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Bill to collect tribal affiliation in school data advances amid technical questions
Summary
AB 15 81 would add tribal affiliation collection to CALPADS to correct wide undercounting of Native American students; tribal leaders, students and advocates urged passage while senators asked about implementation details like dropdown lists, data consistency and tribal consultation.
Assemblymember Ramos urged the committee to pass AB 15 81 to ensure Native American students in California are accurately counted and resourced. "For far too long, native students have been invisible in California's education data," testified Angelina Hinojosa, a Sacramento State student and member of the Pomo community, asking the committee to "enter the system Native American and graduate Native American."
Chad Mayes, representing a tribal sponsor, said inaccurate classification — often caused by the way race and Hispanic origin questions are structured — leads to undercounting that prevents culturally responsive programs and resources from reaching students. The bill would add a question on tribal affiliation within CALPADS, allowing students who identify as Native American or Alaska Native to self‑attest tribal affiliation.
Senators probed implementation mechanics: whether a dropdown or free‑text field should be used, how to handle multiple tribal affiliations, data consistency across districts, and whether CDE should be required to consult tribes while developing guidance. The author pledged outreach and noted the bill intends to correct longstanding misclassification; the committee voted to refer the measure to Appropriations.
