Assembly Education Committee, Wednesday, April 15, 2026
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Assembly Education Committee California State Assembly
Ihren Sitzungen folgenRedner 1
We will now begin our hearing with a special order for file item number one AB2651 Assembly Member Bonta. While she's stepping up, as a reminder for each bill we will have up to two witnesses in support and in opposition, each of whom may speak for up to two minutes. Members of the public in the hearing room will have an opportunity to state their position. Please state your name, affiliation, and position on the bill only when you step up to the mic. Members of the public are also welcome to provide comment through the position letter portal on the committee's website.
Before we begin, I have a statement to read regarding conduct at our hearings. We seek to protect the rights of all who participate in the legislative process so that we can have effective deliberation and decisions on critical issues facing California. As we proceed with the witnesses and public comment, I want to make sure that everyone understands that the Assembly has rules to ensure we maintain order and run an efficient and fair hearing. We apply these rules consistently to all people who participate in our proceedings regardless of the viewpoint that they express. In order to facilitate the goal of hearing as much from the public within the limits of our time, we will not permit conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of legislative proceedings.
We will not accept disruptive behavior or behavior that incites or threatens violence. The rules for today's hearing include no talking or loud noises from the audience. No public comment may be provided only at the designated time and place as permitted by the chair. Public comment must relate to the subject being discussed today. No engaging in conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of this hearing.
Please be aware that violations of these rules may subject you to removal or other enforcement actions. We will now begin with Assembly Member Bonta who has file item number one in special order AB2651. You may proceed when ready.
Redner 4
Good afternoon, Chair and members. I want to thank committee for working with my office and I accept the committee amendments. AB2651 notifies parents when their child's school vaccination rate falls below the level required to achieve herd immunity. The herd immunity rate is the percentage of the population that must be immunized to prevent disease transmission and thus provide some protection even for those who lack immunity. The bill ensures that parents have the information they need to keep their children safe from preventable communicable diseases.
A 2024 study published in The Lancet estimated that vaccines have saved one hundred and fifty four million lives globally since 1974, comparable to a rate of six lives per minute. Of those saved lives, ninety five percent were children younger than five years old. Alarmingly, outbreaks are increasing. While measles was once eradicated in The United States this year, 10 counties in California alone have reported a total of thirty four measles cases. For twenty twenty four-twenty five, twelve of the state's 58 counties (twenty one percent reported that the percent of kindergartners with all required immunizations was below ninety percent.
In addition to the dire health outcomes that could be prevented, preventing the spread of disease is also costly. L. A. County approximates that its first three measles cases of 2026 cost $231,000 To ensure herd immunity, parents need school level vaccination rates. However, currently to find this data, parents would need to be aware of the concept of herd immunity, make the time to find the reports themselves, then have the knowledge to interpret the reports.
Parents would also need to do additional research across multiple sources to find recommended herd immunity thresholds. These burdens constrain parents' ability to make informed decisions about school and child care settings, particularly for families with young children or medically vulnerable individuals who rely on high vaccination coverage to reduce exposure risk. AB2651 removes these burdens for parents who rightfully want to be able to make informed decisions. This bill requires schools to notify parents when their child's school vaccination rate falls below the herd immunity threshold established by the California Department of Public Health. The notification uses data that is already collected and already public, so the bill does not publish any new type of information.
In addition, by calculating rates for a school, no individual student can be identified. CDPH has also taken precautions for students' de identification in small schools. Here to testify in support are two experts on the importance of children's health and a technical witness, Doctor. Mariel Concepcion, one of only two full scope primary care physicians in all of Calaveras County, and Robin Clough, who is the Director of Legislation for the California State Parent Association. Your
Redner 3
Good afternoon. My name is Doctor. Mariel Conception. I'm a family physician and a mother of two children who attend public school in Calaveras County. I am here on behalf of the California Academy of Family Physicians co sponsor of AB 2,651.
In my practice, I care for infants too young to be vaccinated, pregnant women and immunocompromised patients who rely on community immunity. I also work with parents trying to make the best decisions for their children, decisions that depend on accurate timely information. Right now when it comes to whether their child's school is protected against measles they simply don't have that. The data exists. CDPH collects it but it is not easy to find.
AB 2,651 puts that information where it belongs in the hands of the people who need it most. Look at what's happening in Calaveras County right now. Copperopolis Elementary has an MMR rate of ninety one point four percent. Albert Michelson, fifteen minutes down the hill from myself, is at ninety point two percent for all required vaccinations. And Mountain Oaks Charter has an MMR rate of forty three point five percent.
Redner 2
The county level MMR rate sits at ninety three point nine percent. Sadly, I just found out about the state of myself this week. But this is below the necessary ninety five percent threshold. Counties like mine with severe primary care shortages and an under resourced public health department are not equipped to handle infectious disease outbreaks. Diseases like measles do not wait in a room with one infection excuse me in one in diseases like measles do not wait In a room with one infectious person, nine out of ten unvaccinated individuals will contract
Redner 3
disease. California has confirmed thirty five cases in 2026 according to the data that I was given across multiple counties. This is a disease The U. S. Eliminated in 2000.
So early accessible information is what allows families and physicians to respond before a quiet gap in coverage becomes an outbreak we cannot contain. This is not about compelling a decision it is about making sure the information that already exists reaches the people it is meant to serve. I urge your I vote. Thank you.
Redner 24
Good afternoon Chair Patel and members. My name is Robin Cloud, Director of Legislation for the California State PTA, representing over half a million members statewide and a proud co sponsor of AB 2,651, the Informed Parents Healthy Schools Act. Every parent sends their child to school trusting that the system is working. But when vaccination rates drop below safe levels, parents are the last to find out, if they find out at all. Right now, vaccination rate information is only available to families who know where to look, how to interpret what they find, and can read English.
Redner 5
In fact, four twenty eight California schools are currently being audited for low vaccination rates, and most parents have no idea. AB twenty six fifty one fixes that. This bill ensures that when a school's vaccination rate falls below the threshold needed to prevent an outbreak, families receive notification from their school in the languages that their communities actually speak. That's it. This bill does not collect new data.
It doesn't change vaccination requirements. Student privacy is protected. No individual can be identified from school level data. The Inform Parents Healthy Schools Act ensures that already public information reaches every family who needs it, including those with medically vulnerable loved ones or children who cannot yet be vaccinated. Parents deserve to know when the risk changes in their child's school.
This bill respects parents by keeping them informed and supporting healthier school communities. It's about transparency, safety, and informed decision making. On behalf of the California State PTA and the families we represent, I respectfully ask for your I vote. Thank you.
Redner 1
Thank you. At this time, we will have public comment and support. If you are here to support, please step up to the mic. State your name, your affiliation, and position on the bill. Thank you.
Redner 2
Thank you, madam chair. Sandra Barrero on behalf of SEIU California in support.
Redner 7
Good afternoon committee chair and members. Yareli Magallon with political solutions here on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics California and the Children's Specialty Care Coalition in support. Thank you.
Redner 2
Madam Chair and members, Betsy Armstrong on behalf of the County Health Executives Association. Urge your support. Thank you.
Redner 7
Good afternoon. Kat Brackman on behalf of the California School Employees Association in support. Thank you.
Redner 8
Madam Chair, members, Andrew Antwee, Wichita, Antwee Schmelzer, and Lang here today on behalf of the California Medical Association in support.
Redner 18
Madam Chair, members, Tim Madden representing the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians and also on behalf of the American College of OBGYNs, District 9, and the California Podiatric Medical Association, all in support.
Redner 10
Madam Chair, members, Daniel Sanchez with California Advocacy on behalf of the California Primary Care Association in support. Thank you.
Redner 11
Madam chair and members, Tristan Brown with CFT, Union of Educators and Classified Professionals here in support.
Redner 8
Madam Chair, Josiah Katonga, California State PTA, proud co sponsors in support.
Redner 1
Thank you. We will now have opposition witnesses step up to testify. You will each have two minutes and you may proceed when ready.
Redner 12
Good afternoon, chair and members. My name is April Robinson, and I'm representing a Voice for Choice advocacy. We remain opposed to AB 2,651 unless further amended. Over the last few weeks, we've worked closely with the committee staff and the author's office to improve the bill. We appreciate the amendments, especially clarifying the data as kindergarten specific.
However, key concerns remain. The data is still a snapshot at the start of the school year when compliance is lowest. Many count it as not to up to date for conditional entrants completing doses by year end. This snapshot risks misleading families. While small class suppression helps, it doesn't help stop identification within school communities.
Even a small group in a 100 student cohort is often known: children with IEPs, medical needs, or family instability. Broad notifications risk stigma, bullying and isolation, something the bill itself acknowledges. Beyond data, this bill expands CDPH, the California Department of Public Health's role, moving from neutral data collection to behavior influence via public disclosure. And it shifts enforcement from schools' established compliance systems to social pressure among parents, with no evidence it improves outcomes. This also creates an administrative burden on schools who will have to handle parent communications without additional resources.
Redner 20
Finally, the bill applies a herd immunity framework to all vaccines, which isn't scientifically appropriate in every case. For instance, tetanus isn't person to person transmission. We respectfully request that the amendments exclude conditional and exempt students, use end of year data, and limit notification to those truly due for vaccines. Without these changes, AB 2,651 risks more harm than good. Thank you for your time, and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Redner 21
Good afternoon, Chair and members. My name is Joshua Coleman, co founder of Vias for Vaccine. The vaccine conversation is extremely contentious. Mainstream media has documented sharp divisions over mandates and widespread negative attitudes toward the unvaccinated. A Washington Post article titled, How Much Do Vaccinated Americans Dislike the Unvaccinated?
Redner 13
We Measured found that fifty eight percent of vaccinated individuals expressed negative sentiment toward the unvaccinated. When asked to describe the unvaccinated in one word, common responses included stupid, selfish, ignorant, and unsafe. So that context matters when we consider how some parents may react to receiving a notification that their child's school has fallen below a vaccination level considered safe. It's reasonable to expect that some parents will be scared, some angry, and some both. That raises the question of where that concern may be directed.
The analysis of this bill acknowledges this risk and here is how that risk plays out in real school environments. In California, parents understand how narrow the exemption system is. The only students who can remain permanently in school without all required vaccines are those with IEPs or medical exemptions, children who are disabled or medically fragile students. Even with efforts to de identify data in real world school communities, it often doesn't take much for a small group of students to be inferred or associated with these rates. I am concerned this could lead to students with disabilities being viewed differently potentially as a source of risk and could contribute to stigma or exclusion.
That raises serious concerns under Section five zero four, the Rehabilitation Act which is designed to prevent unequal treatment of students with disabilities. Transparency is very important but it must never come at the expense of protecting students from discrimination and harm. Please protect our disabled and vulnerable children and vote no on this bill. Thank you.
Redner 1
Thank you. We will now move to public comment in opposition. If you're here in opposition, please step up to the mic, state your name, affiliation, and position on the bill only. Adrian Heft representing V is for vaccine and thousands of parents of medically fragile children in California. I oppose.
Catherine McBride with V for vaccine. Strongly oppose and ask for no vote on this unconstitutional bill. Thank you. Bringing it back to the committee now. Committee members, do we have any questions or comments for the author?
Redner 1
There's a motion from Assembly Member Pelerin. Is there a second? Second from Assembly Member Garcia. We will turn it back to the author to close.
Redner 4
Thank you. And I want to thank and recognize my technical witness, Natalie Pita from the California Association of Family Physicians, who has been steeped in this policy for quite a while as well. I just wanted to just in closing, in my closing, address some of the concerns raised by the opposition. The first is, I believe that the medical community will stand by the need to have evidence, the existence of evidence, essentially saying that it's very important to be able to ensure that we have people immunized and meeting these herd immunity thresholds within our school environments. I shared some of that in my opening statements around the costs of not doing so.
I also just wanted to address the fact that tetanus is included in the Tdap, which will get a threshold because of vaccine to prevent Tdap, which is also the same vaccine that prevents diphtheria and pertussis, which require thresholds as well. So that is bounded within the context of that particular vaccination received. And more importantly, the opposition's comments around student privacy. This bill has been structured to ensure that we have utmost student privacy protected as a parent of a child who had an IEP or an F504. I know the importance and sensitivity of making sure that students have the ability to be in their schools protected.
Redner 8
IEPs are confidential. And there is no reason for any individual in the school community to essentially say, to make any specific claim or have any particular knowledge about whether an individual child is immunized or not. This bill is incredibly important because I believe that it protects the individuals who are vulnerable community members who don't have the ability to receive vaccinations and who are in our communities and need to be protected. It's very important for us to be able to ensure that we have this herd immunity in place, and this bill is structured, is done so in a very thoughtful and smart way that ensures we have the maximum protection of privacy. Just last year, my home county of Alameda suffered a case of measles, as did two thousand and sixty five other people.
Redner 4
AB2651 helps address declining childhood vaccination rates by requiring CDPH to notify schools when vaccination rates fall below herd immunity levels. Schools must then notify parents, giving families timely, school specific information to make informed decisions and helping public health officials respond more quickly to reduce the risk of vaccine preventable disease outbreaks. Parents deserve information to keep their kids healthy. In a time when we will have less access to primary health care and preventative care, it is more important that we do this now within our school communities because children deserve to be safe from preventable deadly disease. With that, I respectfully request your I vote.
Redner 1
Thank you for bringing this important bill forward at this time. I want to express gratitude for you as author working closely with our committee and making sure that this bill made the amendments that were necessary for us to hear it today. So thank you very much. Thank you. And continuing to champion protection of the vulnerable in our community.
Thank you very much for that. With that, we have a motion and a second. Secretary, will you please call the roll?
Redner 2
File item one, AB2651, the motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel, I. Hoover Alvarez?
Alvarez, aye. Bonta? Bonta, aye. Castillo, no Garcia? Garcia, aye.
Pelerin, aye. Aye.
Redner 1
The vote is five to one. That bill is out. Thank you chair. And we will leave the roll open for add ons. We are now going to hear file item number 11.
That is a b twenty five zero nine with assembly member Schultz. And you may proceed when ready.
Redner 16
Well, thank you very much, Madam Chair and members, good afternoon. I would like to begin by thanking the committee and your staff for their hard work, and I am hereby accepting the committee's proposed amendments. In discussing AB 2,509, it's important to recall that California allocates funding to local education agencies based on average daily attendance and has historically allowed school districts to use whichever is higher, the current year or the prior year's average daily attendance. In 2022, in response to the COVID-nineteen pandemic, the state incorporated a three year rolling average into the LCF formula, offering school districts the stability needed to navigate an unpredictable recovery. The three year rolling average has proven very helpful for school districts, and I'll note that a recent LEO report found that in 2024, about half of all districts relied on the rolling average.
Redner 15
It's clear that local education agencies are depending on these protections to ensure steady, predictable funding for their students. However, school attendance throughout the state continues to be below pre pandemic levels. California continues to grapple with school attendance challenges, including but not limited to mental health challenges, declining enrollment, natural disasters, and the presence of federal immigration enforcement in our communities. A recent report found that immigration raids in 2025 led to a 22% spike in absences over just two months in communities in the Central Valley. As such, exploring innovative solutions to stabilize funding and offer more flexibilities for more flexibility for our local education agencies is critical to support student success and our district's long term planning.
AB 2,509, as amended, is simple and builds on this approach by adding a five year rolling average as an option for districts to calculate funded ADA. And ultimately, AB 2,509 is about limiting the impact of short term attendance dips on district funding for the stability and well-being of our kids. With that, I respectfully ask for your I vote.
Redner 1
Thank you for your presentation. Do we have any witnesses in support? Sorry, any public comments in support?
Redner 7
Sorry about that Madam Chair, members of the committee. Kat Brackman again with the California School Employees Association in proud support. Thank you.
Redner 16
Good afternoon. Brian Ricks with the Los Angeles Unified School District in support.
Redner 2
Lucy Salcedo Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in support.
Redner 1
Thank you. At this time, if there are any witnesses in opposition, please step forward. Thank you. There's a motion and a second. Are there any Sorry, where did I leave it?
Any public comment in opposition? Seeing none, that will bring it back for committee member discussion. I would like to start off with saying to the author, you for working with our committee staff on amendments. Appreciate that. But I do want to share that although I'm supporting it, the bill today, I do have some hesitations around covering for or glazing over substantial declining enrollment that some districts are facing.
At some point, we will have to come to terms and address declining enrollment with real long term solutions. But current climate is such that I understand the need to make sure that schools have a steady stream of revenue to cover what their budgets are asking for. As you know, you know well that I know, when school districts form their budgets, they base on enrollment numbers and not on attendance numbers. However, they are funded based on attendance and there are many reasons why right now we're seeing challenges for restoring attendance. That being said, I will be supporting your bill today and I reserve the right to possibly not support it on the floor depending on how things go.
So with that, I will bring it back to committee. We have a motion and a second. If there are no further comments, secretary oh, a summary member, if you would like to close.
Redner 15
I'll be very brief. I really appreciate your comments, madam chair. As you know, this isn't the bill that I wanted to bring this year, but it's something. I think the way that we fund our schools is antiquated and outdated, and not compatible with the realities that so many districts are facing. We are facing declining enrollment.
There's no one cause for it. But I will say this, the reason I did decide to run this bill this year is because a three year rolling average will not protect California adequately against this administration and their efforts to terrorize our communities. I wish I could do more, but I think this is a good first step. I appreciate your leadership and the work of your staff and respectfully ask for an I vote on behalf of all kids in my district in the 44th District.
Redner 2
File item 11, AB 2,509, the motion is due passed as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel, I. Hoover?
Alvarez?
Redner 2
Alvarez, I. Bonta? Aye. Bonta, I. Castillo?
Castillo no Garcia? Aye. Garcia, I. Lowenthal? Pelerin?
Redner 1
Aye. Vote is five to one. It is out. And we'll leave the roll open for add ons. At this time, we will take up the consent calendar.
Madam Secretary, will you please call the roll on consent?
Redner 3
The consent items are as follows. Item four, a b twenty three twenty four, the motions do pass as amended to appropriations. Item eight, a b twenty four twenty nine, the motion is due pass to appropriations. On the consent calendar, Patel? Aye.
Redner 2
Patel, aye. Hoover Alvarez? Alvarez, aye. Bonta? Aye.
Bonta, aye. Castillo? Aye. Castillo, aye. Garcia, aye.
Aye. Pelerin, Pelerin, aye. Is six zero. The consent calendar is out.
Redner 1
The vote is six zero. The consent calendar is out. We will hold the roll open for add ons. We'll now proceed to file item number nine AB2430. Assembly member Matsuchi, you may step up and proceed when ready.
And we'll follow that with your second bill.
Redner 10
Alright. Thank you very much. I'd like to present assembly bill twenty four thirty. And first, thank your excellent staff's work for working with us on this bill. I accept the committee analysis committee amendments as noted on page ten and eleven of the analysis.
I am pleased to present AB twenty four thirty, the Bridge and Boost Act sponsored by the California After School Advocacy Alliance. AB 2,430 strengthens California's after school system in three key ways. One, expanding access for adolescents, particularly high school students. Two, developing recommendations to improve funding rates and program quality. And three, increasing transparency so families and policymakers can better understand how we're spending billions of dollars that we have made in expanded learning.
California has made historic investments in expanded learning opportunities, over 4,600,000,000 annually through the Expanded Learning Opportunity Program, and nearly 5,500,000,000 when combined with the ACES and other programs. This investment has improved attendance, supported working families, and created safe, enriching opportunities for students. However, significant gaps remain, especially for high school students. Today, less than 2% of Expanded Learning funding reaches high school students who make up nearly one third of California's student population, with many high school districts receiving no ELOP funding at all. At the same time, support for high school programs relies heavily on uncertain federal funding from the Trump administration, putting access for hundreds of thousands of our students at risk.
AB 2430 takes a practical step forward by reallocating a small portion of underutilized funds to better serve high school students with the greatest needs. The bill also addresses program quality by establishing a work group to evaluate funding rates and support long term sustainability. Finally, it improves transparency by making existing data more accessible, helping identify gaps and strengthen accountability. I know this is an issue that our chair of the budget subcommittee has focused on. More importantly most importantly, AB 2,430 does not create a new entitlement or require ongoing new spending as simply strengthens the state's existing investment.
After school programs are essential for working families and critical for keeping students engaged, supported, and on track. I respectfully ask for your aye vote. And with me to testify in support of this measure, first, a a former student, Oliver Quintana Bravo, a recent graduate from Creative Connections Academy, and a former student of the Expanded Learning Opportunity Program at the Sacramento Chinese Community Center. And second, Marisa Ramirez, Chief Administrative Officer of Bay Area Community Resources and Expanded Learning Program in the Bay Area serving nearly 20,000 students. We also have Laura Bebe, Policy Consultant for the Partnership for Children and Youth, to address any technical questions that committee members may have.
Redner 17
Yeah. Go ahead. Okay. Good afternoon, chair and members. My name is Oliver and I'm 18 years old and I recently graduated from Creative Connections Arts Academy here in Sacramento.
Before I joined the youth workforce program, I wouldn't say I was completely lost, but I didn't feel seen. I didn't feel like people really recognized my value. That changed when I got the opportunity to enter the after school program at Creative Connections Arts Academy at elementary. What just started as an internship became something bigger. It felt like a second home.
My environment changed. Instead of getting into bad habits or being around the wrong things after school, I was going to work, spending time with kids who looked up to me. And honestly, they changed me. They taught me how powerful something as a simple smile can be. They trust me with things going on in their life and just being there for them, listening, made them feel seen and cared for.
And at the same time, it made me realize something in myself. I wasn't lost. I just needed someone to see the value in me I didn't see yet. This program helped me change my habits, my mindset, and the people I surround myself. It gave me direction and something to work towards too.
Redner 4
By passing AB two thousand three forty, California can make sure more high school students can have access to the same kinds of programs that helped me, programs that provide mentorship, purpose, and real opportunities to grow. I'm still figuring out my path, but I know I'm not the same person I was before this program. And I know there are students out there just like me who don't need everything figured out. They just need the right environment and someone who believes in them. Thank you.
Redner 26
Good afternoon, chair and members. My name is Marisa Ramirez. I'm with Bay Area Community Resources. I'm here as a working mother with three students, one of them being a high school student. And I'm also here as a member of the California After School Advocacy Alliance, our statewide voice for publicly funded after school and summer programs.
Redner 18
BACR serves 15,000 students across 91 school sites across the Greater Bay Area. We are proud to support AB 2,430. Because of this bill addresses three of the most persistent implementation challenges we've ever experienced since ELOP launched. Access for adolescents, program quality, and transparency. First, the overwhelming majority of adolescents still do not have access to publicly funded after school opportunities.
BACR is able to provide high school opportunities to approximately 1,300 students. If we had more funding, BACR would be able to not only provide program to more students and expand services in providing robust programming, but a couple of three different things I'm gonna explain is, one is provide a variety of of opportunities that is very much needed that would are very costly and that would be able to provide us expert staff. We would also be able to offer opportunities outside of a student's traditional high school, pathway. And we would also be able to provide exploratory opportunities that are connected with real life experiences. Secondly, program quality depends on funding that reflects real costs.
In particular, for younger students, we need to follow a 10 to one ratio. And year to year rate fluctuations and variations between six districts that we work with make long term staff and program sustainability difficult. AB two thousand four thirty addresses this. You are out of time.
Redner 1
Thank you so much for that. We will now take public comment in support. If you are here to support, step up to the microphone, state your name, your affiliation, and your position only, please. Thank you.
Redner 1
Thank you for those. If there are any, witnesses in opposition, now is your time to step forward. Seeing no witnesses in opposition, are there any public comments in opposition? Again, none, we will bring it back to the dais. Are there any questions for the author at this time?
Yes. Assemblymember's Alvarez.
Redner 8
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Masucci, for bringing this forward. Your commitment to public education is evident in the work that you do here in the legislature. And this is another example of that.
Redner 9
And you are getting to a problem that does exist and we need to figure out how to rectify. And that's the fact that we have made universal access to after school programs a reality for elementary schools, but there's work to be done at the upper grades. And I know that you're focused here on high schools. This year, particularly in the last couple of subcommittees that I chair, I have been trying to draw attention to middle schools as well because they too are missing from this approach. And so I think the only question I'd ask is what are the conversations like I believe this only applies your your goal here, at least your language, applies to high schools only.
Redner 10
The the current system allows for middle schools. The the the biggest challenge is is expanding it to high schools. I'm gonna turn it over to miss Beebe for the specifics as to how middle school students are addressed.
Redner 14
this up, Assembly Member. On behalf of our coalition, you know, we agree that there is a huge unmet need for middle school students. In AB two thousand four hundred thirty, we are starting with high school students, specifically because they receive the smallest amount of funding, only 70,000,000 compared to a little bit more for middle school students. But we agree that this is a challenge and something that absolutely needs to be addressed.
Redner 8
I appreciate you lifting that up as well. I want to collaborate and partner with you as we've done before. And if this is a moment to really acknowledge and try to address this issue, I'd like to collaborate and work on the middle schools as well. Think appreciate the approach, which is, you know, incremental and certainly see the disparity at the high school level, but the needs exist at the middle school. And I don't It always seems I've now said this a couple of times.
We we all like to focus on the, you know, TK six and we love the high school programs and all the things that happen in high school and the experiential learning and internships. And I have yet and I acknowledged this at my own subcommittee just yesterday. We very, very seldom have middle school advocates, administrators, teachers, or students talking about their needs. And so I appreciate you for doing this. I like to to continue the conversation with you about how do we bring in others, whether it's through your this vehicle or other ways that we can address that issue.
Thank you for always looking out for our kids. Thank you.
Redner 10
Thank you. I I I just wanna acknowledge. I I know that you're always championing and making sure that we don't forget the middle school kids. And I think all of us, you know, who are parents know that that can be some of the most challenging years for for kids. And so, I appreciate your comments.
Redner 4
Yeah, I want to just also thank you for bringing forth this bill, and I just wanted to thank you for testifying so beautifully. I think it points to why we need to make sure that we have these expanded learning opportunities. I had an opportunity probably like twenty five years ago to, working in philanthropy, to be able to fund BACR, so I just wanted to say thank you so much for the work that you all have done to really make sure that we have as many learning opportunities as possible for our young people. And I think it's a very smart thing for us to start expanding the way in which we provide resources and additional learning opportunities for our youth. Totally agree, 50% double down on the middle school comment that Assembly Member Alvarez made.
And we'll also say that in our high schools right now, it is the case that if you aren't in a band, don't play a sport, and have limited means to be able to support the other kinds of things that you do, and have limited resources to be able to invest in other kinds of after school activities. It's really hard to be able to envision what your future might be. So I want to thank you for bringing this forward and if you will accept it, I would love to be a co author.
Redner 1
Thank you. Alright. I will also add some comments at this time. Assemblymember, really appreciate you working with committee on this bill. I know that we are taking some small steps here today, but it sets the groundwork for really opening the door to really substantial conversation on how can we help our students as they transition from adolescence into adulthood.
These are very critical years, as you said so eloquently, as Assembly Member Bonta said. It's so important that we make sure our young people are seen and heard and valued. And that's how we secure bright futures for everyone. So appreciate you bringing this forward and working with our committee on those amendments. And at this time, is there a motion?
Do we have a motion? It's a motion from Assembly Member Alvarez, a second from Castilla. Secretary, can you please call the roll? Oh, sorry. Assembly Member Marucci, would you please close?
Redner 2
File item nine a b twenty four thirty, the motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel I Hoover. Alvarez?
Alvarez I Bonta? Aye. Bonta I Castillo? Castillo I Garcia. Garcia I Lowenthal.
Pelerin. Aye. Pelerin I. Zipper.
Redner 1
The vote is six zero. The bill is out. We'll hold the roll open for add ons. At this time, Assembly Member of Mercy Chi, would you like to present at file item number 12? That's AB twenty five twenty six.
And you may proceed when ready.
Redner 10
Thank you. Thank you, madam chair. I'm here to present Assembly Bill twenty five twenty six. Let me let me first start by acknowledging what we all know throughout the state of California. There are many parts of the state that are witnessing declining enrollment.
And yet we hear over and over again that special education costs are escalating. To try to come up with solution for this increasingly urgent challenge that school districts throughout the state are facing. You know, I first looked at the local control funding formula. You know, I in my first year here in 2013, I I was a member of the the budget subcommittee where we spent a lot of time developing and and adopting the local control funding formula. And and and while that's considered the LCFF is considered to be one of the the biggest education equity reforms in recent decades, I I always felt like there there was a a big gap in in in terms of the LCFF, you know, based on its the the founding principle of the LCFF that students with the greatest needs deserve greater resources.
I I always ask the question, why not our special education students? You know, we we we have we recognize that our low income students, English learner students, our foster students, and with mister Alvarez's recent legislation, homeless students, you know, it all makes sense. Right? Students with the greatest needs deserve greatest re greater resources. Why not one of our our biggest populations of of students that have these pressing needs are special education students.
That's why, you know, I I've been focusing on this issue ever since. I I think it was in 2018, I I first introduced a bill to propose that we create a new low LCFF funding category for special education students. Again, based on that that fundamental principle, the LCFF. At that time, we we were in the process of, you know, stabilizing and and achieving, you know, funding equalization as it related to special education funding. I I was advised that this is not the right time to do it, and and and so I did not pursue that effort in 2018.
Redner 25
But since then, you know, in my last year, I I I thought that this was always something that I felt was unfinished business to try to to recognize our special education students as, you know, a deserving group of students that that deserve the funding necessary to to provide the the the the support that they absolutely need and deserve. I I want to, you know, thank, you know, your chief consultant for always being patient with me, with, you know, my stubborn persistence. You know, when I latch on to an idea, I have a hard time of of letting go. But, you know, I I I just wanna say that that this committee and the legislature is so fortunate to have, you know, the the the experience and the wisdom of of your your committee staff where ultimately she convinced me that that, you know, while I I think everyone agrees with with the basic principle, you know, that we need to get, you know, greater resources to our special education students, more funding for our special education students. But that, you know, because of the concern of incentivizing over identification among other concerns raised in the the committee analysis, I grudgingly have recognized, as I've often done, the the the wisdom of your committee staff.
Redner 10
And and so I would like to thank your chief consultant's work on this bill, and I fully accept the committee amendments. So the bill, in its current form, achieves the goal of bringing additional funding for especially for our high needs special education students by expanding the Low Incidence Fund, a fund that currently serves blind, hard of hearing and orthopedically impaired students to include those who qualify for the California Alternate Assessment. These students have significant cognitive impairments representing no more than one percent of our students statewide, but they count for about ten percent of California's students with disabilities. By modernizing and expanding this fund, can better align our policies with today's educational as well as budget realities. This change will help move California away from a funding model based solely on disability category and toward one that is responsive to more responsive to individual student need.
At the same time, it'll help address the growing fiscal pressures that local school districts are facing and providing appropriate support for students with the most significant needs. With me to testify in support of the the measure representing the Los Angeles Unified School District, Brian Ricks, and representing the California Federation of Teachers, Tristan Brown.
Redner 16
Good afternoon, chair Patel and members of the committee. My name is Brian Ricks, and I'm here on behalf of Los Angeles Unified School District to testify in support of Assembly Bill twenty five twenty six by Assembly Member Murasuchi. With the proposed committee amendments, AB twenty five twenty six has the opportunity to strengthen the existing low incidence disability funding mechanism by expanding the definition of students with disabilities eligible for this funding and focusing on students' needs rather than the type of disability that they have. Due to the California Alternative Assessment's narrow selection process, including students who qualify for this program into the low incidence funding ensures that the formula benefits those with the greatest needs. Despite the federal government's promise to provide 40% of extra costs associated with educating students with disabilities, the federal government only spends approximately 7% of Los Angeles Unified's expenditures for special education.
Los Angeles Unified spends more than 2,300,000,000 a year on special education, but receives just 152,000,000 from the federal IDEA. We understand that there are concerns that increasing funding or reimbursements for serving these students will incentivize school districts across the state to over identify students with disabilities. However, there is no financial incentive for school districts to over identify as the extra cost of providing services to students with disabilities far exceeds any expected financial investment from the federal or state governments. And a significant portion of the costs associated with serving students with disabilities already falls within the school's general fund. We greatly appreciate Ethel Rimuru Tsuchi's dedication to finding ways to provide assistance for students with disabilities, and we'll continue to work with the author to fine tune this bill to appropriately reimburse school districts for the mandated services we're already providing to these students.
Redner 6
AB twenty five twenty six puts into practice higher investment levels to enhance special education funding to help students with the greatest needs step into adulthood better prepared for the world. For these reasons, Los Angeles Unified is pleased to support AB twenty five twenty six by Assembly Member Murasicchi and urges your aye vote. Thank
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you, madam chair and members. Tristan Brown of CFT. Local after local after local has come to report from the front line where our American Federation of Teacher Locals have had to deal with immense cost pressures due to the unforeseen and incredible challenges that we must face when we have students with these high level of needs come to our districts. We wish there was a superhero that could come in flying through and be able to provide all the funding we require to meet the moment. Maybe one day that they will come.
Redner 11
And we know it's hard to plan for this. I don't think we'd be in a supportive position if we were asking for districts to reserve funds for an unknown event like this. But we know we can't also plan on knowing when folks will be born with certain impairments and some won't. So we're in a bit of a catch 22 in knowing when these issues will come before us. And so it's a hardship that districts will always have.
We see that this bill is a step in the right direction to provide some more foundational funding to help meet that moment. Being an educator with students with these exceptional needs is some of the most challenging, yet some of the most rewarding work ever. And it's imperative that, we move forward in this way. Our members are truly excited when they saw these policies. I will, too, jump on the bandwagon at the amazing work that your staff does to make sure that we are shepherding policy that will actually get the results that we need.
So we're very thankful that this bill will do that and that our districts and our educators will have some relief, hopefully, in making sure that these students who deserve more will get more. And this is a great way to do that. So with that, we ask for your aye vote.
Redner 1
Thank you for your testimony here today. We will now take public comments and support. Step up to the microphone, name, affiliation, and position on the bill. Thank you.
Redner 11
Good afternoon, Chair and members. Cordova Hampton with the Association of Conference School Administrators. We have a supportive amended position. We appreciate the amendments outlined in the analysis as we think it moves the bill in a better direction. Once those amendments are in print, look forward to reviewing them and continue working with the author's office and figuring out how we can better serve our students for the most part.
Thank you.
Redner 15
Good afternoon. Michelle Underwood with the Coalition for Adequate Funding for Special Education. Greatly appreciate the author's dedication to this issue. Like AXA, We believe this bill is moving in the right direction and away from over identification. So, forward to seeing those amendments and continuing to work
Redner 1
with the author. Thank you. Thank you. We'll now take any witnesses in opposition. Do we have any public comments in opposition?
Alright, we'll bring up the conversation back to the members. Members, are there any questions or comments you'd like to put forward at this time? Assembly Member Alvarez.
Redner 8
Thank you. As all fiscal matters, I have that, you know, the ability to see some of these things from a different perspective and this is a fiscal matter that really is important to schools. First of all, acknowledging that you are identifying a real need for schools. That is first and foremost, I think, something we have to acknowledge. It is not my belief.
And look, I come from a family of siblings who were identified as special education students because they were English learners. And that happened, truly happened, to too many people. And it was an unfortunate history in California school systems. I think we have to be careful about that still and not forget about that history. But I also believe, as someone who has a lot of family who are educators, that the need is truly greater.
It has grown. The funding has not kept pace to the need. And so I appreciate that. This is not just about giving schools more money. It's about giving students the resources that they need in order to be successful.
That does come at the We need the personnel, we need the support systems, that all costs there's resources needed for that. And right now, the funding to schools filling that that hole that exists that you're trying to help fill adequately. So certainly supportive of of trying to do this. I think the conversation needs to be know, and there is something in the budget to provide some growth, which is the right thing to do in the proposed budget anyway. But I think it appears to still also not fully fulfill the need.
And so I think that's the spirit of your proposal here today. I am interested I'd like to hear because there was no opposition, but there was some, you know, comment because I don't want to disregard the the issue of over identification. Can you share with me how you think this is going to be addressing that or you're getting to potentially addressing that with amendments or with work that you're still doing in that regard?
Redner 10
Yes. Thank you. You know, I I wanna first acknowledge AXA and the and the SELPAs. You know, I I focused on their their letters and their concerns. And that that combined with the chief consultant's persuasive arguments that that, you know, the the over identification.
I I think the committee analysis actually does an excellent job of of of highlighting the history of over identification. That it's not just a hypothetical exercise, but that, you know, there there actually has been. And and so to to answer your question, this approach, the the low incidence fund is is limited to that 1% of the statewide enrollment population. And and and so by limiting the by capping, basically, the the percentage of students that would be eligible for the the low incidence fund, that that is how this proposal is avoiding the over identification.
Redner 8
And and I understand why you're doing that. Certainly understand the the analysis and the history there. It feels a little bit like and given that, you know, you've been here and as you said earlier in your testimony, this is something you don't want to leave without trying to address. It still feels, with all respect to all of us, that this is still not meeting the mark when it comes to. And so I'm all for, you know, incrementalism to get us to the right place.
And if in the spirit of that, I think this is the right approach. But where do you think this is perhaps one of the last opportunities in this committee where you'll get a chance to have a voice in this committee again on this issue. What work remains to be done and would you like to see in this space given given your experience here? And how can this particularly particular policy with your bill get us closer to that?
Redner 10
Again, I I appreciate your your question, and and I'm I'm hoping that, you know, this is the process of my passing the baton to to to all of you on the on the committee to to come up with the the the real solution or the or, you know, a better solution always. You know, originally, I I I was trying to limit or address the issue of over over identification while pursuing the LCFF category for special education students with severe needs by by limiting it to I I propose to limit it to the TK through three grades, you know, so that, you know, one, it would it it would limit the pool of the additional funding for the LCFF. Two, it it would incentivize early intervention by by giving the, you know, the the possibility the, you know, additional funding in the early years. And and three, you're trying to disincentivize school districts, kind of like what LA Unified alluded to, that that even if, you know, there may be an incentive financial incentive to over identify in the early years, they knew that that funding was gonna cut off after grade three, that perhaps that would be an additional incentive not to over over identify.
So, I mean, that's the best that I can think of.
Redner 8
In the work that you've done in this space, and I'm asking this question because I don't have the information and it's certainly questions I'll continue to ask, What is the incidence of over identification? Are there any research that's been presented recent on that? And just wanna know again, I'm I'm acknowledging that it's happened because I personally have witnessed it happen. But where where do we stand now when it as it relates to over identification of students? Is there anyone that's doing any research in this space?
Uh-huh.
Redner 10
Well, you know, I mean, I I want to I I'm I'm sure you I I know you always read your committee analyses. On on page seven, there's the discussion about the about the PPIC 2009 study that that, you know, you know, shares, reminds
Redner 10
That is true. You know, I I think it's noteworthy. I I had a lot of conversations with stakeholders on on the issue, especially of of the significant increase in students on the autism spectrum this the autism spectrum. Again, as the committee analysis points out, students with autism on the autism spectrum increased from two percent to twenty percent. And I I think, you know, that was one one perfect example of how it's it's hard to I I I I think and and, you know, the the folks from the SELPAs probably can testify to this better than I can.
But it's it's my understanding that this goes to the issue one of the issues that both AXA and the SELPAs highlighted, you know, trying to tie additional funding to categories rather than to specific student needs. You know, even within the autism category, there is a wide range of needs and there's a wide range of costs that are imposed on school districts. And so, you know, how do we get more funding to the students with the greatest needs, with the, you know, most expensive support needs? Yeah. You know, I mean, definitely number one, we need to make sure that the funding follows the student, which, you know, is is, you know, a part of this proposal in the amended version of of this bill.
But to do that on a on a broad scale, I I think, is is one of the the the fundamental challenges, you know, especially where the the identification of many of these special education students, you know, that there's, you know, a lot of subjective judgment that you know, goes into the identification.
Redner 8
In some instances, yes. But in others, you know, medical providers and professionally trained medical decisions are making determinations. And so that data is real. You mentioned the autism data. Right?
It's it's not a number that comes from diagnosis from school officials. It's numbers that have come forward from from medical numbers. And so I just the reason I say all this is, like, then I wanna make sure that your advocacy for this, that no one feels like, even if this is successful, that we can claim victory or mission accomplished here. Absolutely. We need to continue to do work in this space because those needs are real, they are growing, and our schools need the support to be able to help families in ways that families deserve to be helped.
So I'll end it with that, and thank you again for your work on this as well, and certainly commits to continuing the work well into the future as long as needed to serve these students well.
Redner 1
Thank you for bringing this very important bill forward and for working with our committee to accept committee amendments. Just making sure that that's on record. I believe you said it, I just want to make sure. And for doing this important work, what we know is these low incidence disabilities are not necessarily ones that are low resource requiring or low support requiring or might even require special instructional delivery methodology and making sure that those students get the adequate resources that they need. We're now on the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of IDEA.
And as the witness stated, we still don't have that level of commitment from the federal government as promised to fund at 40%. I think an average California we get 10% if that, and who knows what now currently. So making sure that we inch towards and move towards adequately funding our students with disabilities and the resources and supports required is absolutely critical. It has been a priority of mine ever since I was on the school board in Poway Unified. So really happy to see you bringing this bill forward and working with our committee to make sure we can start making progress.
We also know that we are trying to move away from labels and look at specifically what are what are the supports required for each individual student as they move forward in their education Rather than funding based on a certain label, whether it's low incidence, high incidence, whether it's autism, and what kind of supports on the spectrum, it's more about what level, what is the cost, and what is the level of support that child actually needs to succeed. I appreciate you bringing this forward to make sure we continue that conversation and stay focused on these issues. With that, I'm definitely supporting your bill today. Thank you for bringing it forward. At this point, I'll bring it back to committee.
Is there a motion or a second? We're looking for both. We have a we have a motion from Lomondahl and a second from Zabir. Secretary oh, assembly member Marucci, will you please close?
Redner 10
Thank you. I really appreciate the the, discussion and, would appreciate your vote.
Redner 2
File item 12, a b twenty five twenty six, the motion is due passed as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel, aye. Hoover?
Alvarez? Alvarez, Bonta? Aye. Bonta, aye. Castillo?
Garcia? Garcia. Lowenthal. Aye. Lowenthal.
Pellerin. Subur. Subur. Aye. The
Redner 1
vote is six zero. The bill is out. We are now moving on to file item number seven. That is a b twenty four zero four. We have assembly member Tangipa presenting today.
Is he here? Oh, he is not here. We will move on to AB23 sorry, file item number five, AB2325, Assembly Member Alvarez. And you may proceed when ready.
Redner 8
Thank you, madam chair. Yeah. We gotta keep this meeting going. We got a lot of business to handle. So thank you very much for the opportunity to present Assembly Bill twenty three twenty five.
This is a Pathways to Bilingual Teaching Act. If it sounds familiar for those on the committee from last year, it's because we are making some corrections to the bill from last year in a way that facilitates the use of this program. So I'd like to thank the chair and the committee staff for their work on this issue related to bilingual education. And I'd like to accept the amendments that are proposed by the committee, which definitely make this bill the right to bill. So thank you for that work.
Assembly Bill two thousand seven and seventy as proposed to be amended would direct the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to administer a competitive grant program awarding opportunities for school districts, community colleges and universities. The bill establishes a structured pipeline that guides bilingual students from high school recruitment through dual enrollment for an associate degree into an integrated credential program at a four year university, culminating at the end with what you want, which is more teachers, in this case bilingual teachers to be employed at our LEAs. California is one of the most linguistically diverse states. More than approximately 200 languages are spoken in homes in California. This is not a barrier to overcome in my opinion.
It's a defining asset of our state. It's a strength for all of us. It's a competitive advantage for the future workforce. Yet our education system has not fully embraced this strength. We face a persistent shortage of teachers qualified to lead bilingual classrooms, leaving many of our multilingual students without the proper instruction that values and develops their home language.
AB 2,325 offers a strategic evidence based solution. Research and lived experience confirm that multilingual education supports academic achievement, it enhances cognitive skills and it prepares students for a global economy. I want to make that point one more time. My multilingual brain is one that performs better on all achievement tests and certainly in the workforce. The evidence is unequivocal about that.
Importantly, this bill empowers local partnerships. The work gets done at the local level, as you all know who have served at the local level. These partnerships will design the pathways that best fit their communities while ensuring that statewide accountability for producing more qualified bilingual teachers is adhered to. To provide testimony here today is Maria Guillen. She is a high school math teacher at Twin Rivers Unified working to get her bilingual authorization.
And we have Doctor. Adam Sawyer, who's an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at CSU Bakersfield and president of the California Association of Bilingual Education. Please proceed.
Redner 21
Good afternoon, chair and members. My name is Maria Guillen, a high school math teacher for Twin Rivers Unified School District. I am also a member of Ellie and Teach Plus teacher leader. I am here today to support AB two thousand three twenty five, which helps to address the chronic bilingual teacher shortage across the street. I began my journey in the district as an academic intervention specialist supporting English learners one on one.
During that time, I began to notice a consistent pattern. Many of my students were developing their language skills but continued to struggle in core classes such as math. It became clear to me that with my skills in math and bilingualism, I could help bridge the gap between content and language in meaningful ways. That experience led me to pursue a career in education. I completed my teaching credential through the Sacramento County Office of Education Teacher Internship Program, which provided a valuable and accessible pathway for me as a single parent.
However, I learned that a bilingual authorization was not included within the teaching credential I was pursuing. Now, after completing five years of teaching, my students continue to show me the need to bridge math content and language. This summer, I will be taking additional coursework to earn my bilingual authorization. AB 2,325 is critical for our future teachers. I often think about how impactful it would have been to have had a more streamlined and supportive pathway available when I began this journey.
Redner 19
When I look at some of my newcomer and bilingual students, I see potential in them to become future educators, like Hillary, a newcomer student who is still working to master her English language. She has cracked the code in math. Hillary can often be found helping bilingual students who are struggling with math. If we had clear guidance, financial support, and aligned coursework, this would allow students like Hillary to pursue a career as a bilingual educator. AB 2,325 is a clear pathway to do just that.
Redner 21
It is not just about filling positions. AB two thousand three twenty five establishes a direct bilingual teacher pipeline that will help build the qualified and multilingual workforce that our students need to strive. I stand here today not only as a teacher, but as someone who has seen the impact of this gap
Redner 21
you for your time and consideration. I respectfully ask for your I vote.
Redner 11
Good afternoon, Chair and members. Thank you for having me today. My name is Doctor. Adam Sawyer, associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at CSU Bakersfield and current president-elect of the California Association for Bilingual Teacher Education. I am here today in strong support of AB 2,325, which creates a competitive grant program to support partnerships between LEAs, community colleges, and four year institutions of higher education to establish or expand pathways that prepare bilingual students to become bilingual teachers.
Redner 22
I began my career as a second grade bilingual teacher in East Palo Alto in 1996, and I've worked in the field ever since. Since 2019, I have served as founding bilingual authorization coordinator at CSU Bakersfield and have concurrently served in several leadership capacities statewide. Within Kern County, as is the case in context throughout the state, we have made great progress in diversifying our bilingual authorization offerings and growing our dual language bilingual education programs through a range of partnerships between Cal State Bakersfield and our local LEAs. There has been important progress, but there is so much more left to do. The state continues to face a persistent shortage of qualified bilingual teachers.
According to a 2023 report from the California Budget and Policy Center, the student to bilingual teacher ratio in Spanish was two forty to one with significant gaps, greater gaps in all other languages. The funding provided by AB 2,325 would allow us and others throughout the state to streamline pathways, develop new partnerships, and ultimately develop more bilingual teachers, significantly strengthening our bilingual teacher workforce. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for your I vote.
Redner 1
Thank you very much for your testimony today. At this time, we will take public comments and support, name, affiliation, and position only. Thank you.
Redner 23
Good afternoon. Natalie Shin here on behalf of Californians Together as proud cosponsors of AB 2,325 and happy to help answer any technical questions. Thank you.
Redner 5
Hello, Megan Bear on behalf of Early Child California, proud to co sponsor this bill. Thank you.
Redner 8
Madam Chair and members, Adam Kaglin on behalf of the California Charter Schools Association in support.
Redner 19
Good afternoon. Carol Gonzales on behalf of East Finis organized for political equality in support. Thank you.
Redner 1
Thank you. Are there any witnesses in opposition? Any public comment in opposition? That brings us back to the members. I would like to open with Chair Alvarez.
Thank you so much for being so, or sorry, Assembly Member Alvarez. I still see you as my budget chair always. Thank you for bringing this very important bill forward. Years ago we had passed initiatives to bring forward bilingual education with the bilingual credential process, and we haven't seen it take off in leaps and bounds like we had hoped at the local level. And I think what you're doing with this bill is helping us fill some of those gaps by allowing our local communities to develop those plans and programs and pathways and providing purpose for our students who are pursuing a bilingual degree as they exit high school.
So it's I I love what you're doing here. I'm very excited to support it. And if you would have me, I would love to be your co author on this bill. It's very important work. And clearly, I am supporting the bill today.
Bring it back to our members assembly members of our.
Redner 24
Which she said, and I'd love to be added as a co author as well. Thank you for bringing this bill.
Redner 1
Alright. It looks like we all wanna unlock potential here, if you would like to close.
Redner 8
That's exactly what this is about. You know, we did have a period of history in California. You all might remember when we banned bilingual education. And I think what's happened to the chair's point is it's been tough to recover. It was very tough, especially for for those who are were leading in this work and who saw the research.
The research is unequivocal. Those who are receive instruction in two or more languages perform better. Yet, unfortunately, politics got in the way. We then corrected that. Unfortunately, as the chair just mentioned, did not return to what we had hoped.
I want to thank the work of the committee, your team, your staff. This is not the last time you're here for me on work on bilingual education. I'm a true believer as an English learner, now a bilingual individual, as someone who taught my children to speak and to write and read in Spanish first, and they've learned since to be bilingual themselves. I really believe that this unlocks the opportunity to so many things. And I've seen the research and I've seen the schools that have really in areas like the ones that I represent that should not be showing the performance that they are, but they are because they're bilingual, biliteracy programs that are so effective.
I want to thank the educators who do the work and those who prepare our educators. And with that respectfully ask for I vote. Thank you.
Redner 1
Thank you. We need a motion and a second. I see a motion from Assembly Member Lowenthal. I think I saw a second from Assembly Member Bonta. Secretary, will you please call the roll?
Redner 2
File item five, AB 2,325. The motion is to pass as amended to appropriations. Patel? Aye. Patel aye.
Hoover. Alvarez? Alvarez aye. Bonta Bonta aye. Castillo?
Aye. Castillo aye. Garcia? Lowenthal? Aye.
Lowenthal aye. Palaran? Super. Super aye.
Redner 1
The vote is six zero. Your bill is out, and we will hold the roll open for add ons. We are now on file item number seven, which is a b twenty four zero four. Assembly Member Tengepa. And when you are ready, you have you you may proceed.
And each witness has two minutes. Thank you.
Redner 25
Alright. Well, thank you. Thank you, madam chair and members. Today, I am here to present AB twenty four zero four, which is a bill focused on supporting the San Joaquin Valley by ensuring they have a voice in statewide decision making. AB 2,404 simply requires that at least one member on a five different governor appointed governor appointed bodies includes at least one person from the eight counties in the Central Valley.
The State Board of Education is one of the most crucial boards for Central Valley representation. This 11 member board makes decisions that impact standards, curriculum, and the overall direction of K-twelve education. For the Central Valley, those decisions are drastically impactful and they affect our students, our families, our schools and the educator pipeline that supports them. Yet, despite the size and importance of our region, Valley representation on the State Board of Education has been very limited. Since 2005, there have been fewer than five members from the Central Valley on that board.
Two out of those five members were student representatives. So really, three. That limited representation matters deeply for our community. Fresno Unified is one of the largest school districts in the state, specifically the third. Fresno State has historically helped prepare more teachers than any other public institution in the state of California.
The broader Central Valley continues to grow as families move into the region, including many coming from the Bay Area. That growth means the Valley is educating a substantial share of California students and facing real demographic and enrollment pressures, making representation on the State Board of Education especially important. On an 11 member board, this bill requires just one from the Central Valley to sit on the State Board of Education. That is not special treatment and it is not disproportionate representation. It ensures that one of the most significant regions in our area is not left out when statewide education policy is shaped.
That same principle applies to the other bodies included in this bill. Whether the issue is education, veteran services, workforce development, financial oversight, or public accountability, the Central Valley deserves to have its perspective represented when statewide decisions are being made. Today I have with me Doctor. Michelle Cantwell Cofer who is Fresno County Superintendent of Schools here to testify in support.
Redner 23
Good afternoon Chair Patel and members. Again as mentioned I am Doctor. Michelle Cantwell Cofer the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, and I am here today in support of AB 2,404. At its core, this bill is about something very simple, making sure the Central Valley has a voice at the table when statewide K-twelve policy is being made. The State Board of Education makes decisions that shape the direction of public education in California.
Redner 26
Those decisions affect curriculum, accountability, standards, and the overall experience of students and families across the state. For a region like the Central Valley, those decisions are deeply important. The Central Valley is home to large and growing student populations. We serve communities that are diverse, hardworking, and deeply invested in public education. Our region includes both urban and rural schools, fast growing communities, and families facing unique economic and geographic challenges.
Those realities deserve to be part of the conversation when statewide education policy is set. This bill does not ask for special treatment. It does not create multiple seats or give the Central Valley outsized influence. It simply guarantees that one member of the State Board of Education comes from one of the eight Central Valley counties. That is a modest and reasonable step to ensure that one of the most significant education regions in California is not left without representation.
Too often, the Central Valley is expected to adapt to decisions made without our perspective in the room. This bill helps correct that in a thoughtful and limited way. Our students matter, our families matter and our region deserves to be heard. I respectfully ask for your I vote on AB 2,404. Thank you.
Redner 1
At this time, do we have any witnesses in support? Please step forward. Name, affiliation, and position only. Thank you.
Clifton Wilson on behalf of the Board of Supervisors for the counties of Fresno, Merced, San Joaquin, and Madera, all in support and just wanna take a second to say thank you to the author for giving the Valley a voice and also looking out for the best interests of his district overall. Thank you.
Redner 17
Thank you, madam chair and members. Andrea Ball on behalf of the Central Valley Education Coalition. We haven't had the chance to take a formal position but always appreciate raising the profile and awareness of the Central Valley and thank the author for bringing this forward.
Redner 1
Thank you. At this time, we'll take any witnesses in opposition. Seeing no witnesses in opposition, any public comment in opposition? Alright, seeing none there, we'll bring it back to the committee now. Before we proceed with other member comments, I want to confirm once again whether you are accepting committee amendments.
Redner 1
Alright. And with that, we do have an opposed position on this bill. I want to highlight that what we had requested in the amendments were for the author to request, recommend that this bill shift to requesting or recommending that the governor take into account geographic distribution or geographic representation when making appointments. However, what we do see is when we single out one kind of area and name one area. And in this case, somewhat confusingly interchanging San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley, that can also be confusing when we have different definitions of what is San Joaquin Valley specifically in Central Valley.
Redner 13
When we call out one specific area in a limited number of board seats, that begins the process of establishing that as a standard for all of our boards and commissions, especially on boards and commissions that have limited seats, including task forces, working groups, etc. And that will likely lead to an increasing number of legislative proposals that seek to do the same thing, which in itself may not seem problematic. I'm looking at your facial expressions and I'm trying to work with you here. However, what it can lead to is a system where the makeup of the board can actually overrepresent or underrepresent other regions. And when we are looking at legislation that looks to tackle one kind of discrepancy or issue in representation, we don't want to then in turn create others in that process.
Redner 1
We want to do it in a way that's not pulling resources away from one community and putting it into another community. So appreciate your intent in this, in seeking representation and fair and adequate representation, but I don't think we quite meet the mark with this. With that, I will bring it to other committee members for comments.
Redner 25
Yeah. So, you know, I I thank the chair and I thank not only that the committee analysis on it and it's just from a general understanding of the entire purpose of the bill was to make sure somebody from the San Joaquin Valley had proper representation. And and while the amendment was pretty much specifically removing that requirement on the Board of Education, we were in favor of all the other amendments that were proposed. And for but for me, when it comes to the Board of Education, education is the greatest equalizer. It is what changes people's lives.
It is the reason why I am sitting here today when I grew up going to one of the poorest school districts in the entire state during the Great Recession. I went to Twin Rivers Unified, not too far from here. I had the chance to go and play football at Fresno State. I met all of the connections there. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college.
I used that education to pull my family out of abject poverty, and I am sitting in this chair today because of education. So for us, when it comes to that type of representation of people who grow up here in the San Joaquin Valley, I believe it's just as vitally important to make sure that there is a voice. Because when we look at the population of the Central Valley in itself, you think about a county like Fresno. Fresno County has 1,100,000 people that is larger than the state of Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. You then add that to the greater region in the San Joaquin Valley.
We would be one of the top 25 states in general population if we just included that area, but often they are not included on most regional boards. That is just a fact and that is a reality. That reality is on the Board of Education as well. If since 2005 only five representatives have been from the San Joaquin Valley as designated in the analysis and two of those have been student representatives. That really means only three.
So over a twenty year period, an area that would be considered one of the top 25 states in the nation and population, they've had a voice of three. So while I completely understand on the recommendation on that, it would have specifically went against what the entire intention of the bill was based off of that and I do appreciate at least working together on
Redner 1
it. Thank you for that. There was a question at the end of the day. Assemblymember Zabur.
Redner 24
So I just want to thank the author. I've got to sort of agree with our committee chair. I don't think that the school board is something that is like the state legislature or the United States Congress, where the composition should be based on sort of only geographic representation. I mean, we need to have a range of expertise. We need different kinds of skills on the board.
And many of these boards are not something where you're basically looking at the board and saying, Okay, is there one representative for geographic area? If we did that, I think it would not serve the state well. We do have an obligation to make sure that the board is serving the interests of all kids in the state of California, including kids in your area. And I think that the committee amendments would have taken into account in a better way having the governor as he's making appointments to the board to think about things like geographic representation overall with at least some of his appointments. Moving towards some policy where we actually are going to have next another region saying, I've got to have my member in another region.
Redner 27
I think that that will, in the long run, not serve the students of the State of California well and won't serve the students of your area well, even though I understand what the intention of the bill is. So, of that and because you haven't taken the amendments, I'm going to have to vote no today. So, thank you. Thank you.
Redner 4
Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to make comment and ask a question about your continued I think you said it two, maybe three times in your presentation about the fact that the student voice isn't actually worth anything.
Redner 4
Well, you discounted them and said basically they're there, but that only means that we have three, not five. Did you actually talk to the student members?
Redner 25
Well, I just want to make sure that my words aren't miscrude. I did not say that they don't I simply stated, when it comes to the regional boards, that there have been five, and two of them are student seats.
Redner 4
Which implies that their value and their contribution and their voice doesn't count.
Redner 4
I do. And I'm sure the students who are sitting on those boards would also take it that way. I certainly will not be supporting this bill. My understanding is that the one of the amendments that the chair asked you to take included encouraging the governor who appointed members of the SBE to consider the geographic and demographic diversity of public schools in the state. And because you are refusing to take that amendment, I am not gonna be able to support this bill.
Redner 10
Just briefly, madam chair, I I just wanna say as someone who's from San Joaquin Valley, from the Central Valley, do appreciate the intent. So I would like to second the bill today. Thank you. Or move the bill today. Second the bill.
Redner 1
You would be our motion, and we would be looking for a second. There's a motion and a second. So member Tengepot, would you like to close?
Redner 25
Yes. And, again, I thank you, and I thank all of the comment because I believe that a robust, healthy debate on our what we're moving forward is actually beneficial. That way you can hear everybody else's perspective as well. I do wanna make it clear. I don't think anybody who sits on in these boards, any of their positions are diminished at all.
Redner 22
I just wanted to make sure that I was reflecting the reality in which it's happening. And, you know, I think often when people see the state of California, they forget that this is a state that has just about 40,000,000 people, that is larger than the entire country of Canada. I want people to remember that this is a state that is larger than the entire country of Australia. And maybe we should look at potentially creating geographical regions because I represent a district that is larger than most states on the East Coast, where it takes me six hours to get from one area of my district to the other, and we could just be about 60 miles apart. But we have fundamentally different viewpoints and fundamentally different problems, so it actually may be healthy to open up the robust conversation of what we've learned in our general areas and apply that.
Redner 25
Because when you have a state of 40,000,000 people, you would never think that Alberta and Ontario or Toronto should be in the same position at all times. But sometimes, some voices have been left out. So I respectfully ask for an I vote to make sure that we're prioritizing the people in the Central Valley because they're Californians, too.
Redner 1
Thank you. We have a motion and a second. Madam secretary, will you close please call the roll.
Redner 2
File item seven, AB twenty four zero four, the motion is due passed to health committee. Patel? No. Patel, no. Hoover?
Redner 2
Hoover, aye. Alvarez? Fonta? No. Fonta, no.
Castillo? Aye. Castillo aye. Garcia? Lowenthal?
Lowenthal not voting? Pelerin? No. Pelerin, no. Zipper?
Zipper, no.
Redner 1
the vote is two to four and it is on call. That brings us to file item 10. We have AB2460 and we will have AB2460 Celeste Rodriguez presented by Assembly Member Pelerin. And you may proceed when ready. While Assembly Member Pelerin is settling in, I'd like to make an announcement that AB 2,197 by Assembly Member Valencia has been pulled from this hearing by the author.
And you may proceed when ready.
Redner 14
Good afternoon, Chair and members. AB 2,460 is about making sure schools are ready to support students when fear, trauma and family instability caused by immigration enforcement show up in the classroom. California already knows students' mental health needs are urgent. One in five school students experience mental health issues that interfere with learning, and more than half of young people with mental health needs remain untreated or undertreated. A 2025 Stanford study showing that student absences rose twenty two percent in Central Valley school districts affected by immigration raids, and notes how immigration raids were straining the mental health of children and school communities across California.
AB two thousand four hundred sixty responds in a practical way. It does not create a brand new school mental health system. Instead, it updates the existing model referral protocols for pupil behavioral health concerns so they include guidance on providing equity centered mental health support in a local emergency related to immigration enforcement activities or deportation of pupils or their family members. This bill requires the Department of Education to post the updated model referral protocols by 07/01/2027. It also requires local educational agencies to update their own referral policies by 07/01/2028, at a regularly scheduled public meeting.
Redner 10
Local schools would not be left on their own. Their updated policies must either be based on the state's updated model or developed in consultation with school and community stakeholders. In short, AB2460 helps schools respond with care, clarity and consistency when students are affected by immigration related trauma. And we don't have any witnesses here today, but I have support in case you have any questions I can't answer.
Redner 1
We have a motion and a second. Right. I'm getting back on track. If we have any witnesses in support, please step forward. Any public comment in support?
Do we have any witnesses in opposition? Any public comment in opposition? Alright. Let's bring it back to our members. Members, do we have any comments today?
Assembly member Castillo.
Redner 29
I want to thank the author for this bill. I'm gonna speak as my previous work that I did as a therapist and working in clinics and working with children. I'm gonna tell you a story of a little boy, a little boy whose parents had came to The United States from El Salvador. They started a whole new family here, and he was left behind in El Salvador. He always thought that his parents didn't love him, and he attempted twice to come across the border.
As a little kid, he was about nine years old when I worked with him. And his uncle was the one who helped him. The trauma that the boy had from his journey to getting into The United States. He thought he was gonna drown crossing the Rio Grande. They were kidnapped and held for ransom until their families paid.
His story to get here was very traumatizing. And I'm also a trauma therapist, so I worked with him through the stages of trauma to help him move forward from his experience. And so, I have come across a lot of kids that have these types of traumas. This little boy in particular with the okay from his attorney, his family, his parents, and getting, of course, a release of information. I wrote a letter to the judge, and I was able to get this little boy asylum in this country so he can join his family again and stay here with them.
Redner 12
You know, when I did his story of what he wanted to do, he wanted to go to college, and he wanted to become a doctor. You know, so just his trauma, not even just from crossing, but his trauma from El Salvador, you know, would probably have people just, you know, not even able to function. But I think the author for this bill because when kids do come through the school system and they do need that help, those referrals are then sent to therapists like me who handle severe persistent mental health that's, you know, the school counselors or therapists at the school can't handle. So I am thankful for this bill, I will be supporting it today.
Redner 1
Thank you. Are there any other comments? I'm gonna make one for the author. So, Assemblymember Pellerin, it's just a comment. What I would like to share is that while I agree wholeheartedly with the concerns around mental health impacts to current immigration enforcement activities in our communities, our schools just in January went through a full process for updating their referral processes for grades seven through 12.
And so I do have some concerns around very quickly turning around and asking our districts to do this again. But I understand the context of it today, so I am supporting today. And at this point, do we have a motion and a second? And then now, Assembly Member Pellerin, would you like to close?
Redner 14
I respectfully ask for your aye vote on behalf of Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez. Thank you.
Redner 2
File item 10, AB twenty four sixty, the motion is due passed to appropriations. Patel. Aye. Patel, aye. Hoover.
Redner 2
Hoover, aye. Alvarez. Vonta? Aye. Vonta, aye.
Castillo? Aye. Castillo, aye. Garcia, aye. Luenthal?
Aye. Lowenthal, aye. Pellerin? Pellerin, aye. Zabur, aye.
Redner 1
The vote is eight zero and the bill is out. And we'll leave the roll open for add ons. At this point, we have heard all of our bills on file and we will now lift calls. We're going to lift the calls on all bills that require it. Secretary, please call the roll.
We'll start with consent calendar. K.
Redner 2
Hoover, I. Lowenthal? I. Lowenthal, Zabur. Zabur, I.
That is 90. The consent calendar is out.
Redner 2
File item one, a b twenty six fifty one, the motion to pass as amended to appropriations. Hoover? Hoover not voting. Lowenthal? Lowenthal aye.
Subur. Subur aye. Seven to one. The vote is seven to
Redner 2
File item five, a b twenty three twenty five. The motions do pass as amended to appropriations. Hoover? Aye. Hoover, aye.
Garcia? Garcia, aye. Pellerin? Aye. Pellerin, aye.
That is nine zero. The vote is nine zero.
Redner 2
File item seven, a b twenty four zero four. Out of the vote is due or the motion is due passed to Health. Alvarez? Garcia? No.
Garcia, no. It's two to five.
Redner 2
File item nine a b twenty four thirty. The motion is due pass as amended to appropriations. Hoover?
Redner 2
Hoover aye. Lowenthal? File item nine? Aye. Lowenthal aye.
Zipper? Zipper aye. The vote is nine zero. The bill is out.
Redner 2
Well, let's just do this one right now. So so can you say on the mic just like you do on the floor, vote change, file item five? Yeah. You you do it.
Redner 2
Alvarez not voting. So that's yeah. So the final vote is two to five. That measure fails.
Redner 2
File item 10, a B2460. Mister Alvarez? Aye. Alvarez, aye. Nine to zero.
The vote is nine zero.
Redner 2
File item 11, a b twenty five zero nine. The motions do pass as amended to appropriations. Hoover?
Redner 2
11. Okay. Hoover, no. Lowenthal? Aye.
Lowenthal, aye. Zabur? Aye. Zabur, aye. Seven to two.
The vote is seven to two. The bill is out. File item 12 a b twenty five twenty six. The motions do pass as amended to appropriations. Hoover?
Redner 2
Hoover, aye. Castillo? Aye. Castillo, aye. Pellerin?
Aye. Pelerin, aye. Nine. The vote is nine zero. That bill is out.
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