Pupil achievement: State Education Alignment and Impact Plan., the official text

An act to add Chapter 6.2 (commencing with Section 52090) to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to pupil achievement.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the State Board of Education and requires the state board to study educational conditions and needs of the state and to make plans for the improvement of the administration and efficiency of the public schools of the state. Existing law establishes the State Department of Education under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and assigns to the department numerous responsibilities relating to the governance of the public elementary and secondary schools in the state.
This bill would require the Superintendent, with the approval of the executive director of the state board, and on or before July 1, 2027, to select, and thereafter contract with, one or more research or nonprofit organizations that have experience assessing governance structures, improving strategies to close pupil academic achievement gaps, and working with stakeholders throughout the state. The bill would require the selected organization or organizations, on or before September 1, 2027, to convene a working group consisting of 20 specified members and would require 5 members of the working group to be appointed by the Governor, 4 members to be appointed by the Senate Rules Committee, and 4 members to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, as provided. The bill would require the working group to (1) elect a chair and vice chair at its first meeting, as specified, and (2) develop and submit to the Governor and the Legislature, on or before March 1, 2028, a plan, to be known as the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan, that includes, among other things, specific goals and benchmarks for the state to support school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools in closing the achievement gap and recommendations for appropriate remedial action if the state does not meet those benchmarks and goals. The bill would prohibit members of the working group from being compensated for their service as part of the working group, except as provided. The bill would encourage the Assembly Committee on Budget and the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, on or before September 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, to evaluate the state’s progress in meeting the benchmarks and goals established in the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) The current rate of growth of pupil academic achievement is insufficient, and it is the intent of the Legislature to help local educational agencies accelerate achievement by establishing reciprocal accountability at the state level.
(2) Pupil achievement remains below prepandemic levels, and stark achievement gaps between pupil groups have been persistent over the years.
(3) Although the state has instituted numerous programs and provided important funding for various public education programs, the state needs a unified strategy at the state level that aligns state programs and funding and promotes state-level accountability while ensuring the necessary capacity for policy implementation.
(4) There are numerous state entities that play a role in the state’s public education system, including the Governor, the Legislature, the State Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Department of Education, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, the County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, and other state agencies and departments. All of these entities play an important role in the state’s education system, each with independent missions, duties, and objectives. The absence of a state operations and support plan for these state entities leads to unnecessary overlap, misalignment, and conflicts that create obstacles for local educational agencies and hinder the state’s ability to close the achievement gap.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that a state operations and support plan is established and adheres to all of the following:
(1) Helps and supports local educational agencies close the achievement gap and ensures state entities provide necessary support to help local educational agencies close the achievement gap.
(2) Establishes an aligned and more coherent state governance effort that supports local success, reduces mandates, and removes barriers to pupil success.
(3) Sets clear, measurable goals for the state, including annual benchmarks and transparent tools for effective support for local educational agencies that are grounded in a customer service approach, and does not increase compliance requirements and regulations for local educational agencies.
(4) Does not result in additional compliance reporting and mandates for local educational agencies and includes clear goals and progress reports for the state support system designed to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of state entities in supporting local educational agencies.
(5) Ensures that every new state policy aligns with a long-term vision for educational excellence and provides effective support for local educational agencies in closing the achievement gap.

SEC. 2.
Chapter 6.2 (commencing with Section 52090) is added to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:
6.2.
Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan52090.
(a) On or before July 1, 2027, the Superintendent, with approval of the executive director of the state board, shall select, and thereafter contract with, one or more research or nonprofit organizations that have experience assessing governance structures, improving strategies to close pupil academic achievement gaps, and working with stakeholders throughout the state.
(b) (1) On or before September 1, 2027, the organization or organizations selected pursuant to subdivision (a) shall convene a working group and meet at least once per month until the plan described in subdivision (d) is submitted to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to subdivision (f). The working group shall consist of all of the following voting members:
(A) The Speaker of the Assembly or the Assembly Member’s designee.
(B) The President pro Tempore of the Senate or the Senator’s designee.
(C) The Superintendent of Public Instruction or the Superintendent’s designee.
(D) The President of the State Board of Education or the president’s designee.
(E) The Secretary of California Health and Human Services or the secretary’s designee.
(F) The Executive Director of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing or the executive director’s designee.
(G) The executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence or the executive director’s designee.
(H) Five members appointed by the Governor as follows:
(i) One school district board member.
(ii) One school district superintendent.
(iii) One public high school teacher.
(iv) One classified public school employee.
(v) One parent of a public school pupil.
(I) Four members appointed by the Senate Rules Committee as follows:
(i) One county board of education member.
(ii) One school district chief business official.
(iii) One public school elementary or middle school teacher.
(iv) One representative of a public school equity advocacy organization.
(J) Four members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly as follows:
(i) One county superintendent of schools.
(ii) One charter school educator.
(iii) One representative of a school district that is a frontier school district, as defined in Section 94, and has an average daily enrollment of 2,500 pupils or less.
(iv) One special education local plan area administrator.
(2) Members of the working group shall not be compensated for their service as part of the working group, but may be reimbursed for travel costs.
(3) Members of the working group are encouraged to participate in meetings remotely.
(c) At the working group’s first meeting, the first duty shall be to elect a chair and vice chair from among its members by a majority of the voting members of the working group.
(d) (1) The working group shall develop a plan to be known as the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan that is foundationally based in the supportive role the state can play with regards to local educational agencies. The plan shall not recommend more local accountability processes and measures, local reporting requirements, or unfunded mandates. The plan shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Specific goals and benchmarks for the state to support local educational agencies in closing the achievement gap, which shall be developed based on a consideration of the following principles:
(i) Measurable outcome targets for state entities, including, but not limited to, the Governor, the Legislature, the department, the state board, and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, that allow for an assessment of the extent to which state entities are supporting local educational agencies and not placing undue or unnecessary barriers on local educational agencies in their efforts to improve pupil outcomes.
(ii) State-imposed requirements and the extent that those requirements help or inhibit local educational agencies’ efforts to close the achievement gap, including, but not limited to, the number and breadth of state-adopted policies, including state legislation, and determinations of whether the policies result in increased responsibilities for local educational agencies that conflict with the state’s goal of streamlining initiatives to focus on closing achievement gaps. This shall also include an impact analysis of newly adopted state requirements and the administrative workload for local educational agencies.
(iii) Funding levels and alignment, including an assessment of restricted and unrestricted funding for local educational agencies. This shall also include the identification of state requirements that are unfunded or partially unfunded, as well as what proportion are related to activities that are not aligned with state-identified pupil outcome priorities.
(iv) Interagency collaboration where state agencies, departments, and other state entities work together to avoid programmatic overlap or the provision of inconsistent or conflicting guidance. This also includes data interoperability, transparency, and a reduction in duplicative or unnecessary reporting requirements.
(B) Specific performance targets aimed at closing the achievement gap for the state board, the department, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.
(C) An assessment of state entities tasked with meeting the state’s public education goals and the establishment of roles and responsibilities for those state entities, including actions the state can take to reduce fragmentation and prevent overlapping guidance and regulations.
(D) Recommendations for specific actions that each state educational entity, including the Governor and the Legislature, can take to reduce the number of unfunded or partially funded mandates and align state-level operations and initiatives with the principles of local control.
(E) The establishment of a clear definition of high-quality local educational agency technical assistance for differentiated assistance, direct technical assistance, and related support.
(F) Recommendations for appropriate remedial action if the state does not meet the benchmarks and goals developed pursuant to subparagraph (A).
(2) The working group may consult with individuals and groups and may establish subcommittees, including those that are advisory in nature, or other subgroups to assist in developing the plan.
(e) (1) This section shall not be construed to allow for the development of recommendations of either of the following:
(A) New local educational agency mandates or allow for the establishing of new or revised local accountability structures for local educational agencies.
(B) New requirements on local educational agencies or requirements to submit any new or additional report beyond existing federal and state reporting requirements.
(2) Any metrics used by the working group shall rely on existing statewide data collections to the maximum extent practicable.
(f) On or before March 1, 2028, the working group shall submit the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan to the Governor and the Legislature, consistent with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(g) On or before September 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the Assembly Committee on Budget and the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review are encouraged to evaluate the state’s progress in meeting the benchmarks and goals established in the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan.
(h) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.