foster status are just being left behind. And while schools and districts are working hard every day to support students, progress has been uneven and too slow to meet students' needs or maintain a high quality workforce, to maintain a strong economy, or to maintain an informed citizenry that can fully participate in our democracy. How do we change this trajectory? This is not a new question.
It's one I've grappled with for many years as a parent, a school board member, and now as a legislator. It's a question that stakeholders have been trying to answer in their own silos, whether it be in classrooms, in school districts, in research institutions, and communities across our state. The conversation has persisted for decades, decades, in part because California does not have a clear and aligned operations and support plan to help local schools close these achievement gaps. Often, these discussions again are done in silos at an individual school or in a particular district without examining the underlying issues, the conditions and systems that complicate efforts to improve our students and their outcomes. These barriers are reflected initially in test scores, graduation rates, and college readiness, and eventually lost potential, diminished career opportunities, and fractured communities.
For a state like California, one that prides itself on innovation, opportunity, and leadership, this is not acceptable and it's not sustainable. No single organization or institution can close these gaps alone. To truly accelerate progress, our state systems must better coordinate policy, funding, and oversight. Because of these reasons, I urge your I vote today. With me to testify in support are Deborah Shade, CSBA president and Solana Beach School District school board member, and Melanie Mata, superintendent for Hope Elementary School District in Porterville.
Thank you.
Redner 23
Alright. Good afternoon, chair and members of the committee. I am doctor Deborah Shade, president of California School Board Association and a longtime school board member representing more than 5,000 locally elected trustees across the state. Our member school districts and county office of education are working hard to boost student performance. Educators are committed.
Boards are focused, but achievement gaps persist, and progress remains too slow. We find ourselves in this position not because of a lack of effort, but because of a lack of planning at the state level. In the absence of a coherent state plan to support and amplify local efforts, we are left with a fragmented system of well intentioned but disconnected state programs that often make our work harder. As a board member, I can tell you, we do not need more programs. We need a plan.
Redner 32
We need aligned support, and we need shared accountability. Local leaders are held accountable in every possible way by voters, parents, audits, public meetings, media coverage, and state dashboards. Yet there is no comparable accountability for whether the state's own policies and systems are aligned to help us succeed. That is the accountability gap of a b two two two five seeks to close. This is a bill this bill is part of CSBA's SOS for student achievement bill package, which holds that the path to universally high quality education is rooted in partnership, alignment, coherence, and reciprocal accountability, not mandates and red tape disconnected from local needs.
Redner 23
Accordingly, a b two two two five shifts the focus from compliance to support. So instead of asking, did the district meet the requirement? The state should ask, did the state provide the conditions for success? It brings educators, board members, researchers, and policymakers together to create a clear statewide operation and support plan, one that aligns existing efforts and evaluates what's actually working. Your time is up.
Thank you. I respectfully urge you to your support for a b two two two five and the SOS bill package. Thank you.
Redner 22
Good afternoon. I'm Melanie Mata, and our mission is really clear, improve outcomes for every student and close the achievement gaps. But the system that we operate in wasn't organized to help us do that. At the local level, we're navigating a fragment and often constrained system. In small districts like mine with 237 students, that fragmentation has real consequences for our students.
We manage multiple funding streams that cannot easily be aligned into one single coherent strategy. And one program supports literacy, another tutoring, another extended learning, and on and on. And each comes with its own set of rules, its own timelines, and its own requirements that were developed in a vacuum without consideration for the impact, they would have on other initiatives. Instead of building an integrated plan, we're forced to layer programs that don't always work together. A district may be implementing a multiyear strategy only to receive a new program with different metrics and different expectations.
Redner 2
And rather than reinforcing what works, the system can disrupt it. At the same time, staff are staff are stretched thin, managing overlapping reporting requirements, pulling the focus away from student learning, and and it's especially straining in small school districts like mine. And while school districts are held fully accountable for results, the responsibility we wholeheartedly accept, accountability must be shared and not one-sided. AB two twenty five helps establish that bound balance by creating a coherent state level operations and support plan that aligns California's plethora of programs, policies, and funding streams under a unified framework that helps school facilities navigate school success. When the system is aligned, we can focus on students, and this bill will help align state agencies, policies, and resources toward a clear goal, which is implementing overall student outcomes and closing achievement gaps faster.
Redner 22
On behalf of student superintendents across the state of California, I respectfully urge your support for a b twenty two twenty five. Thank you.
Redner 3
Thank you so much. We will now move to public comment in support. Name, affiliation, and position on the bill only, please.
Redner 18
Adam Keglin on behalf of the California Charter Schools Association in support.
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De Buerba Bautista Sabala on behalf of the California Suburban School District Association in support.
Redner 21
Sabrina Rodriguez, trustee with Ventura Unified School District in support.
Redner 19
Rob Effa, superintendent principal of North Cow Creek in support of this fourth and fitting closure to the four achievement gap bills we're supporting.
Redner 3
Thank you so much. Now any opposition witnesses to testify? Seeing none, any public comment in opposition? Seeing none, we'll bring it back to, the committee for discussion. Seeing none.
Alright. We have a motion and and a second. Yelves. Yes.
Redner 1
Yes. I would it's my pleasure to address that question. So this is separate from the dashboards that you've seen before. This is more of a self reflection on what the state is doing through its various, agencies, and it brings together a collaborative group of key stakeholders within the public education system so that we can work collaboratively to select a research institution or a research organization to actually develop a plan. So we've been this achievement gap has been persisting for years, and we've thrown many, many, many different programs and specific grants at the wall seeing what would stick and what would move the needle.
Especially post COVID, but even pre COVID, there were persistent achievement gaps within certain populations, and we haven't seen, a substantial movement in closing those gaps. So, for example, we have, community schools. We have, recovery block grants. We have programs that help, look at, credit recovery or, after school programs. None of that's we don't we can't really assess which is working and which isn't working.
And so rather than coming up with another program to throw at LEAs that may be through one time funding, through short term funding where we can't really see the movement over time, this will bring us back together with key stakeholders to do some self reflection and see what is working and what isn't working. And because we're doing it through the legislative process rather than allowing one of our agencies to direct and guide that, the legislature retains some of that autonomy and some of that authority to guide that work. And within the context of what the governor's proposing with the fractured governance system and to realign that governance system, this is a narrow lane of of authority. This is looking at closing the achievement gap. So it it doesn't conflict with anything that the governor might be proposing.
It stands independent from that. So it is not redundant nor is it in conflict. And then additionally, with the amendments that the committee has put forward, it will be under the authority of the SPI. So should the governor's proposal go through, the SPI will have that authority to now address the most profound and persistent challenge facing our students and our school districts as they try to close the achievement gap. So it's really quite consistent and aligned with what we're doing.
It elevates the game a little bit, and it brings key stakeholders together to try to solve this problem rather than trying to do it in silos or through one policymaker's, personal agenda. Thank you.
Redner 3
Any thank you so much. Any other comments or questions from the committee? Alright. With that, you may close.
Redner 1
This is part of a package of four bills where, we are working closely with CSBA and other educational entities to really try to move the needle on what is sticky about the achievement gap. And it's time that, our state is, part of that self reflection, and our agencies are part of that self reflection. And we can only do that external from those bodies. So this create convenes an independent working group to develop a plan to come up with solutions that might come before our committee in the future as potential policies. So with that, I respectfully ask your I vote today.
Redner 3
Thank you, madam chair. I think we have a motion and a second. Look forward to supporting this bill as well. Sec madam secretary, please call the roll.
Redner 10
File item nine a b twenty two twenty five. The motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Patel. Aye. Patel, aye.
Hoover?
Redner 10
Hoover? Aye. Alvarez? Alvarez? Aye.
Bonta? Aye. Bonta? Castillo? Aye.
Castillo? Aye. Garcia? Luenthal?
Redner 3
I believe that vote is eight to zero. It is out, and we'll leave it open for add ons. Thank you. Would you like to now move to your next bill? We have
Redner 3
File item 12, a b twenty four sixty eight. Please present whenever you're ready.
Redner 1
Thank you. Thank you, mister chair and members. I, wanna start with saying that I accept the committee's amendments wholeheartedly, and I appreciate committee staff and their work towards improving this policy. Research over many decades has shown that students with disabilities experience a host of academic, behavioral, and social benefits when included in the general education classroom setting with their peers. Students without disabilities benefit academically and socially as well.
In spite of these benefits, California has lagged behind most other states in the rare in the rate of inclusion of students with disabilities for many, many years. Fifty years after the passage of IDEA, California schools still struggle to ensure all students with disabilities experience meaningful inclusion and belonging in the academic and social light of school communities. To realize this vision, schools need sustained practice embedded support and a system wide proactive approach to achieve meaningful gains in inclusive education. We are so fortunate to have that kind of support in California through the Supporting Inclusive Practices Project or SIP. Recent research from policy analysis for California education shows that districts receiving support from SIP project have increased inclusion at stunning rates.
Over five years, districts working with SIP achieved growth in inclusion at a rate 13 times the state average. Districts required to participate by the California Department of of Education because of low rates of inclusion achieved growth rates at six times the state average. And notably, all of the districts that were required to work with SIP requested that they stay on to continue providing support. AB twenty four sixty eight will ensure that SIP is able to continue and expand its successful work as well as align and integrate with other improvement initiatives. With me today are Casey Klapinback, assistant superintendent of education services at Stockton Unified School District, and Nancy Hirota, deputy superintendent of the Sacramento County Office of Education.
Thank you.
Redner 11
Good afternoon, members of the committee. I'm doctor Nancy Hirota, deputy superintendent of the Sacramento County Office of Education, and we are in strong support of AB twenty four sixty eight. We know that the practice of inclusion is an evidence based strategy that improves outcomes and helps to close the achievement gaps for students with disabilities. AB twenty four sixty eight makes this work possible at scale. At the Sacramento County Office of Education, our partnership with supporting innovative practices referred to as SIP has been central in advancing equity both for our students and the districts that we support.
Redner 52
Working in partnership with SIP, we have worked alongside districts to examine our practices, challenge assumptions, and work to build a culture of high expectations for all students, including those with the most extensive support needs. SIP's impact extends well beyond Sacramento. This past year, SIP partnered with county office leaders across the state to build shared knowledge and confront inequities for students with disabilities as it relates to policies, practices, and systems. This work has created a common language and a stronger collective approach to ensuring that we address these inequities. Embedding SIP strategically within the statewide system of support moves it closer to to the center of how we approach school improvement efforts for all students.
Students with disabilities deserve to learn alongside their peers in systems designed for them from the start, not as an afterthought. For this reason, we respectfully urge your I vote for a b twenty four sixty eight. Thank you.
Redner 50
Good afternoon, esteemed members of the committee. My name is mister Casey, and I'm the assistant superintendent of educational services for Stockton Unified School District. I'm here today to testify in strong support of AB twenty four sixty eight, which provides the critical framework and funding necessary to sustain and expand Supporting Innovative Practices Project known as SIPP. Our partnership with SIPP has allowed us to strengthen identity, foster a deep sense of belonging, and empower student agency through the multi tiered systems of support process. SIP has worked directly with our support staff, curriculum specialists to anchor our instructional design and universal design for learning with UDL.
Rather than treating inclusion as an afterthought, which happens all the time, this collaboration ensures that accessibility and anti bias principles are baked in to the curriculum and the instruction. From the start, by providing students with choices in how they engage with and express their learning, we directly cultivate student agency. One of the most significant impacts of this funding has been the direct engagement of our teachers, our principals, and site based MTSS teams. SIP has guided our leadership through a critical framework. As we know, as my superintendent states, we change experiences to change beliefs to change expectations, and it aligns perfectly.
Redner 41
Teachers have reported the keynote speaker sessions provided by SIP helped them to make new connections and to reflect on their own instruction, causing them to view student identity not as a barrier, but as a source of strength and a foundation for learning. By working with our MTSS teams, SIP has helped us move away from compliance mindset and towards a student centered mindset. This ensures that every child, regardless of their starting point, feels rightfully belong like they rightfully belong in their general their general education environment. This funding represents an investment in the idea that every student deserves a classroom where identity is celebrated. Time is up.
Redner 50
you. Their belonging is certain, and their agency is realized. I urge you to pass AB twenty four sixty eight so that this essential work can be sustained and expanded for all California learners. Thank you.
Redner 3
Thank you so much. Any public comment in support of the bill? Name, affiliation, and position.
Redner 32
Christine Serrasara with the Riverside Riverside County superintendent of schools in strong support.
Redner 11
Lucy Salcedo Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in support.
Redner 35
Derek Lenis with the California County Superintendent. Pleased to support the bill.
Redner 1
Tony Anderson, the Association of Regional Center Agencies, on behalf of the five hundred thousand people with developmental disabilities that we serve and support.
Redner 49
Conrad Crump with Disability Rights California on behalf of all of the students in the state with, disabilities in support. Thank you. Hi. Jim Murray Fernandez in support.
Redner 10
Elizabeth Englekin with the SELPA administrators of California in support with amendments in the context of our letter submitted to your committee outlining our position.
Redner 47
Good afternoon. Kyle Highley on behalf of the coalition for adequate funding for special education. We just took a support if amended position, and our amendments are gonna align with the CELP group as well. Thank you.
Redner 3
Thank you so much. Any opposition witnesses to testify? Seeing none, any, public comments in opposition? Seeing none, we'll bring it back to the committee, for public for questions or comments. Alright.
Madam chair, would you like to close?
Redner 1
Yes. As a former trustee in the Poway Unified School District, I got to experience firsthand the transformational experience of having SIP work with our school district team. We were able to increase our pathway towards least restrictive environment for our students and have our staff be more supportive in that supported in that journey. I think a lot of times what we see happening in the classroom is educators are are under a lot of pressure and stress, and they don't feel supported in the goals of reaching LRE. But with SIP walking along beside them and helping districts develop plans and processes, this seems to be very successful as the data show.
And just so the committee members know, we have put in a budget request letter to support our bill here today, and we're excited about seeing it move forward. Thank you. I respectfully ask for your I vote today.
Redner 3
And a second. We have a motion and a second. Secretary, please call the roll.
Redner 10
File item 12, a b twenty four sixty eight. The motion is to pass as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel, a Hoover.
Redner 10
Alvarez I Bonta. Aye. Bonta, a Castillo. I. Theo I.
Garcia. I. Garcia. Lowenthal. Helleran.
I. Helleran. Zabur. I. Zabur.
I.
Redner 3
We will go go back. Back through the bills for add ons, and I'm turning the gavel back over.
Redner 1
Madam secretary, will you go through the roles for add ons for consent calendar first and then proceed on to the bills?
Redner 10
File item two a b eighteen sixty. Motions do pass as amended to appropriations. Hoover? Aye. Hoover, aye.
Alvarez? Aye. Alvarez, aye. Zipper? Aye.
Zipper, aye. 90.
Redner 10
File item four, a b twenty one forty eight. The motion is due pass as amended to higher education. Garcia?
Redner 10
Garcia, aye. Lowenthal? Helleran? Aye. Helleran, aye.
Zipper? Aye. Zipper, aye. That is zero.
Redner 10
File item five, a b twenty one forty nine. The motions do pass as amended. Alvarez?
Redner 10
File item six a b twenty one fifty eight. The motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Zabur?
Redner 10
A b, file item seven, a b twenty two zero two. The motion is due passed as amended to appropriations. Hoover?
Redner 10
Hoover, aye. Garcia, Garcia, Pellerin? Aye. Pellerin, aye. Zabur, Zabur, aye.
Aye. That's 90.
Redner 10
File item nine a b twenty two twenty five. Motions do pass as amended to appropriations. Zabur?
Redner 10
that one. File item 13, a b twenty four ninety. The motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Alvarez?
Redner 10
File item 14, a b twenty five fourteen. The motions do pass as amended to appropriations. Alvarez?
Redner 10
And lastly, file item 15 a b twenty five fifty five, the motion is due, pass as amended to appropriations. Hoover?
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