Policy Wins: What We Achieved Together

October 2026

Policy Wins: What We Achieved Together

The 2025–2026 California legislative session delivered several victories for TK–12 students and families. Below, we highlight the new investments and laws that we achieved together with families, advocates, legislators, and their staff. These wins can help our network strengthen family and community engagement in schools.

AB 126 (Education Omnibus Trailer Bill Budget) / 2026-2027 Budget Act

A. California Community Schools Funding – This bill established ongoing $1 billion annual funding to sustain and could expand communities from about 2,500 to over 6,000 high-need schools if they apply and commit to implementing the California Community Schools Framework, built on four pillars one of which is family and community engagement.

Thanks to the California Partnership for the Future of Learning for their leadership throughout the years to establish and fund community schools.

B. AB 2189 (Nguyen) ultimately moved forward through the state budget rather than through the bill itself. It successfully secured $2.4 million to create a statewide network that strengthens the voices of parents, students, and advocates working to improve special education in California. The author considers this “an important investment in parent and self-advocate leadership, family engagement, and better educational outcomes for students with disabilities.”

Thanks to Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen and Jeff Gonzalez for authoring the bill; co-authors include Joaquin Arambula, Mia Bonta, and Pilar Schiavo. The Arc California strongly supporting the bill.

Thanks to the lead authors of AB 126 who are members on the Committee on Budget: Assembly Members Jesse Gabriel (Chair), Dawn Addis, Patrick Ahrens, David Alvarez, Steve Bennett, Mia Bonta, Jessica Caloza, Damon Connolly, Mike Fong, Matt Haney, Gregg Hart, Dr. Corey A. Jackson, Alex T. Lee, Liz Ortega, Darshana Patel, Cottie Petrie-Norris, Sharon Quirk-Silva, James Ramos, Chris Rogers, Pilar Schiavo, Nick Schultz, LaShae Sharp-Collins, Jose Luis Solache, Jr., Catherine Stefani, Christopher Ward, and Lori Wilson.

Special thanks to Governor Gavin Newsom for years of consistent investment in education and for the courage to begin modernizing how California's education system is governed.

AB 181 (Alvarez, Patel) – Education Governance. Effective January 2027, this bill restructures the state's education governance to improve coherence, coordination, accountability, and stability. More specifically, it establishes the position of Education Commissioner rather than the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to assume management of the California Department of Education (CDE). Establishes the Office of the SP and changes roles and responsibilities of the SPI. (Source: California Legislative Information, Bill Analysis, 6/29/26)

Thanks to the lead authors, Assemblymembers David Alvarez and Darshana R. Patel, for sponsoring this bill.

SB1412 (Rubio) Parental communication: teacher meetings. Parent-teacher conferences in California will no longer have to be in person. California parents who can’t meet with their children’s teachers in person will now have the right to participate by phone or school-approved video conference platform. The meetings cannot be recorded or transcribed. Law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

Thanks to Senator Susan Rubio for authoring this bill.

AB 2555 (Patel) – EL Reclassification. This bill streamlined the process that students must meet to be reclassified as “fluent English proficient,” reducing requirements from four to one: scoring a 4 on the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC). For the 2026–2027 school year, school administrators must manually reclassify students who earned a qualifying score. Beginning July 1, 2027, the California Department of Education will reclassify students automatically once their scores become available. Last, the bill encourages schools to more meaningfully engage parents throughout the English language development and reclassification process.

From left to right: Tanya Lieberman, Araceli Simeon, Assemblymember Patel, Manuel Buenrostro.

Thanks to Assemblymember Darshana R. Patel for being the lead author of the bill and co-authors Mia Bonta, Josh Hoover, Josh Lowenthal, Alexandra M. Macedo, Al Muratsuchi, Gail Pellerin, Robert Rivas, and Rick Chavez Zbur.

Special thanks to Tanya Lieberman, Chief Consultant for the Assembly Education Committee and the intellectual architect of the bill, who hosted a yearlong study group that reviewed the research and developed the recommendations to update the EL reclassification system. Thanks to Californians Together, Parent Organization Network (PON), and CABE for their leadership throughout the legislative process.

Acknowledgements for 5 Years of Work with Families of ELs

As a former leader of PON, I am deeply grateful to, and proud of, everyone whose hard work and steadfast commitment since 2021 led to this streamlined EL reclassification process, which will benefit nearly 1 million English learners. Change like this takes time and many hands: the staff and parent leaders who worked directly with families and educators in schools, the member organizations, partners and advocates who carried their voices to Sacramento, the legislators and staffers who turned ideas into law, and the funders who believed in this work from the start. THANK YOU!

Staff

Daisy J. Amezcua
María E. Rosales
Nancy K. Villarreal

Parents

Over 480 parents from 28 schools who participated in workshop series ranging from 12 to 16 hours of training.

Parent Leaders

Socorro Berumen
Araceli Cabrera
Yosadara Carbajal Salmerón
Martha Cota
Roberto Fonseca
Olga González
Yesica Limón
Karina López Zuñiga
María Daisy Ortiz
Carolina Perez
Camerina Perez
Paul Robak
Martina Rodriguez
Susana Zamorano

Districts

Buena Park SD
La Habra City SD
Los Angeles USD
Long Beach USD
Lywnood USD
Montebello USD
Norwalk-La Mirada USD
Pomona USD

Partners

Funders

Amity Foundation
California Community Foundation
Consortium for MLL Success
Education Trust West
Heising-Simons Foundation
Sobrato Philanthropies
The California Endowment
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Weingart Foundation

PON Advisory Board & Fiscal Sponsor

Last but not least, thank you to Community Partners, fiscal sponsor, and to advisory board members for their ongoing organizational support: Dr. Joyce G. Watts, Elvia de la Torre, Kisha Adams-Rios, Stephanie Adams-Rios, Katie Clark, Carolina Perez, Martina Rodriguez, Adrian Sandoval, and Tony Do.

Imagine what we can achieve together next!

We can't wait to see you later this month, when we'll turn our vision into policy recommendations for a system where families and teachers work together so every child belongs, learns, and thrives. If interested in participating, please contact Araceli Simeon at asimeon@ca-fen.org.

For more information, please visit our website at www.ca-fen.org

CA-FEN is a project of Charitable Ventures