SOS for Student Achievement
CSBA’s SOS for Student Achievement legislative package passes committee with bipartisan support
The four-bill package passed with unanimous support
On April 8, CSBA’s SOS for Student Achievement four-bill legislative package was heard by the Assembly Education Committee. All four bills passed out of the committee unanimously. CSBA expresses its deep gratitude for the many local educational agencies that sent in letters of support to the Legislature and for those who came to support the effort in person.
Assembly Bill 2225 (Patel, D-San Diego): State Plan to Close the Achievement Gap
- Convenes a broad stakeholder workgroup to create a plan for greater state-level support to help local educational agencies (LEAs) close achievement gaps
- Emphasizing students and LEAs, the proposal will require clear goals and benchmarks, annual performance targets and evaluations of key state education bodies and programs
Witnesses
“In the absence of a coherent state plan to support and amplify local efforts, we are left with a fragmented system of well-intentioned but disconnected state programs that often make our work harder. As a board member, I can tell you: we don’t need more programs. We need a plan. We need aligned support. And we need shared accountability.”
Dr. Debra Schade, CSBA President
“Our mission is clear: improve outcomes for every student and close achievement gaps. But the system we operate within is not organized to help us do that. At the local level, we are navigating a fragmented and often inconsistent state system. In small districts like Hope ESD, with an enrollment of 237 wonderful students, that fragmentation has real consequences for our kids.”
Melanie Matta, Hope Elementary School District Superintendent
AB 2514 (Ransom, D-Tracy): State of the Achievement Gap Dashboard
- Establishes a public dashboard to track the state’s progress in implementing the achievement gap plan and to provide transparent data about whether state programs are helping improve student outcomes
Witnesses
“In my role, data and results drive every decision I make. If students aren’t improving, programs aren’t working and families aren’t being served based on need, that burden is on my shoulders, as it should be. Something that makes this burden heavier than it should be is a state system that lacks clarity in what’s actually helping and what’s getting in the way. … AB 2514 would finally let us see how the state is performing in supporting one of its biggest investments, our school districts, by creating a state-level operations and support dashboard.”
Bryan Easter, Maple ESD Superintendent, Panama-Buena Vista Union SD Board Member
“AB 2514 creates a state-level operations and support dashboard, providing visibility into how well the state is performing in supporting student outcomes. Locally, we measure school and district performance — what’s missing now is a way for you and the public to evaluate whether state-level decisions are having the desired effect. … AB 2514 gives us the clarity we need about what is working and how we can better align our local strategies with the state-level approach.”
Sabrena Rodriguez, CSBA President-elect, Ventura USD Board Member
L to R: Hope Elementary SD Superintendent Melanie Matta; CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy; Assemblymembers Darshana Patel, Al Muratsuchi and Rhodesia Ransom; and CSBA President Dr. Debra Schade
AB 2149 (Garcia, D-San Bernardino): Annual Report on State Plan Progress and Alignment
- Requires the Legislative Analyst’s Office to annually evaluate and report on the alignment between the state plan and the state’s proposed and adopted budgets, including a review of the funded status of mandates
- The intent is for the report and associated recommendations to help guide the work of the state and to help implement and align work to the state plan established pursuant to AB 2225
Witnesses
“LEAs are navigating a fragmented policy landscape characterized by volatile, short-term funding streams and disconnected mandates. While LEAs are held to rigorous standards, the state’s overarching strategy often lacks the same objective scrutiny. AB 2149 closes this governance gap by strengthening the Legislature’s oversight authority. … This bill provides you with the analytical infrastructure needed to evaluate state-level investments and how effectively they are supporting student achievement.”
Carlos Machado, CSBA Legislative Advocate
“CFT is a big supporter of this package of legislation to bring more coherence to how the state handles our public education system. It makes all the sense in the world to have our expert policy analysts also provide their input into what we’re doing.”
Tristan Brown, California Federation of Teachers (CFT) Legislative Director
AB 2202 (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance): Annual Report on State Plan Progress and Alignment
- Establishes a Close the Achievement Gap Commission under the State Board of Education (SBE). The commission will help develop and recommend to the SBE and other policymakers a publicly available system of monitoring the performance of new and existing state programs to support LEAs in closing achievement gaps, consistent with the state plan
- Working with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, the commission will also help identify more efficient methods of supporting LEAs through the Statewide System of Support
Witnesses
“For too long, local leaders have had to navigate a series of disconnected mandates and ad-hoc reforms that, while well-intentioned, often conflict with one another at the local level. AB 2202 provides the State Board of Education with a vital mechanism to bridge this systemic gap. By establishing the Closing the Achievement Gap Commission, this bill creates a structured feedback loop between local leaders and educators and state policymakers.”
Carlos Machado, CSBA Legislative Advocate
“This is not a rebuke of local control; in fact, it’s something that could help assist where local control may have blind spots or be unable to see beyond their borders … it makes sense for the State of California to be able to take a look at see how this system is doing at their level.”
Tristan Brown, CFT Legislative Director