SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom on July10 announced he has signed legislation to implement long-standing recommendations to strengthen California’s education governance system to better support its nearly 10,000 schools and approximately six million students. The legislation — Assembly Bill 181 by Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Darshana Patel (D-Poway) — enacts the proposal made by the Governor in his State of the State address to improve support and oversight of schools by unifying the policy-making State Board of Education with the Department of Education that implements those policies by establishing an appointed Education Commissioner under the Board to assume management of the Department, while further empowering the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to serve as an independent statewide voice for students, families, and educators across public education from TK through higher education. 

With new authority granted by AB 181, the Superintendent will now serve as a voting member on all three higher education governing bodies and the State Board of Education and will be able to foster needed alignment and coordination of education policies from early childhood through postsecondary education for the betterment of California’s students. The measure also adds two legislative appointees to the State Board and clarifies roles and responsibilities.

Before being adopted by the Assembly and Senate, the proposal was the subject of multiple hearings over several months in both houses of the Legislature. The informational, policy, and budget committee hearings included hours of questions and testimony from a wide range of experts, including elected state and local education leaders and representatives of nearly all statewide education associations and major education equity organizations.

 (Photo source: Gavin Newsom’s Newsroom)