Recent News

Budget Clean Up Bill on Fast Track - Aug. 25, 2020

Budget Clean Up Bill on Fast Track - Aug. 25, 2020

Earlier today Senate Bill 820, the K-12 “clean-up” budget trailer bill, was amended to include clarifications to portions of the 2020 budget package adopted in June. Some of the key provisions of SB 820 allow for increased funding based on enrollment or Average Daily Attendance (ADA) growth in 2020-21, make modifications related to Williams visits and reports by county superintendents, provide more flexible expenditure rules and expenditure timelines related to learning loss mitigation funds, create alignment among new accountability measures for the 2020-21 school year, and provide some clarifications related to distance learning videos and recordings.
CDC Releases Reopening Guidebook - June 8, 2020

CDC Releases Reopening Guidebook - June 8, 2020

This morning, CDE released its guidance on the reopening of California’s schools, which can be found here. The 55-page document, entitled “Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safe Reopening of California’s Public Schools,” provides schools with recommendations, essential questions to consider, and checklists in a variety of areas, including health and safety, instructional programs for special education, CTE, and English Learners, student mental health, and school services like meals and transportation.

The document does note that statutory changes would be necessary to implement much of the guidance provided, particularly with respect to alternative instructional models, and that the guidance is not restricted to only what would work within our current instructional time, attendance accounting and auditing framework.

The Superintendent will also be holding a press conference later this morning at 11:15 am to go over the guidebook and its recommendations. For those interested in attending, the press conference will be livestreamed on CDE’s Facebook page.

As always, if you have any questions please reach out to any one of us at Capitol Advisors.

Best,
Caitlin

Caitlin Jung
Legislative Counsel
Capitol Advisors Group
Congressman Harder sends Congratulations to the Class of 2020

Congressman Harder sends Congratulations to the Class of 2020

I contacted my local congressman, Josh Harder, to ask if he could provide a letter to all of California's IB graduates. Congressman Harder attended Modesto High School and is an IB diploma recipient. He sent along a short video clip and a letter that you are free to share with your graduates if you wish. 


Congratulations to the class of 2020. Though the times remain uncertain, CAWS will do all that it can to provide support as you move forward into the 2020-21 school year. 

Warm regards,
Mike

President, CAWS
LAO Projects Smaller State Budget Deficit, Highlights Budget Uncertainties, May 8, 2020

LAO Projects Smaller State Budget Deficit, Highlights Budget Uncertainties, May 8, 2020

This morning, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), the non-partisan budget advisor to the Legislature, released a Spring Fiscal Outlook looking ahead to the 2020-21 fiscal year. Although the LAO recognizes the dramatic economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, and corresponding deep budget deficits, their fiscal assessment is significantly less dire than the Fiscal Update that we wrote about yesterday, after it was released by the Governor’s Department of Finance (DOF). DOF projected a $54 billion budget shortfall, while the LAO projects the shortfall to be between $18 and $31 billion. It is important to note that these shortfalls assume no cuts to K-14 education – that is, continued funding at the 2019-20 level, adjusted for growth and COLA.
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