Local educational agencies: governance training.

Assembly Members Muratsuchi and Wicks have put forward legislation requiring local educational agency officials in California to complete specialized training in K-12 public education governance laws, establishing new requirements for school board members and charter school governing body members.

The bill directs two state entities to develop standardized training curricula by early 2027. The County Office Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team must create materials covering school finance laws, while the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence will develop content on public school accountability requirements. Local educational agencies can provide this mandatory training through qualified staff, contracted experts, or approved external organizations, with courses available in-person, online, or through self-study formats.

Officials serving as of April 2027 must complete the training by April 2028, while those beginning service after that date have one year to fulfill the requirement. The training spans up to four hours for individual topics or eight hours for comprehensive coverage. Local educational agencies must maintain five-year records of completion dates and training providers, available as public records. Officials who have completed the California School Boards Association's Masters in Governance program are exempt from these requirements.

The measure includes provisions for state reimbursement of costs incurred by local educational agencies in implementing these new training mandates, subject to review by the Commission on State Mandates. Both curriculum-developing entities must periodically update their materials to reflect changes in relevant laws.