Committee advances bill to require parity for contracted classified school employees

Assemblymember Garcia presented AB 1247 to the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement on March 28, saying the bill seeks to address the growing use of contracted workers in K–12 and community‑college classified positions and ensure those workers meet the same training and job qualifications as directly hired employees.

Supporters including Mitch Steiger of the California Federation of Teachers and Navneet Perrier of the California School Employees Association told the committee that contracting out has increased the use of workers who may not receive mandated trainings such as CPR, mandated‑reporter training, or sexual‑harassment prevention instruction. Steiger described a school where 7 of 10 before‑ and after‑school program staff were contracted employees and said contracted workers often lacked required training and sometimes declined tasks such as diaper changing, placing more burdens on directly hired staff.

Opponents included Brianna Brenz of the County Superintendents, Jeff Vaca of the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools and associated business groups, and Dorothy Johnson of the Association of California School Administrators (which had not finalized an internal position but raised concerns). They said the bill would impose burdensome restrictions on contracting out, create costly and logistical training mandates (including a requirement for real‑time Q&A and in‑person instruction for certain trainings), and hinder districts’ ability to respond to temporary or urgent staffing needs.

Committee members debated whether contracted workers already receive fingerprinting and mandated‑reporter training; witnesses gave differing accounts, saying practices varied by district and county. The sponsor clarified that AB 1247 does not prohibit contracting out but would require parity in qualifications and key trainings and would seek to address retirement and healthcare contribution differences that can affect CalPERS funding and fairness.

The committee voted to advance AB 1247 to the Committee on Higher Education. The roll call recorded five ayes and two noes: McKinner, Berner, Elawari, Garcia and Win voted aye; Assemblymembers Lackey and Alanis voted no. The motion was made by Assemblymember Boiner and seconded by Assemblymember Alawari.

Supporters and opponents said they were willing to continue conversations; the committee record shows the bill advanced with a 5–2 vote for further consideration.