California Policy Updates

In the Capitol 

New Faces 

Term limits have once again led to a large influx of new legislators, with 37 freshmen joining the California Legislature—13 in the Senate and 24 in the Assembly. Despite losing a few seats in what has been called the “Red Ripple,” Democrats continue to hold overwhelming majorities in both state houses. The Assembly now consists of 60 Democrats and 20 Republicans, while the Senate has 30 Democrats and 10 Republicans. At this early stage in the legislative process, many bills remain in their initial “spot bill” form.  

One example is SB 373 (Grove), which currently makes only minor, non-substantive changes to the law requiring local educational agencies (LEAs) to notify parents of any change in a nonpublic school or agency’s certification status.  

AB 784 (Hoover) proposes adding “specialized instruction by a credentialed teacher” as an eligible service for nonpublic agencies (NPAs) and expanding the definition of special education to explicitly include specialized services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. 

Several other bills related to education and special education are also emerging.  

AB 1412 (Gonzalez, Jeff) clarifies that a student who meets a district’s residency requirements due to a parent’s military transfer or pending transfer to a California base while on active duty is also eligible for special education services.  

AB 1224 (Valencia) seeks to allow holders of special education substitute teaching permits to remain in a single assignment for up to 60 days.  

Meanwhile, SB 374 (Archuleta) removes the requirement that the State Board of Education adopt an IDEA Addendum by January 31, 2027. 

SB 373 (Grove) introduces several changes related to special education services provided by nonpublic, nonsectarian schools (NPS) and agencies (NPA) in California. Most changes are centered around oversight, monitoring, and reporting regarding student safety, including new requirement on communication, visitation, and review by LEAs. These new requirements may impose additional costs on local agencies and school districts. 

Looking ahead, the Legislature will turn its attention to the state budget, beginning with subcommittee hearings and culminating in the May Revision, which could be impacted by the delay in tax filings. The final budget must be passed by June 15 and signed by the Governor by June 30, though questions remain about whether it will truly be “final” at that point.  

Meanwhile, policy committees in both the Assembly and Senate will review and debate hundreds of bills. The legislative session is set to adjourn on September 12, and the Governor will have until October 12 to sign or veto bills.  

From the Governor's Desk 

Special Education State Budget 

The January budget allocates $7.1 billion for special education programs, including $5.6 billion in state funds and $1.5 billion in federal funds, with a 2.43% cost-of-living adjustment.  

It also provides $1 million for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) to contract with a vendor to digitize the IEP template by June 30, 2026, and another $1 million for a County Office of Education (COE) to translate the digital IEP into the state’s ten most commonly spoken languages, excluding English. 

2025 Master Plan for Career Education 

The Governor’s Office released the 2025 Master Plan for Career Education, a framework to align California’s TK-12, higher education, and workforce training systems, with a focus on rural and underserved communities. While still a policy blueprint, the plan proposes regional collaboration to shape curriculum, funding, and student support. 

Key elements include structured career pathways starting in high school, expanded dual enrollment and internships, and the “Career Passport” to document skills for competency-based learning. It also promotes hands-on, applied learning through employer partnerships in high-demand sectors like healthcare, technology, education, and climate. 

Though the plan does not create new mandates, it signals future funding priorities and policy directions. The Legislature will play a role in shaping its implementation, and we will continue monitoring its impact on districts while working with the Administration to build on successful TK-12 programs. 

With so many of our members offering workforce readiness and post secondary programs, we will monitor the momentum around the Master Plan for Education and how programs that create life-long opportunities for students with disabilities will be included and represented.