CASBO provides its members with effective advocacy support by educating elected officials and policy makers about issues affecting public education finance, labor law changes, and student success.
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Sara Bachez and Elizabeth Esquivel
Mar 30, 2020
On March 27, 2020, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced that California was granted a preliminary waiver to bypass standardized testing for the 2019-2020 school year. This waiver allows California to cancel statewide assessments for the 2019-2020 school year. “During the current COVID-19 public health crisis we are all facing right now, we don’t want our districts worrying about testing requirements or students worrying about testing,” said Superintendent Thurmond. A formal approval from the U.S. Department of Education is expected in the coming weeks.
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Mar 25, 2020
The United States Senate Appropriations Committee agrees to provide $340 billion in new funding to confront the coronavirus pandemic. S. 3548, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act would provide financial resources for individuals, families and small businesses affected by COVID-19, as well as make several key policy changes impacting health care providers. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote today to advance the comprehensive package.
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Mar 24, 2020
Today, March 24,2020, the Department of Finance released a budget letter to state agencies and departments requesting them “not to expect full funding for new or existing proposals”. On March 4, 2020, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency to help the state respond to COVID-19, including a “stay at home” statewide policy. As a result, California’s economy has, and may continue to negatively affect anticipated revenues with impacts the 2020-21 fiscal year and possibly beyond.
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Mar 23, 2020
On Friday, March 20, 2020, the California Department of Education (CDE) released updated guidance on delivering services to students with disabilities during school closures. The federal government has not waived requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), however, the United States Department of Education (USDOE) has issued guidance on this topic and a fact sheet. Local educational agencies (LEAs) should, to the best of their ability, adhere to IDEA requirements, with CDE acknowledging these challenging circumstances and committed to a reasonable approach to compliance monitoring.
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Mar 19, 2020
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provides additional sick leave to employees for certain coronavirus-related reasons through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), until December 31, 2020. The benefits under the Act appear to apply to employees prospectively upon the effective day of the Act, which is to be determined when it takes effect.
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Mar 18, 2020
Today, March 18, 2020, The State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a webinar to discuss the Department of Education, State Board of Education, and California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS) guidance documents required by the Governor's Executive Order N-26-20 on school closures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
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