SB1222 - Career Technical Education Technical Assistance and Equity Pilot Program Act.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 1222 Introduced by Senator Choi (Coauthors: Senators Blakespear, Seyarto, and Strickland) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Davies and Pacheco) February 19, 2026 An act to add and repeal Article 9 (commencing with Section 52480) to Chapter 9 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to career technical education, and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1222, as introduced, Choi. Career Technical Education Technical Assistance and Equity Pilot Program Act. Existing law provides funding for career technical education (CTE) programs, including through, among others, the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program, the Strong Workforce Program, and a K–12 component of the Strong Workforce Program, with the purpose of creating, maintaining, supporting, encouraging, strengthening, and expanding the delivery of CTE programs in the state, as provided. This bill would establish the Career Technical Education Technical Assistance and Equity Pilot Program, a 3-year pilot program related to technical assistance in CTE, with a focus on equity and inclusion. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to designate, based on specified criteria, a county office of education to serve as the lead agency for administering the program. The bill would also require the Superintendent to designate 2 pilot regions to receive intensive technical assistance services, as provided. The bill would appropriate $4,000,000 from the General Fund to the Superintendent for allocation to the lead agency for purposes of implementing the pilot program for the 2026–27 fiscal year. The bill would require the lead agency to, among other things, (1) further develop and disseminate exemplary models for inclusive CTE pathways that effectively serve pupils with disabilities, English learners, and other historically underserved populations, (2) create scalable frameworks and toolkits for industry-education partnerships, (3) provide technical assistance, capacity building, and coordination support to participating county offices of education within the designated pilot regions, (4) develop and maintain a public-facing internet website, and (5) submit annual reports to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the Legislature, as provided. The bill would encourage county offices of education within designated pilot regions to participate in the technical assistance services provided by the lead agency, and would require participating county offices of education to, among other things, designate staff to coordinate CTE technical assistance within their jurisdiction. The bill would require the lead agency to prioritize support to county offices of education serving high proportions of historically underserved populations or demonstrating significant equity gaps in CTE access and outcomes. The bill would require school districts and charter schools that choose to receive direct technical assistance from their county office of education to participate in specified data collection and reporting processes, share promising practices and lessons learned, and commit to implementing recommendations and improvement strategies developed through the technical assistance process. The bill would require the pilot program to be funded through an annual appropriation in the Budget Act for the duration of the 3-year pilot program, require the appropriated funds to be allocated to the lead agency, authorize the lead agency to expend the allocated funds for specified purposes, and establish that the lead agency is subject to audit by the California State Auditor. The bill would require the Superintendent to designate the lead agency and pilot regions no later than 6 months following the effective date of the bill and the lead agency to commence providing services no later than the beginning of the fiscal year following designation. The bill would require the lead agency, no later than 6 months before the conclusion of the 3-year pilot period, to submit a comprehensive evaluation report to the Superintendent, the Governor, and the Legislature, as provided, and to post the report on the lead agency’s public-facing internet website. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2032. This bill would state that its provisions are severable. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: YES Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Career Technical Education Technical Assistance and Equity Pilot Program Act. SEC. 2. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Career technical education (CTE) is essential to California’s economic competitiveness and provides pupils with pathways to high-wage, high-demand careers. (b) Pupils with disabilities, English learners, and historically underserved populations are significantly underrepresented in CTE pathways, limiting their economic opportunities. (c) Many local educational agencies lack the capacity and resources to develop and implement high-quality, inclusive CTE programs that effectively serve all pupil populations. (d) The Orange County Department of Education has demonstrated successful statewide leadership in education systems improvement through its administration of the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) initiative and, most recently, through its designation as the statewide lead agency for charter school technical assistance, demonstrating proven capacity to coordinate large-scale technical assistance across diverse educational contexts. (e) The Orange County Department of Education, through its role as lead agency for the K–16 Strong Workforce Education and Training Collaborative, has developed and refined innovative models for coordinating CTE across K-12 and postsecondary systems, demonstrating the effectiveness of regional coordination through county offices of education. (f) The County of Orange’s close partnership with the Orange County Business Council, designated as the region’s California Jobs First lead agency, and deep integration with the Orange County Workforce Development Board, has resulted in effective strategies for braiding and leveraging multiple funding streams, including federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) resources, aligning education and workforce development initiatives, and creating seamless pathways from education to employment. (g) The County of Orange’s success in securing WIOA funding as a direct service provider demonstrates the value of education-workforce integration, enabling the development of youth and nontraditional apprenticeship pipelines and strengthening the CTE teacher workforce through innovative credentialing programs that address critical teacher shortages. (h) The integration of K–16 educational collaboration with regional economic development through California Jobs First partnerships and workforce development board engagement represents a promising model for maximizing the impact of CTE investments and ensuring programs are responsive to labor market needs. (i) County offices of education are uniquely positioned to serve as regional coordinators for CTE technical assistance, providing support and capacity building to local educational agencies within their jurisdictions while maintaining strong connections to regional workforce development entities. (j) A pilot program approach will allow the state to test and refine technical assistance strategies that leverage the county office of education infrastructure and regional partnership model before considering broader implementation, using a tailored approach that meets regional needs and contexts rather than prescriptive mandates. (k) Data-driven decisionmaking and outcome tracking are essential to ensuring CTE programs effectively prepare pupils for career success. SEC. 3. Article 9 (commencing with Section 52480) is added to Chapter 9 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read: Article 9. Career Technical Education Technical Assistance and Equity Pilot Program 52480. The Career Technical Education Technical Assistance and Equity Pilot Program is hereby established. 52481. For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply: (a) “California Jobs First partnership” means a collaboration between educational agencies and regional economic development entities designated as lead agencies under the California Jobs First initiative to align education, workforce development, and economic development strategies. (b) “CTE” means career technical education. (c) “Historically underserved populations” include, but are not limited to, individuals with exceptional needs as defined in Section 56026, English learners as defined in Section 306, foster youth, homeless youth, and pupils from low-income families. (d) “Industry-education partnership” means a collaborative relationship between local educational agencies and employers, industry associations, labor organizations, or workforce development entities to align CTE programs with labor market needs. (e) “Lead agency” means the county office of education designated by the Superintendent pursuant to Section 52482 to administer the pilot program for CTE technical assistance and to coordinate services through participating county offices. (f) “Local educational agency” means a school district or charter school. (g) “Participating county office” means a county office of education located within a designated pilot region that receives technical assistance and support from the lead agency and provides direct services to local educational agencies within its jurisdiction. (h) “Pilot program” means the Career Technical Education Technical Assistance and Equity Pilot Program established pursuant to this article. (i) “Pilot region” means a geographic area designated by the Superintendent to participate in the pilot program established pursuant to this article. (j) “WIOA” means the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. (k) “Workforce development board” means a local workforce development board established pursuant to WIOA that coordinates workforce development activities and resources within a designated region. 52482. (a) The Superintendent shall designate a county office of education to serve as the lead agency for administering a three-year pilot program to provide technical assistance in CTE, with a focus on equity and inclusion. (b) In selecting the lead agency, the Superintendent shall consider all of the following criteria: (1) Demonstrated experience in providing statewide or regional technical assistance to county offices of education and local educational agencies, including experience as a lead agency for statewide initiatives. (2) Proven track record in developing inclusive education programs that effectively serve historically underserved populations. (3) Experience serving as a lead agency or fiscal agent for statewide or regional initiatives, including, but not limited to, K-16 Strong Workforce Education and Training Collaboratives, statewide charter school technical assistance, or similar multisystem coordination efforts. (4) Established and effective partnerships with regional economic development entities, including California Jobs First lead agencies, workforce development boards, and industry consortia, with demonstrated ability to leverage these partnerships for program improvement and funding diversification. (5) Experience as a direct service provider using WIOA funding or other workforce development resources to create education-to-employment pathways. (6) Demonstrated capacity to braid and leverage multiple funding streams from federal, state, and regional sources to maximize program impact and sustainability. (7) Existing infrastructure and capacity to provide regional coordination and support services to other county offices of education, with experience in tailored technical assistance that responds to diverse regional needs and contexts rather than prescriptive mandates. (8) Experience in data collection, analysis, and reporting on pupil outcomes across multiple educational systems and agencies. (9) Track record of successful collaboration with the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges and other postsecondary partners to create aligned career pathways. (10) Demonstrated success in addressing critical workforce needs, including development of innovative programs to recruit, prepare, and credential CTE teachers and expand work-based learning opportunities such as youth apprenticeships and nontraditional apprenticeship pathways. (c) (1) The Superintendent shall designate two pilot regions to receive intensive technical assistance services, consistent with the following conditions: (A) One region shall be primarily urban in character, with high population density and diverse pupil demographics. (B) One region shall be primarily rural in character, with geographic challenges and limited access to specialized services. (2) In selecting pilot regions, the Superintendent shall prioritize areas with any of the following: (A) High proportions of historically underserved pupil populations. (B) Documented equity gaps in CTE access and outcomes. (C) Demonstrated local commitment to improving CTE programs. (D) Existing or emerging California Jobs First partnerships and active workforce development boards that can be leveraged to strengthen industry-education alignment. (E) Geographic and demographic diversity to ensure pilot findings are applicable across varied contexts. (d) The designation of the lead agency and pilot regions shall be for a term of three years. 52483. The lead agency designated pursuant to Section 52482 shall do all of the following: (a) Further develop and disseminate exemplary models for inclusive CTE pathways that effectively serve pupils with disabilities, English learners, and other historically underserved populations, including all of the following: (1) Universal design for learning approaches in CTE instruction. (2) Accommodations and modifications that maintain industry standards while ensuring accessibility. (3) Integrated support services that enable full participation in CTE programs. (4) Strategies for recruiting and retaining underrepresented pupils in CTE pathways. (b) Create scalable frameworks and toolkits for industry-education partnerships that can be replicated across diverse regions of the state, including all of the following: (1) Model partnership agreements and governance structures that align with California Jobs First regional planning processes and workforce development board strategic plans. (2) Work-based learning continuum from career exploration to youth apprenticeship, nontraditional apprenticeship, and registered apprenticeship programs. (3) Employer engagement strateg [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]