AB927 - County superintendent of schools: inspection of public schools.

Assembly Bill No. 927 CHAPTER 45 An act to amend Section 1240 of the Education Code, relating to public schools, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. [ Approved by Governor July 14, 2025. Filed with Secretary of State July 14, 2025. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 927, Sharp-Collins. County superintendent of schools: inspection of public schools. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to identify a list of schools for which the county superintendent of schools, or a designee, is required to inspect annually and submit an annual report that describes the state of schools in the county, as provided. Existing law requires the Superintendent to reestablish the list in the 2024–25 fiscal year and again every 3 fiscal years. Existing law requires the priority objective of the visits to be to determine the status of, among other things, sufficient textbooks and the condition of a facility that poses an emergency or urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff, as specified. Existing law requires the county superintendent to enforce the use of state textbooks and instructional materials and of high school textbooks and instructional materials regularly adopted by the proper authority, as specified, and requires, if a school is identified on the above-described list, the county superintendent to specifically review the school at least annually as a priority school and to conduct the review for this purpose by the 4th week of the school year. This bill would require, for schools that are identified on the list established in the 2024–25 fiscal year, and only in the fiscal years in which that list is used, a county superintendent to complete the textbook and instructional materials review for the above-described purposes by the 8th week of the school year. The bill would require the county superintendent to prioritize visiting, within the first 4 weeks of the school year where practicable, those schools for which the county superintendent has received information from a survey, a complaint filed pursuant to the Uniform Complaint Procedures, or any other reliable source that the school does not have sufficient textbooks or that a facility of the school poses an emergency or urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff or is not in good repair, as specified. By imposing new duties on county superintendents of schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. Digest Key Vote: 2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 1240 of the Education Code is amended to read: 1240. The county superintendent of schools shall do all of the following: (a) Superintend the schools of that county. (b) Maintain responsibility for the fiscal oversight of each school district in that county pursuant to the authority granted by this code. (c) (1) Visit and examine each school in the county at reasonable intervals to observe its operation and to learn of its problems. The county superintendent of schools annually may present a report of the state of the schools in the county, and of the county office of education, including, but not limited to, observations from visiting the schools, to the board of education and the board of supervisors of the county. (2) (A) (i) Commencing with the 2021–22 fiscal year, the Superintendent shall identify a list of schools, which shall include charter schools, for which the county superintendent, or a designee, shall inspect annually, and about which the county superintendent, or a designee, shall submit an annual report, at a regularly scheduled November board meeting, to the governing board of each school district under the jurisdiction of the county superintendent, the county board of education of that county, and the board of supervisors of that county, that describes the state of the schools in the county. The list established in the 2021–22 fiscal year shall also be used as the list established in the 2022–23 and 2023–24 fiscal years. The list of schools established pursuant to this section shall be reestablished in the 2024–25 fiscal year and again every three fiscal years thereafter. Each list shall be established in accordance with clause (ii), and shall be used for inspections beginning the following fiscal year. (ii) The list of schools pursuant to clause (i) shall be compiled as follows: (I) The Superintendent shall include on the list all schools that were most recently identified for comprehensive support and improvement and additional targeted support and improvement pursuant to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95) or identified as low performing under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-10), or any subsequent amendments to that act. For the list established in the 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24 fiscal years, the Superintendent shall use the list of schools identified in the 2019–20 fiscal year for comprehensive support and improvement and for additional targeted support and improvement. (II) The Superintendent shall include on the list all schools where 15 percent or more of the teachers are holders of a permit or certificate, such as a temporary or short-term permit, a substitute permit, a waiver, an intern credential, or any other authorization that is a lesser certification than a preliminary or clear California teaching credential. With the exception of alternative schools, all schools within a local educational agency that fail to meet the requirements of Sections 44258.9 and 60900 shall be included on the list for the applicable reporting cycle. (III) The list of schools compiled pursuant to clause (i) shall exclude alternative schools within the meaning of subdivision (d) of Section 52052 and other schools accepted for participation in the Dashboard Alternative School Status program by the department. (iii) The annual report shall include the determinations for each school made by the county superintendent, or the county superintendent’s designee, regarding the status of all of the circumstances listed in subparagraph (E) and teacher misassignments and teacher vacancies, as described in Section 44258.9, and the county superintendent, or the county superintendent’s designee, shall use a standardized template to report the circumstances listed in subparagraph (E) and teacher misassignments and teacher vacancies, as described in Section 44258.9, unless the current annual report being used by the county superintendent, or the county superintendent’s designee, already includes those details with the same level of specificity that is otherwise required by this subdivision. (B) The county superintendent of the Counties of Alpine, Amador, Del Norte, Mariposa, Plumas, and Sierra, and the City and County of San Francisco shall contract with another county office of education or an independent auditor to conduct the required visits and make all reports required by this paragraph. (C) On a quarterly basis, the county superintendent, or the county superintendent’s designee, shall report the results of the visits and reviews conducted that quarter to the governing board of the school district at a regularly scheduled meeting held in accordance with public notification requirements. The results of the visits and reviews shall include the determinations of the county superintendent, or the county superintendent’s designee, for each school regarding the status of all of the circumstances listed in subparagraph (E) and teacher misassignments and teacher vacancies, as described in Section 44258.9. If the county superintendent, or the county superintendent’s designee, conducts no visits or reviews in a quarter, the quarterly report shall report that fact. (D) The visits made pursuant to this paragraph shall be conducted at least annually and shall meet the following criteria: (i) Minimize disruption to the operation of the school. (ii) Be performed by individuals who meet the requirements of Section 45125.1. (iii) Consist of not less than 25 percent unannounced visits in each county. During unannounced visits in each county, the county superintendent shall not demand access to documents or specific school personnel. Unannounced visits shall only be used to observe the condition of school repair and maintenance, and the sufficiency of instructional materials, as defined by Section 60119. (E) The priority objective of the visits made pursuant to this paragraph shall be to determine the status of all of the following circumstances: (i) Sufficient textbooks, as defined in Section 60119 and as specified in subdivision (i). (ii) The condition of a facility that poses an emergency or urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff, as described in school district policy or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 17592.72. (iii) The accuracy of data reported on the school accountability report card with respect to the availability of sufficient textbooks and instructional materials, as defined by Section 60119, and the safety, cleanliness, and adequacy of school facilities, including good repair, as required by Sections 17014, 17032.5, 17070.75, and 17089. (F) The county superintendent may make the status determinations described in subparagraph (E) during a single visit or multiple visits. In determining whether to make a single visit or multiple visits for this purpose, the county superintendent shall take into consideration factors such as cost-effectiveness, disruption to the schoolsite, deadlines, and the availability of qualified reviewers. (G) If the county superintendent determines that the condition of a facility poses an emergency or urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff as described in school district policy or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 17592.72, or is not in good repair, as specified in subdivision (d) of Section 17002 and required by Sections 17014, 17032.5, 17070.75, and 17089, the county superintendent, among other things, may do any of the following: (i) Return to the school to verify repairs. (ii) Prepare a report that specifically identifies and documents the areas or instances of noncompliance if the school district has not provided evidence of successful repairs within 30 days of the visit of the county superintendent or, for major projects, has not provided evidence that the repairs will be conducted in a timely manner. The report may be provided to the governing board of the school district. If the report is provided to the school district, it shall be presented at a regularly scheduled meeting held in accordance with public notification requirements. The county superintendent shall post the report on the internet website of the county superintendent. The report shall be removed from the internet website when the county superintendent verifies the repairs have been completed. (H) For schools that are identified on the list established in the 2024–25 fiscal year pursuant to subparagraph (A), and only in the fiscal years in which that list is used, a county superintendent shall complete the textbook and instructional materials review conducted for purposes of this paragraph and subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (i) by the eighth week of the school year. The county superintendent shall prioritize reviewing, within the first four weeks of the school year where practicable, schools for which the county superintendent has received information from a survey, a complaint filed pursuant to Section 35186, or any other reliable source that the school does not have sufficient textbooks, as defined in Section 60119 and as specified in subdivision (i), or that a facility of the school poses an emergency or urgent threat to the health or safety of pupils or staff as described in school district policy or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 17592.72, or is not in good repair, as specified in subdivision (d) of Section 17002 and required by Sections 17014, 17032.5, 17070.75, and 17089. (d) Distribute all laws, reports, circulars, instructions, and blanks that the county superintendent may receive for the use of the school officers. (e) Annually, on or before September 15, present a report to the governing board of the school district and the Superintendent regarding the fiscal solvency of a school district with a disapproved budget, qualified interim certification, or a negative interim certification, or that is determined to be in a position of fiscal uncertainty pursuant to Section 42127.6. (f) Keep in the office of the county superintendent the reports of the Superintendent. (g) Keep a record of the official acts of the county superintendent and of all the proceedings of the county board of education, including a record of the standing, in each study, of all applicants for certificates who have been examined, which shall be open to the inspection of an applicant or an authorized agent of the applicant. (h) Enforce the course of study. (i) (1) Enforce the use of state textbooks and instructional materials and of high school textbooks and instructional materials regularly adopted by the proper authority in accordance with Section 51050. (2) For purposes of this subdivision, sufficient textbooks or instructional materials has the same meaning as in subdivision (c) of Section 60119. (3) (A) Commencing with the 2022–23 school year, if a school is identified as specified in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c), the county superintendent specifically shall review that school at least annually as a priority school. A review conducted for purposes of this paragraph shall be completed by the fourth week of the school year, except as specified in subparagraph (H) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c). (B) In order to facilitate the review of instructional materials before the fourth week of the school year, the county superintendent in a county with 200 or more schools that are identified as specified in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) may use a combination of visits and written surveys of teachers for the purpose of determining sufficiency of textbooks and instructional materials in accordance with subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 60119 and as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 60119. If a county superintendent elects to co [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]