AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 13, 2026

AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 17, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 18, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

95

Introduced by Assembly Members Patel, Garcia, Muratsuchi, and Ransom

February 19, 2026

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.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

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 October 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 6 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) to develop and submit to the Governor and the Legislature, on or before March October 1, 2028, a plan, to be known as the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support State Education Alignment and Impact 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. gaps. The bill would prohibit members of the working group from being compensated for their service as part of the working group, except as provided. require the Superintendent, on or before November 1, 2027, to convene a stakeholder advisory group that is inclusive and representative of the diversity of the state, as provided, to solicit feedback and input during the development of the State Education Alignment and Impact Plan. The bill would encourage the Assembly Committee on Budget and the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, specified committees of the Legislature, on or before September 1, 2028, March 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, to evaluate the state’s progress in meeting the benchmarks and goals and benchmarks established in the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support State Education Alignment and Impact 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 its branches of government, agencies, departments, 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, the California Health and Human Services Agency, 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

(5) The absence of a coordinated state operations and support plan for these state entities leads to unnecessary overlap, duplication, misalignment, and conflicts that create obstacles for local educational agencies and hinder the state’s ability to close the achievement gap. gaps.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that a state operations and support education alignment and impact plan is established and adheres to all of the following:

(1) Helps and supports local educational agencies close the achievement gap gaps and ensures state entities provide necessary support to help local educational agencies close the achievement gap. gaps.

(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. gaps.

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:

Chapter 6.2. Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support State Education Alignment and Impact Plan

52090.

(a) (1) On or before July October 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. Superintendent shall convene a working group to develop the plan required pursuant to subdivision (b). The working group shall consist of all of the following members:

(A) The Speaker of the Assembly or the Assembly Member’s designee. designee of another member of the Assembly.

(B) The President pro Tempore of the Senate or the Senator’s designee. designee of another member of the Senate.

(C) The President of the State Board of Education or the president’s designee. designee of another member of the state board.

(E) The Secretary of California Health and Human Services or the secretary’s designee. designee of a deputy or assistant secretary.

(F) The Executive Director of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing or the executive director’s designee. designee of a deputy director of the commission.

(b) (1) The working group established pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall develop a plan to be known as the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support State Education Alignment and Impact Plan that is foundationally based in the supportive role the state can play with regards to aligning state efforts to support 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, gaps, 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 California Health and Human Services Agency, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and other applicable state agencies and departments that allow for an assessment of the extent to which state entities are supporting collaborating and communicating with each other to better align support for local educational agencies and not placing undue or unnecessary barriers on local educational agencies in their efforts to improve pupil outcomes. outcomes and close achievement gaps.

(ii) State-imposed Broadly assessing state-imposed requirements and the extent that those requirements help or inhibit local educational agencies’ efforts to close the achievement gap, gaps, including, but not limited to, the number and breadth an assessment of state-adopted policies, including state legislation, policies and determinations of whether the policies result in increased responsibilities for local educational agencies that agencies, create conflict with between state entities, and inhibit the state’s goal of streamlining initiatives to focus on closing effectively supporting local educational agencies to close 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. unfunded.

(iv) Interagency collaboration where among 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 creating greater interoperational collaboration and coordination between the state board, the department, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. Excellence, and other relevant entities.

(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.

(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. use the findings and recommendations developed pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 1 of Chapter 66 of the Statutes of 2025 to help inform its work.

(c) (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.

(d) On or before March October 1, 2028, the working group shall submit the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support State Education Alignment and Impact Plan to the Governor and the Legislature, consistent with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(e) On or before September 1, 2028, March 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, the Assembly Committee on Budget and Budget, the Assembly Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review Review, and the Senate Committee on Education are encouraged to evaluate the state’s progress in meeting the benchmarks and goals and benchmarks established in the Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support State Education Alignment and Impact Plan.

(f) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.