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Superintendent outlines new state school laws and flags budget limits in governor's proposal
Summary
Superintendent Chuck Wayman reviewed new 2026 state laws affecting student safety, attendance and phone use and, with staff, summarized the Governor's 2026–27 education budget proposal — including a proposed 2.41% COLA and targeted Proposition 98 funds — while warning about continued underfunding of Proposition 98 guarantees.
Chuck Wayman, Colusa County Superintendent, opened his monthly report by thanking the Board and saying he was "getting settled in and learning about the business flow." He then summarized new state laws taking effect in 2026 that the district is tracking, including AB 715 / SB 48 on student safety, AB 461 eliminating criminal penalties for truancy, and AB 3216 (the Phone-Free School Act) restricting student cell phone use in schools.
Wayman turned to the Governor's proposed 2026–27 education budget and asked Aaron Heinz to provide his perspective. Heinz told the Board the budget contained two main takeaways: "One, it looks good for education, and two the Governor is continuing to underfund Proposition 98 guarantees," and noted the specific items included in the proposal: a 2.41% COLA, an ongoing $500 million increase to Special Education funding through Proposition 98, a potential one-time discretionary block grant of $2.8 million that could be folded into LCFF, and $13.3 billion in Proposition 98 funding intended for differentiated assistance to strengthen County Offices of Education' systems of support. Wayman and Heinz said they will attend a Governor's Budget Workshop next week and will return with further analysis for the Board.
The Board took no formal action on the budget at this meeting; Wayman framed the briefing as informational and preparatory for future planning and requests for stakeholder input.
