Education

California schools got $23.4 billion in federal pandemic relief money. Low-income schools that got the most may be hardest hit when the funds expire this year.

At some rural schools construction projects are left undone, teaching jobs are unfilled and students who need specialized services don’t get them.

Some programs and schools are working to prepare Native American students for college and support them once they get there.

As California’s cost of living goes up, community college has become unaffordable for many students. As part of a $30 million pilot program, some California community college students will get paid by the hour to attend school and do homework.

Now that undergraduate student workers in the California State University system have voted to join the staff union, their next step is to negotiate a contract. Students say they’ll be asking for sick time, fair pay and increased hours.

The Campus Opioid Safety Act required colleges and universities to put the power of reversing fentanyl overdoses directly into the hands of students. Some campuses are giving out the life-saving nasal spray Narcan, while others are not.

Members of the California Faculty Association approve a two-year agreement that the union and administration hammered out after a strike last month that lasted one day.

A recent legal settlement directs $2 billion to California schools to help students recover from learning loss. The lawsuit claimed remote learning was so ineffective that thousands of students were denied their right to an education.

State officials want to prepare more Californians for good jobs — those that pay a stable, living wage and offer other benefits, such as a pathway for promotions. The state has spent roughly $370 million on these workforce programs, but the results are mixed.

When parents without Social Security numbers try to fill out the aid application on behalf of their children, they are blocked from continuing. Federal officials are offering no information about when the problem will be fixed.