Carolyn Jones

The California Teachers Association organized to trigger a wave of negotiations and potential strikes to garner public attention and flex political muscle.

In California, almost 40% of the workforce is foreign-born and more than a million parents — immigrant and otherwise — rely on child care providers so they can go to work.

President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have cut funding to Medicaid, which pays for many services for students with disabilities. Trump also gutted the Office of Civil Rights, which helps enforce disability law.

As funding deadlines approach, one Head Start program has closed and three others are about to. More closures are expected in the coming weeks.

The law comes on the heels of a host of other literacy initiatives, including mandatory dyslexia screening and universal transitional kindergarten.

The ethnic studies class was meant to focus on the cultures and histories of African-Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latinos. The state’s curriculum also encourages schools to add additional lessons based on their student populations, such as Hmong or Armenian.

Nearly a decade after California revamped its K-12 science curriculum, two-thirds of students failed to meet the statewide standard.

Trump withheld about $7 billion in education funds for various school programs nationwide, including about $800 million for California.

President Trump cut AmeriCorps, laying off over 5,600 of California’s public service workers. Because of a lawsuit, the state’s program can restart, at least temporarily, but schools and disaster relief sites are still reeling from staffing shortages.

California districts have not received Congressionally appropriated money for after school programs, academic enrichment, English-learner services, teacher professional development and migrant education.

Special education is shifting to a different federal agency. Advocates fear the loss of expertise will harm students.

Schools had until March 2026 to spend remaining COVID relief money. The U.S. Department of Education cut those funds, amounting to about $200 million for California K-12 schools.