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Panel advances $5 million grant bill to expand dual‑language instructional materials
Summary
AB 865 would create a one‑time $5 million grant program administered by the California Department of Education to develop and acquire standards‑aligned instructional materials for dual‑language immersion programs; the committee advanced the bill to appropriations with 7 committee votes.
The Assembly Education Committee passed AB 865, which would establish a one‑time $5 million Dual Language Immersion Instructional Materials Grant administered by the California Department of Education (CDE) over three years. The grant would be split into two pools: $3.5 million for programs offering instruction in the state’s top five English‑learner languages (Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Arabic) and $1.5 million for other languages (for example, Korean, Japanese and Armenian).
Assemblymember Isaac Gonzales, the bill’s author, said the measure addresses a shortage of state‑approved, standards‑aligned instructional materials in languages other than Spanish and noted that, as of the hearing, only two approved DLI textbooks existed and both covered only Spanish K–6. Witnesses from Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Glendale Unified’s DLI director, and a coalition of district and nonprofit representatives described the burden on bilingual teachers who create or translate curricula without publisher support.
Supporters argued the grant would reduce teacher workload, help create quality materials aligned with California standards across languages, and improve access for students in dual‑language programs. Multiple county offices, CFT (the teachers’ union), charter and district representatives offered letters or oral testimony in support. No witnesses opposed the bill in the hearing.
The committee voted to pass AB 865 as amended to appropriations; the roll call showed seven votes in favor. The bill requires CDE and grantees to report on use and outcomes: grantees must report to CDE by June 29, 2029, and CDE must report to the Legislature by December 31, 2029.
Outcome and next steps: AB 865 moved to appropriations; supporters emphasized the program is a targeted investment to produce high‑quality, standards‑aligned DLI instructional materials in multiple target languages.
