Recent News

This week we have Governor Bob Wise back on to outline the key elements of the new infrastructure package and the lingering politics of the reconciliation bill and the fate of the President’s budget proposals (Congressional appropriations process.) In addition, Tim links this to the investments in broadband related to procuring devices as they age out and the growing pressure to have E-Rate cover cybersecurity costs in K-12.

More good news from Sacramento concerning California Department of Education recognition for IB!

In the CTEIG RFA FY 21-22 Addendum II, "CTE based AP and IB pathways" that meet their criteria are eligible to apply for the 2021-2022 CTEIG Program. This precedent is encouraging for future CTE grants as well as well as our current programmes.

CAWS and Capitol Advisors are very pleased that this is the second time within a few months that IB has been named alongside AP in the CDE announcements.

At a middle school in San Francisco, Governor Newsom (joined by SFUSD Superintendent Vince Mathews and Senator Scott Wiener) announced his intention to treat the COVID-19 vaccine similarly to the ten vaccines on the list already required by California law for students attending K-12 schools. However, the Governor clearly stated that this mandate would not apply until COVID-19 vaccines are given full authorization by the FDA, which could come as early as November for children 12 to 17 years old (with authorization for younger children likely in early 2022).

This year’s legislative session has been nothing if not unusual, with final agreement on the budget not reached until weeks after the June 15th deadline and budget clean-up language not in print until the final week of session. The last night of the legislative session on September 10 was no different. Usually chock full of rule waivers and inter-house delay tactics that push the Legislature into the late, late hours of the night (and sometimes the early hours of the next morning), this year saw very few surprises and had both houses adjourning around 9 pm, their earliest adjournment in recent memory. Open for details……..

Last Friday's video update provides the latest on the "four-ring" circus in Washington DC and also revisits the requirements for Independent Study and the interaction with quarantines and staffing challenges as amended by the Legislature on their last day of the year, Friday. We also talk about the ongoing opportunities for tech funding through the FCC and our conversation with FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel. Good stuff.

Here is Friday's video update which includes the return of our special guest Governor Bob Wise who visits with us about the latest in Washington DC. We also cover the new Mask mandate as it relates to the new Independent Study requirements and discuss the Governor’s signing of SB 156, the $6 Billion investment in broadband access. Lastly, we touch on the State Board of Education’s action to approve the State’s plan for the American Rescue Plan Act and the deadline for local LEA plans later this Fall.

As you begin your much deserved summer break, please remember that your school UC A-G list needs to be reviewed and updated for the 2021-2022 school year. This includes your IB Program course offerings. The official deadline is September 15 but it is recommended that schools complete any updates by early August to avoid any last minute problems or changes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended masking indoors for all K-12 school teachers, staff, and students.

As COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates skyrocket across the nation - the federal agency’s guidance is again changing, just weeks before school starts in most places (recognizing it has already started in some areas).

Largely due to the tremendous local efforts to feed communities during the pandemic, there has been a great deal of attention given to child nutrition programs and a push by the Legislature to launch universal school meals in California.

The long-awaited TK-Grade 12 Education Budget Trailer Bill was released today, providing needed details in several key areas. The bill (AB/SB 130) is an abrupt holiday weekend stopper, weighing in at 398 pages.

Spring greetings to DP coordinators, school administrators and counselors!

The UC A-G Course Management Portal is now open for the 2021-2022 school year.

CAWS strongly recommends all DP schools begin the process of updating their A-G lists early to ensure you have plenty of time to update your A-G list before the UC admissions application opens on August 1. This should include a review of your IB courses, and IB program 9-12 course sequences. It is vital that your diploma program pathways for students align with UC A-G requirements.

CalOSHA Adopts Revised COVID-19 Workplace Regulations andVideo Update - Budget, Politics and Technology, June 17, 2021.

BIG news this week on the May Revision, which has so many moving parts we are really going to need those budget workshops to dive into all of this. For the moment, this weekly update touches on the big dollar items and some of the politics. Tim raises the $7 Billion + opportunity just approved by the FCC for distribution of funding that has a crazy short window for getting your share of the money. Next week we will get more into that issue too. Hope you enjoy what we’ve got for you this week. Open for video briefing.

Actions at the May State Board of Education (SBE) meeting mirrored efforts across the state to make a path back to normalcy – a mix of measures to move us forward from the pandemic and prepare for any similar situations (pandemics, natural disasters, locusts) in the future as well as to restart work that was placed on hold when the pandemic hit.

Leading this week's video update is a snapshot of the President's expansive plan that impacts early education through higher education and family initiatives. We also hear about a couple of important bills, the digital chip shortage and the latest revenue numbers. Hope you find it informative.

Continue for details and links.