By Chris Reefe, CSBA Legislative Director
Late on Aug. 29 the Legislature’s respective Appropriations Committees dispensed with their suspense files. The suspense file compiles bills with a price tag of over $150,000 to be considered in bulk in order to weigh their fiscal impact upon the state as a whole. Ultimately, less fortunate legislation may be “held on suspense,” meaning the bill dies in the Appropriations Committee.
Included among the many legislative measures considered by the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees were several CSBA-sponsored bills. As they move forward, all measures that continue to progress will face the ultimate deadline of passing the Legislature before the Sept. 12 deadline.
Four of CSBA’s six sponsored bills continue to progress.
The following is a breakdown of CSBA-sponsored bills and other critical education legislative measures:
Assembly Bill 1021 (Wicks, D-Oakland and Muratsuchi, D-Torrance) – Education Workforce Housing
- Expands efficiencies and benefits for local educational agencies to pursue education workforce housing projects, including a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption for infill housing projects.
- Status: Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and awaits consideration on the Senate Floor
AB 1111 (Soria, D-Fresno) – Electric School Buses
- The Senate Environmental Quality Committee removed the extension of the zero-emission school bus purchasing mandate; however, the provision allowing LEAs to transfer combustion engine buses to other LEAs when they have acquired a zero-emission bus remains. Due to estimated costs developed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which led to significant fiscal impact, the bill was ultimately held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
- Status: AB 1111 was held in suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee and is dead
AB 1224 (Valencia, D-Anaheim) – 60-Day Substitute
- This bill would expand the amount of time an authorized substitute teacher could serve in a single general, special or career technical education classroom from 30 days to 60 days.
- Status: Passed the Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Floor
AB 1381 (Muratsuchi) – Education Workforce Housing Predevelopment Budget Proposal
- AB 1381 would establish a state revolving loan fund to provide zero-interest loans to LEAs to help with feasibility studies and predevelopment work for housing projects.
- Status: Turned into a two-year bill and is in the Senate Appropriations Committee
AB 1390 (Solache, D-Lynwood) – School Board Member Compensation
- This bill would modernize the existing compensation stipends afforded to school board members based upon LEA size.
- Status: Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Floor
Senate Bill 374 (Archuleta, D-Pico Rivera) – SB 1315 Implementation
- This bill provides the California Department of Education (CDE) an extension by one year to provide a report to the Legislature on the number and types of reports LEAs are required to submit that can be eliminated or truncated. It also eliminates the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Addendum to the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).
- Status: Passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Floor
Other notable legislation
Charter school accountability and oversight
AB 84 (Muratsuchi) and SB 414 (Ashby) are two competing measures to put in place increased accountability requirements for nonclassroom-based charters, including increased responsibilities upon charter authorizers. Negotiations continue on both measures and at this point in the legislative calendar, it remains to be seen whether either measure will continue to move forward.
- CSBA Position: Neutral on AB 84 and Tracking SB 414
- Status: Both measures passed in their respective houses’ Appropriations Committees and await full consideration by the opposing house
Curriculum and instruction
AB 715 (Zbur/Addis) would put in place significant restrictions on the fostering of an antisemitic learning environment. In an effort to address and curtail growing incidences of antisemitism, this measure is undergoing significant negotiations to address antisemitic incidences and other forms of discrimination and prejudice. Addressing prejudice and discrimination is critical to providing a safe and supporting learning environment, which includes addressing incidences of antisemitism. However, concerns remain with the current version of the bill and that it could result in a curtailing of academic freedom and have a chilling effect on how schools can talk about and address incidences of antisemitism, as well as other forms of prejudice.
- CSBA Position: Opposed
- Status: In the Senate Education Committee but will have a special hearing in September
AB 1454 (Rivas) would implement evidence-based reading instruction and professional development requirements.
- CSBA Position: Neutral
- Status: Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Floor
Governance and elections
AB 640 (Muratsuchi) requires all LEA board members to receive training in public education school finance and accountability laws. Although it addresses many of CSBA’s concerns, language remains that could allow partisan-based and biased organizations to provide school board member trainings.
- CSBA Position: Oppose Unless Amended
- Status: Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Floor
SB 249 (Umberg) requires all county board of education general elections to be included with the November General Election.
- CSBA Position: Disapprove
- Status: Held in the suspense file in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now dead
Immigration enforcement
AB 49 (Muratsuchi) prohibits LEAs from allowing immigration enforcement officers to enter nonpublic areas of a school site without providing a valid judicial warrant, judicial subpoena or court order. Funding is needed to help implement this measure to ensure that school staff have the requisite training and resources to know what they should and should not do when an immigration enforcement occurs on a school campus.
- CSBA Position: Support if Amended
- Status: Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Floor
SB 98 (Pérez) requires LEAs to inform students and parents when it is confirmed that a federal immigrations enforcement has occurred on a school campus. Greater clarity is needed to ensure that LEAs have the discretion to inform parents and students at the appropriate time when an immigration enforcement activity occurs.
- CSBA Position: Disapprove
- Status: Passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is on the Assembly Floor
Labor relations and benefits
AB 340 (Ahrens) and AB 1109 (Kalra) would prohibit a public employer from questioning an employee or employee representative regarding representation-related communications made in confidence between the employee and employee representative.
- CSBA Position: Opposed
- Status: Both bills were held in the suspense file in the Senate Appropriations Committee and are now dead
AB 1331 (Elhawary) is a measure to address workplace surveillance and would impose significant costs on LEAs, unintentionally undermine existing school safety protocols and inadvertently increase public safety risks for LEAs by restricting the use of public safety protocols and tools to provide for a safe learning environment. The measure is far reaching and would interfere with a LEA’s ability to implement its school safety plan and how it can respond to a public safety emergency on a school campus.
- CSBA Position: Opposed
- Status: Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and is currently on the Senate Floor
SB 494 (Cortese) would remove the authority of an LEA and their duly elected governing board to render personnel decisions concerning classified staff by placing it into the hands of an administrative law judge (ALJ) and making the decision of the ALJ final. It is a re-introduction of SB 433 (2023), which was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
- CSBA Position: Opposed
- Status: Passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is on the Assembly Floor
