Assembly Education Committee advances package of bills on charter loans, Holocaust education, immigrant protections and school safety

The Assembly Education Committee on July 1 advanced a slate of bills on charter school financing, classroom instruction about the Holocaust and genocide, protections from immigration enforcement on campus, student-notification rules about immigration agents, educator-misconduct reporting and several other education measures.

The committee voted to move several measures to other committees with the purpose of carrying them forward this session. Supporters said the bills address long-standing gaps in school safety, civic education and student services; opponents did not appear at the hearing in notable numbers.

Senate Bill 631, authored in the Senate and presented to the committee by Senator Richardson, would change the charter school revolving loan fund administered by the California School Finance Authority (CSFA) and the state treasurer—s office. The measure would increase the maximum loan award and broaden eligibility from only new charter startups to all charter schools, while giving priority to startup charters and those affected by natural disasters. "Since assuming program administration of the program in 2014, the California School Finance Authority ... have seen a steady decline in the number of applications to the program," said Kai Morton, a deputy treasurer with the Office of the State Treasurer, in support of the bill. Committee testimony identified a fund balance of about $27,000,000 and noted eight loans were awarded in recent years with an aggregate award amount near $2,000,000; the bill would raise the per-loan cap (previously $250,000) to better match current costs and encourage use of the fund. The committee voted to pass SB 631 as amended to the appropriations committee.

Senate Bill 472, presented by Senator Stern, would strengthen state guidance and create grant authority and training support for Holocaust and genocide education in K-12 schools. "We—ve seen a rise in ignorance around what the Holocaust was and what a genocide actually means," Stern said, and she described a statewide collaborative of survivor-teachers and educators developing training and curriculum. Survivors and classroom teachers testified that many districts lack clear programming or staff training; supporters said the bill clarifies the Education Code—s existing references and authorizes funding for teacher professional development. The committee passed SB 472 to appropriations.

Two related bills addressing immigration enforcement and schools were also advanced. Senate Bill 48 would prohibit school officials from allowing immigration-enforcement agents onto campus without a judicial warrant and would restrict release of student information to immigration authorities. The measure was presented by Senator Gonzalez with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and union leaders in the room; Juan Ramirez of the California Federation of Teachers said, "This bill signals that we still honor our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and make sure warrants are in place before an agent steps foot in a classroom." The committee moved SB 48 to the Judiciary Committee.

Senate Bill 98, presented by Senator Perez, would require K-12 districts and higher-education institutions to provide timely notifications to students, staff and parents if immigration enforcement agents are present on or near campus. Supporters said the change would reduce panic and attendance declines that districts reported after recent enforcement actions; student leaders and college representatives testified that attendance and class participation had dropped in some courses. The committee passed SB 98 to the higher education committee.

Senate Bill 848 (the Safe Learning Environments Act) would expand required school safety plan elements, broaden mandated reporting requirements and create new work-history checks and an electronic database to track substantiated misconduct by school employees. Senator Padilla presented the bill on behalf of the author; survivor testimony described grooming and long-term harms that the author said the bill seeks to prevent. The committee voted to send SB 848 to the Public Safety Committee.

Senate Bill 638 (the Middle Class Pipeline/coordination bill) would create a statewide coordinating entity to align K-12, higher education, workforce and local safety-net programs, and inject targeted funding for under-resourced regions and career-technical pathways. Presenters from California Competes and the EDGE Coalition said the measure would help streamline multiple siloed programs and provide data for regional workforce planning. The committee passed SB 638 to the higher education committee.

The committee also advanced several other measures: SB 316 (high school voter registration, allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister), SB 334 (Education Against Harassment Act, adding Title IX definitions and an annual —harassment safety week—), and SB 745 (directing county offices and the Department of Education to develop guidance and resources for a full-year course in American government and civics). Student witnesses and advocacy groups urged the committee to boost civic knowledge and turnout among young people. Each of these bills was moved forward by the committee.

Votes at a glance: SB 631 (charter revolving loan fund) — passed as amended to appropriations (vote recorded in committee: 9-0). SB 472 (Holocaust/genocide education) — passed to appropriations (vote recorded: 6-0). SB 48 (restriction on ICE access to campuses) — passed to Judiciary (vote recorded: 7-2). SB 98 (notification of immigration agents on campus) — passed to Higher Education (vote recorded: 7-2). SB 848 (Safe Learning Environments Act; employee misconduct reporting) — passed to Public Safety (vote recorded: 6-0). SB 638 (Middle Class Pipeline/coordination) — passed to Higher Education (vote recorded: 7-0). SB 316 (high school preregistration) — passed to Elections (vote recorded: 8-0). SB 334 (Education Against Harassment Act) — passed as amended to Appropriations (vote recorded: 9-0). SB 745 (full-year civics guidance) — passed as amended to Appropriations (vote recorded: 8-0).

What the committee did not do: the hearing included a consent calendar (three bills moved as a block) and no significant organized opposition appeared at the microphone for the measures summarized above. Several witnesses urged additional funding and requested urgency when implementation timelines would affect the upcoming school year.

The bills will face additional votes and fiscal review as they move to their next committees.