SACRAMENTO, CA – The Senate Education Committee last week passed SB 478, SB 594, SB 614, and SB 777, all of which were authored by Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park).

“These are common-sense solutions that will make real changes in improving the academic environment for all of our young people, from the time they start preschool to the day they graduate. I’m thankful to the Education Committee for passing these bills, and look forward to advancing these proposals through the legislative process,” said Sen. Rubio.

SB 478 adds a certified human resources administrator to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Understanding credentialing and matching the credentialed employee and classroom or assignment is absolutely necessary to ensure students are being served by the correct credentialed employee.

SB 594 establishes the English Learner Roadmap Initiative, backed with funding, to develop a comprehensive approach regarding services, programs and strategies specific to the instruction of EL students to give them the best chance at academic success.

SB 614 would appropriate funds for local schools to apply for reimbursements for special education costs.  This will allow them to expedite efforts to integrate special needs students to the general student population.

SB 777 implements a plan to increase instruction hours by full-time faculty at community colleges to reach California’s goal to least 75% of instruction hours in order to improve student academic outcomes.

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