What We’re Watching in California Education: March 2026 Edition
Welcome to the March 2026 edition of What We’re Watching in California Education, a newsletter that we hope will offer you insight into public education conversations shaping policy at our state Capitol.
In this edition, we take a look at where things stand early in the legislative cycle, as newly introduced bills begin moving through policy committees and policymakers start shaping proposals ahead of the spring committee deadlines and the Governor’s May budget revision.
Here are the toplines:
College Access and Affordability: A new set of proposals focuses on the real costs of college, from Cal Grant access awards and cost-of-attendance policies to oversight of new Workforce Pell programs.
Accountability and Equity: Potential changes to LCFF, differentiated assistance, and new proposals to monitor achievement gaps, could reshape how the state tracks progress and directs resources to high-needs students.
Instruction and Learning: New proposals affecting English learner policy, literacy, and math screening are moving through the legislature.
College Access and Affordability
This year’s proposals reflect growing attention to the real costs students face in accessing and completing college, beyond tuition alone.
Cal Grant Access Award: SB 1006 (Padilla) would increase the Cal Grant B access award and tie future increases to inflation. The access award helps low-income students cover non-tuition costs such as books, transportation, housing, and other living expenses.
Workforce Pell Implementation: AB 1534 (Irwin) responds to the upcoming federal Workforce Pell Grant program, which will allow U.S. Department of Education Pell Grants to fund short-term workforce training programs beginning in 2026. The bill would establish a state approval process and oversight structure intended to ensure programs receiving Workforce Pell funding meet quality standards and provide strong outcomes for students.
Financial Aid Systems and Student Costs: Several proposals this year aim to address practical barriers to accessing financial aid and covering college costs:
- AB 2251 (Rodriguez) would require institutions participating in the Cal Grant program to develop clearer policies for determining students’ cost of attendance, which directly affects how much financial aid students are eligible to receive.
- AB 2422 (Caloza) would require colleges and universities to extend payment deadlines and avoid penalizing students when financial aid awards are delayed for reasons outside of their control, such as FAFSA processing delays or institutional backlogs.
Upfront Enrollment Costs: AB 2768 (Wilson) would require public institutions to defer certain enrollment fees and costs for foster youth until financial aid is disbursed, helping address upfront financial barriers that can prevent students from enrolling or registering for classes.
To help families better understand how financial aid works and how to plan for college costs, GO Public Schools released A Parent’s Guide to Financial Aid, which walks through the FAFSA and CADAA, key financial aid programs, and strategies for making college more affordable. Families can also join GO’s upcoming Community College Pathways webinar on March 25, where we’ll explore how community colleges can open doors to transfer opportunities, career pathways, and affordable degree options.
Accountability and Equity
Several proposals this year could affect California’s accountability and equity framework.
LCFF: AB 1204 (Alvarez) proposes several significant changes to the Local Control Funding Formula including:
- Guaranteed annual inflation adjustments to base grants
- Regional cost adjustments
- Increasing supplemental grants from 20% to 35%
- Lowering the concentration grant threshold from 55% to 45%
- Adding homeless students to the LCFF unduplicated student count.
ACA 7 (Jackson) would narrow California’s Proposition 209 ban on considering race and gender in public education, employment, and contracting, so that it applies only to public employment, contracting, and higher education admissions (no longer to K-12). This could open the door to amending the LCFF to include African American students (or other groups) among those eligible for supplemental funding.
Closing the Achievement Gap: Three bills aim to strengthen statewide monitoring and action on achievement gaps.
- AB 2202 (Muratsuchi) would establish a Commission on Closing the Achievement Gap, to advise the SBE.
- AB 2225 (Patel) would require the SBE to contract with an outside organization to convene a working group to develop a “Closing the Achievement Gap State Operations and Support Plan.”
- AB 2514 (Ransom) would require the working group to make recommendations for the development of a “State of the Achievement Gap Dashboard.”
Differentiated Assistance: The budget trailer bill proposes notable changes to Differentiated Assistance (DA), a key component of California’s system of support and accountability.
- It would shift DA from an annual identification process, to a three year cycle aligned with the LCAP. This could strengthen alignment across systems and support more sustained improvement efforts.
- The trailer bill would also remove from statute the current eligibility criteria (related to student groups, state/local indicators, etc.), giving the SBE flexibility to establish new criteria. While this flexibility could allow the system to evolve, equity advocates (including GO) have emphasized the importance of ensuring that student-group data, equity, and reducing achievement gaps remain central to the DA system. The SBE is expected to revisit DA criteria later this year. (Explore the current criteria in GO’s Differentiated Assistance one-pager).
Instruction and Learning
This year’s legislation could affect English learner policy, multilingual education, and early screening for reading and math difficulties.
English Learners
We are tracking several proposals related to English learners and multilingual instruction:
- AB 2332 (González) would require the CDE to establish a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) coordinator, to support resource sharing and coordination across local education agencies.
- AB 2325 (Alvarez) is a spot bill expected to focus on developing integrated bilingual teacher credentialing pathways.
- AB 2555 (Patel) is a spot bill expected to address reclassification criteria. Explore GO’s Forward Together: A Parent’s Guide to Reclassification to understand the current criteria.
The budget trailer bill also proposes revisions to the definitions of Long-Term English Learner (LTEL) students and At-Risk of becoming Long Term English Learner (AR-LTEL) students. Currently, two different definitions of LTEL students are used across state data systems. The proposal would align them to a single definition already used in the California School Dashboard: students who have not attained English proficiency within seven years of their initial classification as ELs. Aligning these definitions could reduce confusion and improve consistency.
However, advocates have raised concerns about another proposed change: redefining AR-LTEL students as those in their sixth year as ELs who have not yet been reclassified. The current definition can identify students as early as their fourth year, and advocates worry that delaying identification could reduce urgency and delay support.
Literacy and Math Screeners
The Governor’s budget proposed $40 million to support implementation of the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener (RDRS). The budget trailer bill would also place new restrictions on when the screeners can be administered. The original legislation left this as a local decision, but the trailer bill proposes prohibiting screening kindergarteners before the 91st school day and 1st/2nd graders before the 46th school day.
These restrictions are likely intended to ensure students have had sufficient instructional exposure before being screened. However, they could limit districts’ ability to use the screener at the beginning, middle, and end of year to track progress and adjust instruction in a timely manner, something we’ve seen as an important development in our local districts. Learn more about the risk screeners in GO’s new resources (Family Guide to RDRS, Educator’s Guide to RDRS).
Similar to the RDRS, SB 1067 (Weber Pierson) would require the adoption and implementation of math screeners to assess students in K-2 for potential math difficulties.
Looking Ahead
Stay tuned for the Governor’s revision to this budget proposal in May 2026. For resources regarding school finance and budgetary issues, check out GO’s growing School Finance Resource Library designed to help families navigate the complicated world of school governance and finance.
Additionally, our organization is excited to partner with The Alliance for Candidate Engagement in Education and other nonpartisan organizations to cohost the upcoming Candidate Forum for Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) in Fresno on May 14, 2026. This forum will give community members the chance to hear directly from candidates about their vision for education equity.
Join an Upcoming SPI Forums
- Los Angeles (led by EdTrust-West) – Thursday, March 19, 2026 | 4:30–7:00 PM | Register Now: [Eventbrite link]
- San Diego (led by Children Now) – Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 4:00–6:00 PM | Register Now: [Eventbrite link]
- Fresno (led by EdTrust-West) – Thursday, May 14, 2026 | 5:30–7:30 PM | Register Now: [Eventbrite link]
These forums are hosted by 501(c)(3) organizations for educational purposes only. We do not endorse or oppose any candidate or political party.
In Community,
Darcel Sanders, Chief Executive Officer
