AB 181: Education governance: State Board of Education: Superintendent of Public Instruction: Education Commissioner: State Department of Education: transfer of duties.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

(1)Existing law establishes the State Board of Education to adopt policies, and to establish rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the laws of the state, to govern the public elementary and secondary schools of the state. Existing law provides that the state board consists of 11 members, including 10 members who are appointed by the Governor to 4-year terms with the advice and consent of 23 of the Senate and a student member appointed by the Governor to a 1-year term with the advice and consent of 23 of the Senate.

This bill, commencing January 15, 2027, would expand the composition of the state board to instead be 13 members by replacing one of the nonstudent positions that expires on January 15, 2027, with the Superintendent, adding one member to be appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate, and adding one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

(2)Existing law requires the State Department of Education to be administered through the state board, which is the governing and policy determining body of the department, and the Director of Education, in whom all executive and administrative functions of the department are vested and who is the executive officer of the state board and the department. Existing law provides that the Superintendent is the ex officio Director of Education, and requires the department to be conducted under the control of the Director of Education. Existing law assigns to the Superintendent numerous duties related to the state board and the department.

This bill would revise and recast those provisions by, among other things, (A) deleting the provision in existing law that establishes the Superintendent as the ex officio Director of Education, (B) vesting all executive and administrative functions of the department in an Education Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor, with confirmation by the Senate, and to serve at the pleasure of the Governor, (C) transferring various duties of the Superintendent and the Director of Education relating to, among other things, the state board and the department, to the Education Commissioner, and (D) providing for the transfer, as specified, of certain employees (i) of the state board to the department, (ii) of the Superintendent to the department, and (iii) of the department to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, which the bill would establish, as specified.

The bill would make numerous conforming changes by, among other things, (A) providing, for numerous specified provisions of existing law, that the Education Commissioner or the department, as specified, succeeds to and is vested with all the duties, powers, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction vested in the Superintendent by those provisions, (B) requiring that any actions taken by the Superintendent pursuant to those provisions to instead be deemed to have been taken by the Education Commissioner or the department, as specified, (C) replacing the Superintendent with the Education Commissioner on specified bodies, including the California School Finance Authority, the Healthy Start Support Services for Children Program Council, the K–12 High-Speed Network advisory board, the School/Law Enforcement Partnership, the California Broadband Council, the State Allocation Board, the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship, and the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, (D) adding the Education Commissioner to the California Academic Partnership Program, the California Education Interagency Council, and the governing board of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System, and (E) requiring that certain reporting requirements also be submitted to the Education Commissioner while still also being required to be submitted to the Superintendent.

The bill would require the Education Commissioner to develop findings and recommendations for a 2nd phase of education governance consolidation and streamlining, as specified, and to submit an interim report by June 30, 2027, with a detailed description of the process used to gather required input for the development of those findings and recommendations, and then, by October 1, 2027, a final report containing its findings and recommendations, to the Governor and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 2

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. July 10, 2026Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 66, Statutes of 2026.
2. July 10, 2026Approved by the Governor.
3. June 29, 2026Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 5:30 p.m.
4. June 29, 2026Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 52. Noes 5. Page 5922.).
5. June 29, 2026Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 54. Noes 18. Page 5918.)
6. June 29, 2026In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
7. June 29, 2026Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 21. Noes 4. Page 5051.).
8. June 29, 2026Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
9. June 29, 2026From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (June 29).
10. June 26, 2026From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. & F. R.
11. April 2, 2025Referred to Com. on B. & F. R.
12. March 20, 2025In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.