AB 848: Pupil instruction: English language education.

The California Education for a Global Economy Initiative, approved by the voters as Proposition 58 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, requires school districts and county offices of education to solicit input on, and provide to pupils, effective and appropriate instructional methods, including establishing language acquisition programs, in order to ensure that all pupils, including English learners and native speakers of English, have access to the core academic content standards and become proficient in English. Existing regulations require a local educational agency, as part of the development of a local control and accountability plan or an annual update to a local control and accountability plan, to inform and receive input from stakeholders, as provided, regarding, among other things, the agencys existing language acquisition programs and language programs.

This bill would require a school district, county office of education, or charter school to annually provide input received, as specified, from stakeholders regarding existing language acquisition programs and language programs to the State Department of Education. The bill would require the department to provide an annual report to the Legislature with the information obtained from these local educational agencies by March 1, 2024, and on or before March 1 each year thereafter. To the extent this bill imposes additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2028.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.