AB 2071: Pupil instruction: English Learner Roadmap: grant program: parent toolkit.

Existing law establishes the State Board of Education, and requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the laws of the state, to govern the public elementary and secondary schools of the state. Existing law requires the state board to determine all questions of policy within its powers. Pursuant to these powers, the state board has adopted a policy known as the California English Learner Roadmap State Board of Education Policy: Educational Programs and Services for English Learners, also known as the EL Roadmap Policy, for the stated purpose of assisting the State Department of Education in providing guidance to local educational agencies with respect to educating English learners attending California public schools.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Education, under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and assigns the department numerous duties relating to the governance and funding of local educational agencies.

This bill would require the state board to, on or before December 31, 2025, March 15, 2026, develop and adopt a California English Learner Roadmap: Parent Toolkit that will be made available to families served by school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that are implementing the EL Roadmap Policy. The bill would require the state board to convene a workgroup to assist in the development of the parent toolkit, as provided. The bill would require the department to develop forms that may be used by parents of English learner pupils to request services from the pupils teacher or administrator as it relates to the parent toolkit.

The bill would establish the English Learner Roadmap Implementation Grant Pilot Program with the goal of locally planning and implementing the EL Roadmap Policy. The bill would require the department, commencing on or before September 1, 2025, to award 25 no more than 8 one-time grants of up to $1,500,000 per grant and no more than 4 one-time grants of up to $750,000 per grant to school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools, as provided. The bill would require the department to, among other things, determine application procedures and selection criteria for grant awards, review applications, identify and determine how data will be collected and shared with the public, and meet quarterly with leaders from the grant recipients for specified purposes. The bill would require grant recipients to submit to the department specified data as it relates to the grant received. The bill would require the department to submit to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature an annual a progress report on or before January 31, 2027, and, on or before December 1, 2028, a final report, with specified information about, among other things, the successes and challenges of the grant program, as provided.

This bill would make implementation of its provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature, as provided.