As the 2023 legislative session kicks into high gear, CSBA is advancing a substantial package of sponsored bills. Together, this set of priority legislation will help increase funding for student health, support small school districts in hiring sufficient administrative staff, increase support for districts facing cyberattacks, help boards appoint student members, and provide sufficient and predicable funding for county office of education-operated juvenile court and community schools.
Policy committees in both the Senate and the Assembly are considering these and other education proposals. Below is an update on each of CSBA’s sponsored bills and where they are in the legislative process:
- Assembly Bill 1023 (Papan, D-San Mateo): Increased support for school districts to protect against ransomware attacks – Would authorize local educational agencies to use discretionary funding provided under the Arts, Music & Instructional Materials Discretionary Block Grant for cybersecurity purposes, in keeping with the intent of the grant to allow districts to use these funds for operational costs, including taking needed proactive steps to protect against possible ransomware attacks. Awaiting consideration by the Assembly Emergency Management Committee.
- Senate Bill 645 (Ochoa-Bogh, R-Yucaipa): Addressing the small school district administrator-to-teacher ratio caps – Would allow small school districts to hire the appropriate number of administrators based upon school size, helping small districts better meet the needs of their students, teachers, staff and the greater school community. Awaiting consideration by the Senate Education Committee.
- AB 906 (Gipson, D-Carson): Increased and stabilized funding for court and community schools – Would invest in these high-quality programs and the students they serve by providing them with sufficient and predictable resources by including funding for juvenile court and community schools in a county office of education’s base grant. Awaiting consideration by the Assembly Education Committee.
- AB 417 (Bennett, D-Ventura): Increased authority to appoint a student school board member – Would provide needed follow up to 2022 legislation allowing county boards of education to appoint a student board member if there is a vacancy and no student petitions for appointment, ensuring that a county board can appoint a student from one of the schools directly under its jurisdiction. Passed by the Assembly on March 30 and awaiting committee assignments in the Senate.
- AB 483 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance): Streamlined reimbursement and funding for student health services – Would expand access to school-based health and mental health services by increasing funding available for student support services by improving the Medi-Cal Local Education Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program (LEA BOP) and requiring Department of Health Care Services to streamline its auditing process to ensure LEAs can draw down needed mental health and health care funding for its students more quickly. Approved by the Assembly Health Committee on March 21 and awaiting consideration by the Appropriations Committee.
- SB 551 (Portantino, D-Glendale): Increased Prop 63 Mental Health Services Act funding for students – Would enhance the collaboration between county mental health agencies and school districts by requiring all counties to work with their local schools to fund school-based behavioral health services and mandate that direct services to students be prioritized in the delivery of prevention and early intervention funds. Scheduled to be heard by the Senate Health Committee on April 12.
