Court finds in favor of CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance in charter renewal case

In the first litigation regarding Assembly Bill 1505, a sweeping charter school reform bill, CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance (ELA) secured a victory from the Court of Appeal in ELA v. State Board of Education and Napa Foundation for Options in Education. In an opinion issued […]

Governor’s Administration releases 2025–26 education budget trailer bill language

In keeping with the requirements of statute, the Governor’s Department of Finance released their budget trailer bills. Providing greater clarity on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January Budget Proposal, the trailer bills provide the details where specific statutory amendments are proposed on how specific programs and proposals are intended to operate. As part of that release, the education trailer bill helps to shed light on significant proposals made last month.

New executive orders target gender and equity initiatives and antisemitic protests

The Trump Administration continued its flurry of executive orders on Jan. 29, issuing three declarations with significant implications for public education. The new executive orders seek to end what the Administration describes as “indoctrination” in K-12 schools, launch a federal school choice initiative and facilitate […]

Governor Newsom provides a sneak peek of his proposed 2025–26 State Budget

On Jan. 6, Gov. Gavin Newsom provided a topline preview of his proposed 2025–26 budget. Highlighting the main themes of the budget, he deferred much of the detail typically included in the January Budget Proposal announcement to Friday, Jan. 10, when the state’s Director of […]

Modest progress on School Dashboard continues trend of sluggish growth

The California Department of Education (CDE) unveiled the latest edition of the California School Dashboard on Nov. 21, touting “continued progress in academic achievement and graduation rates” and a “decline in chronic absenteeism.” While some growth was evident, a look at the underlying data reveals a more complicated picture of student performance — one that demands greater scrutiny of the status quo, increased investment in public schools, and wider replication of local strategies that have accelerated student achievement and well-being.

LAO releases much-anticipated state budget revenue projections for 2025–26

Slightly higher state revenues driven by continued stock market growth means the LAO’s assessment offers a brighter picture than last year’s dismal forecast, but storm clouds remain on the horizon due to weakness in the overall state economy, the unpredictability of future tax revenues, and fiscal pressures that are problematic for local educational agencies.