Lawmakers, CSBA introduce legislative solutions to transform California’s education governance system and close state’s achievement gaps

Lawmakers, CSBA introduce legislative solutions to transform California's education governance system and close state's achievement gaps<_sc3a_dot _xmlns3a_sc="http://www.sitecore.net/sc">

The "SOS for Student Achievement" bill package would establish a statewide operations and support plan, dashboard to evaluate effectiveness of state programs and budget alignment to boost student performance

Sacramento, Calif. (March 17, 2026) - Assemblymembers Darshana Patel (D-San Diego), Rhodesia Ransom (D-Tracy) and Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) joined California School Boards Association (CSBA) leaders today and unveiled legislation to improve overall student performance, close achievement gaps and establish comprehensive state-level support for local school districts and county offices of education.

"California's educators are working tirelessly to support students, but the state has never had a unified plan to help close achievement gaps," said Patel, chair of the Assembly Education Committee. "Assembly Bill 2225 brings educators, families, researchers and policymakers together to develop a comprehensive statewide strategy with clear goals, measurable benchmarks and annual performance targets so the state can provide local school districts the support needed for student success."

The four-bill legislative package, sponsored by CSBA, aims to align state policy, funding and oversight around a clear operations and support plan. Collectively, the legislation establishes a cycle of planning, evaluation, transparency and reporting to move California from simply identifying achievement gaps to implementing a coordinated statewide strategy for closing them.

"School districts and county offices of education are expected to deliver results for students every day," said CSBA President Dr. Debra Schade. "The SOS for Student Achievement legislative package recognizes that the state must also be accountable for ensuring its own policies, programs and funding are aligned to support local efforts. Every student deserves an education system designed for their success."

In addition to creating conditions conducive to student performance, the SOS for Student Achievement bill package closes California's "accountability gap," wherein local school districts are subjected to scrutiny but the state does not fully embrace responsibility for its own role in student achievement.

"The state's current fragmented approach to education governance diverts attention and resources away from the important work of advancing student performance and closing achievement gaps," said CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy. "The state must modernize its approach and embrace what is known as 'reciprocal or shared accountability' focused on state-level actions and what it can do differently to better support school districts and county offices of education."

Legislative package overview

AB 2225: State Plan to Close the Achievement Gap (Patel, D-San Diego)
AB 2225 convenes educators, families, researchers and policymakers to develop a comprehensive statewide plan to close achievement gaps. The plan would establish clear goals, benchmarks and annual performance targets while evaluating how well state education programs and agencies support student success.

AB 2149: Annual Report on State Plan Progress and Alignment (Garcia, D-San Bernardino)
AB 2149 requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to annually evaluate how well the state budget and its education policies align with the statewide plan, helping ensure funding and legislative actions support the goal of closing achievement gaps.

"Closing achievement gaps requires more than identifying the problem - it requires sustained alignment between policy, funding and results," said Garcia. "AB 2149 ensures California regularly evaluates whether its investments and priorities are truly advancing the statewide plan to support students."

AB 2514: State of the Achievement Gap Dashboard (Ransom, D-Tracy)
AB 2514 establishes a public dashboard to track the state's progress in implementing the achievement gap plan and to provide transparent data about whether state programs are helping improve student outcomes.

"Transparency and accountability are essential if we want to close achievement gaps," said Ransom. "AB 2514 will give parents, educators and communities a clear view of whether state policies and programs are making a difference for students."

AB 2202: Embedding the Plan in State Education Governance (Muratsuchi, D-Torrance)
AB 2202 establishes a Closing the Achievement Gap Commission under the State Board of Education to monitor state programs and strengthen coordination across California's education system, including collaboration with the Statewide System of Support.

"California has many programs designed to support students facing barriers to success, but too often they operate in silos," said Muratsuchi. "AB 2202 ensures stronger oversight and coordination so our state education system can consistently support schools in closing achievement gaps."