Quick look: While California has already approved a new budget and enacted several new school laws, a number of bills affecting school finance, substitute teachers and early math screening remain under consideration.
California lawmakers return to Sacramento today after their summer recess, kicking off the final month of the 2026 legislative session with several high-profile education bills still awaiting action.
Much of the state’s education agenda is already taking shape. Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed the 2026-27 state budget along with several education measures affecting school governance, artificial intelligence and student well-being.
But other bills involving school finance, substitute teachers, employee misconduct reporting, charter school facilities and early mathematics screening remain under consideration before Aug. 31, which is the Legislature’s deadline to pass or punt.
Here’s a look at where things stand.
Budget increases school funding
California’s 2026-27 state budget provides a record $128.1 billion Proposition 98 guarantee for TK-12 schools and community colleges, including a 4.31 percent increase to the Local Control Funding Formula.
The increase combines the state’s 2.87 percent statutory cost-of-living adjustment with an additional 1.44 percent discretionary increase that provides districts with flexible funding to help address rising operating costs, including new paid pregnancy disability leave requirements.
The spending plan also includes a $2.4 billion ongoing investment in special education, a $5 billion one-time Student Support and Professional Development Block Grant, and continued funding for community schools, expanded learning and literacy initiatives.
One budget issue continues to draw attention: the state’s plan to repay nearly $3.94 billion in education funding that was deferred from the previous fiscal year.
Rather than repaying the full amount immediately, the budget commits to making those payments over time if future state revenues exceed current projections through the 2027 May Revision. Supporters say the approach allows the state to meet its funding commitment while maintaining budget flexibility. Critics argue it delays money that schools were expecting to receive.
New laws to impact education
Several education measures have already been signed into law, with most taking effect in 2027.
AB 181 restructures California’s education leadership by creating a governor-appointed education commissioner to oversee the California Department of Education while maintaining the elected state superintendent of public instruction as a constitutional officer. Authored by Assemblymembers David Alvarez and Darshana Patel, the measure changes state-level administration but does not alter local governance responsibilities.
AB 2148 clarifies that public school employees and contractors providing services in public schools must be natural persons — not AI. The law authored by Al Muratsuchi does not prohibit schools from using artificial intelligence as a classroom or administrative tool but reinforces that AI cannot replace educators or other school employees.
AB 2003, which was authored by Marc Berman, expands statewide suicide prevention resources by creating free online training for educators, students and families while establishing annual reporting requirements for districts that already conduct suicide risk screenings. The law does not require schools to begin conducting suicide risk screenings.
Bills still awaiting action
At the same time, several proposals that could affect California schools continue moving through the Legislature.
Among the most closely watched are:
- SB 330 (Padilla) would reduce the financial planning horizon that school districts and county offices of education must use when preparing multiyear budgets, from three years to two.
- SB 1083 (Pérez) would expand statewide requirements for investigating, documenting and reporting employee misconduct while strengthening hiring and background check procedures.
- AB 2490 (Valencia) would allow qualifying career substitute teachers to remain in the same classroom for up to 70 cumulative days and establish new training and reporting requirements.
- AB 2316 (Hoover) would expand access to state facilities funding for some charter schools by allowing the state to reduce the required local funding match in certain circumstances.
- SB 1067 (Pierson) would establish California’s first statewide framework for early mathematics screening for students in kindergarten through second grade to help identify students who may benefit from additional support.
- Finally, the California School Boards Association’s four-bill “SOS for Student Achievement” package would create new statewide accountability measures, including a statewide achievement plan, public dashboard and annual evaluations of education investments.
What happens next?
The Legislature has until Aug. 31 to pass bills before sending them to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faces a Sept. 30 deadline to sign or veto measures. Before then, lawmakers must clear several procedural milestones, including final fiscal committee action on Aug. 14 and the last day to amend bills on the floor on Aug. 21.