AB 865

AB865:v97#DOCUMENT

Bill Start

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 865

An act to add and repeal Article 1 (commencing with Section 52100) of Chapter 7 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction, and making an appropriation therefor. instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 865, as amended, Mark González. Dual language immersion programs: instructional materials: grants.

Existing law appropriates $10,000,000 from the General Fund for the 2021–22 fiscal year to the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer the Dual Language Immersion Grant Program for the purpose of expanding access to quality dual language learning and fostering languages that English learners bring to California’s education system. Under that program, the State Department of Education is required to award a minimum of 25 one-time Dual Language Immersion Grants over a period of 3 fiscal years of up to $380,000 per grant to an eligible entity to expand or establish dual language immersion programs.

This bill would establish the Dual Language Immersion Education Instructional Materials Grant Program and would appropriate $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the Superintendent Program, to be administered by the Superintendent, for purposes of providing one-time grants of $100,000 to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to increase available instructional materials in partner languages for dual language immersion programs at one or more schoolsites, as provided. The bill would require a grant recipient to report to the department, on or before June 29, 2029, on how grant funds were expended and provide the department with a physical or digital copy of instructional materials purchased with the grant funds. expended, including a list of any materials obtained or developed. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, on or before December 31, 2029, that includes the data received from the grant recipients. The bill would make implementation of these provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute.

Funds appropriated by this bill would be applied toward the minimum funding requirements for school districts and community college districts imposed by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: YESNO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Article 1 (commencing with Section 52100) is added to Chapter 7 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

Article 1. Dual Language Immersion Education Instructional Materials Grant Program

52100.

For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Dual language immersion” means an instructional setting where a pupil receives a portion of instruction in English and a portion of instruction in a partner language.

(b) “Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.

(c) “Partner language” means a language other than English that is used to provide instruction to pupils in dual language immersion.

52101.

(a)For the 2026–27 fiscal year, the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the department for allocation by the department to establish the Dual Language Immersion Education Instructional Materials Grant Program in the manner and for the purpose set forth in this article.

(b)The

52101.

(a) The Dual Language Immersion Education Instructional Materials Grant Program is hereby established for the purpose of providing additional supports to local educational agencies to increase available instructional materials in partner languages for dual language immersion programs.

(c)

(b) (1) (A) For the 2026–27 fiscal year, the department shall allocate three million five hundred thousand dollars ($3,500,000) of the sum appropriated in subdivision (a) funds appropriated for purposes of this article to a maximum of 35 local educational agencies that apply to the department for a one-time grant of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to support one or more eligible schoolsites, as determined pursuant to paragraph (2). These funds are available for expenditure or encumbrance through June 30, 2029.

(B) An allocation pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be known as an Instructional Materials Grant A.

(2) (A) A schoolsite that currently offers a dual language immersion program in a partner language determined by the department based on the most recent United States Census to be one of the top five most commonly spoken languages in the state by English learner pupils shall be eligible to apply for a grant pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1).

(B) The department shall make its best effort to ensure each partner language determined by the department pursuant to subparagraph (A) is represented by at least one grant award.

(3) An Instructional Materials Grant A shall be used for increasing the amount of instructional materials in the partner language described in paragraph (2), including, but not limited to, either of the following:

(A) Developing standards-aligned instructional materials in partner languages, including, but not limited to, textbooks and workbooks.

(B) Purchasing supplemental instructional materials in partner languages.

(d)

(c) (1) (A) For the 2026–27 fiscal year, the department shall allocate one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) of the sum appropriated in subdivision (a) funds appropriated for purposes of this article to a maximum of 15 local educational agencies that apply to the department for a one-time grant of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to support one or more eligible schoolsites, as determined pursuant to paragraph (2). These funds are available for expenditure or encumbrance through June 30, 2029.

(B) An allocation pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be known as an Instructional Materials Grant B.

(2) A schoolsite that currently offers a dual language immersion program in a partner language determined by the department based on the most recent United States Census to not be one of the top five most commonly spoken languages in the state by English learner pupils shall be eligible to apply for a grant pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1).

(3) An Instructional Materials Grant B shall be used for increasing the amount of instructional materials in dual language immersion programs, including, but not limited to, either of the following:

(A) Developing standards-aligned instructional materials in partner languages, including, but not limited to, textbooks and workbooks.

(B) Purchasing supplemental instructional materials in partner languages.

(e)

(d) A grant recipient shall develop and submit to the department for review a plan describing how the funds received pursuant to this section will be used. After approval by the department and after grant funds have been expended, a grant recipient shall report to the department, on or before June 29, 2029, on how grant funds were expended and shall provide the department with a physical or digital copy of instructional materials obtained with the grant funds. expended, including a list of any materials obtained or developed.

(f)

(e) The department shall, on or before December 31, 2029, submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature that includes the data received pursuant to subdivision (e). (d).

52102. It is the intent of the Legislature to appropriate five million dollars ($5,000,000) for purposes of this article.52103. The implementation of this article is contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute.

52102.52104.

This article shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed.