K-12 Education

The proposed changes aim to allay schools’ apprehension about spending their arts money granted through an initiative voters passed in 2022.

California counties and school districts have been flooded since 2019 with lawsuits from people who say they were sexually abused as children in schools, foster care and juvenile detention facilities. State lawmakers are struggling to balance counties’ and schools’ financial health with the incalculable cost of survivors’ trauma.

Proposition 28, which voters overwhelmingly approved in 2022, sets aside about $1 billion a year for the arts in California public schools.

Through the Farm to School program, schools get grant money to obtain fresh, local food; send students on field trips to farms; and send cafeteria workers to culinary academies.

A program that promised schools upgraded AC systems was cut short in 2024, leaving hundreds of districts with broken systems and no money to fix them.

In 2023 California allocated $500 million in grants for schools to hire literacy coaches and take other steps to boost reading skills.

One law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week encourages education about heat illness in schools. Another going into effect this month asks schools to set rules during extreme heat events.

The ruling allows states to ban transgender student athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s teams, but doesn’t require it. States like California can keep their current policies.

The state budget cut $5.5 million for school libraries. That money pays online fees for student research materials.

The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education tried to assess the extent and impact of the Trump Administration’s initial layoffs and cuts in early 2025. The report shows which offices were hit hardest but leaves some questions unanswered.