Newsom’s revised – California’s education leaders welcomed a major proposed increase to special education funding in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2026-27 budget revision, calling it “historic.” But teachers unions, school boards, and district leaders warned the plan still falls short—esp
When Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his latest education budget proposal for 2026-27, the reaction from California’s education community split along familiar fault lines: hope for disability supports on one side, alarm about withheld school funding on the other.
Newsom’s plan includes a $2.4 billion increase in state funding for students with disabilities, a jump widely praised by advocates.. Yet his broader approach—holding back billions from school and community college funding—continued to draw pushback from teachers unions. school district leaders. and school boards. who say districts need the money now.
At the same time, several education organizations urged the governor and Legislature to do more for English learners, bilingual education, and early childhood programs as the budget revision moves forward.
Disability funding gets a “historic” welcome
Newsom’s proposed increase for special education—$2.4 billion for 2026-27, up from the $509 million he proposed in January—was widely described by supporters as long overdue.
Assembly Education Committee Chair Darshana Patel. D-San Diego. said the federal government has failed to meet its obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). which requires states to provide services while the federal government has promised 40% of the funding.. “The federal government has consistently failed to meet its funding obligations. leaving California and other states alone to close critical gaps and leaving too many students with disabilities without the support they deserve. ” Patel said.. “This historic $2.4 billion investment in special education will better serve students with disabilities and the educators who support them.”
School Services of California director of management consultant services Anjanette Pelletier called the updated rate “aligned with funding needed for special education as advocated by statewide organizations … to reflect increases in statewide incidence of students with disabilities and rising costs.”
Advocates also pointed to the governor’s emphasis on community schools, which provide wraparound services, offer dual enrollment, and include literacy and math instruction.
But early childhood and English learner funding concerns linger
While advocates praised some parts of the proposal, early education supporters said the budget revision still landed poorly for subsidized childcare and preschool.
Patricia Lozano. executive director of Early Edge California. said the governor’s reduction to the cost-of-living adjustment for subsidized childcare was a warning sign.. “The 30% reduction to the childcare COLA. combined with lack of funding to bring childcare slots to mandated levels. sends a troubling signal to providers who are already operating on the margins. ” Lozano said.
With transitional kindergarten expanding, Lozano’s concern reflects a broader anxiety among providers who say they are struggling to stay afloat.
Bruce Fuller, a UC Berkeley emeritus professor, argued the budget misses the scale of the affordability challenge for families.. “The governor seems to ignore the nation’s intensifying worry over the affordability of raising children,” Fuller said.. “This will erode the quality of care and preK for middling families as well.”
There were also calls for increased investment in English learners and bilingual education, alongside stronger teacher preparation.
Martha Hernandez. executive director of Californians Together. said her organization is advocating for additional support for teacher training and bilingual instruction through the Educator Workforce Investment Grant and the California Newcomer Education and Well-Being (CalNEW) program. which serves recent immigrant students and their families.. “With federal funding currently at risk. ongoing state investment is essential to protect these vulnerable communities and provide them with culturally responsive support. ” Hernandez said.
Teachers and workforce grant supporters pressed for more reach
Several education leaders praised specific grants in the governor’s proposal while arguing they remain far from what high-need schools require.
Marshall Tuck. CEO of the nonprofit EdVoice. commended the governor for $17.8 million in new funding for the Golden State Teacher Grant (GSTG) program and the restoration of grants of $20. 000 for special education teachers who commit to spending four years in “high-needs schools.” But he said the amounts do not go far enough.. “Historically, GSTG has operated with an average annual budget of approximately $100 million.. We urge the Governor and Legislature to invest as close to that level as possible so more students in high-needs schools have access to qualified teachers. ” Tuck said.
Heather Kirkpatrick, CEO and president of Alder Graduate School of Education, echoed that concern. “While we appreciate the federal funds supporting Golden State Teacher Grants for special education, we must also address critical shortages in bilingual and high-poverty schools.”
EdTrust-West executive director Christopher J.. Nellum said the governor’s proposal “makes important progress,” but put the onus on the Legislature to protect targeted commitments.. “Progress depends on whether these investments are protected and targeted to the students who need them the most,” Nellum said.. “Students from low-income families. multilingual learners and students of color cannot afford to see these commitments diluted in the final budget.”
A dissenting view questions the link to outcomes
Not all reaction was positive—even among those who acknowledged new funding.
For Lance Christensen. head of policy for the conservative California Policy Center. the governor’s education spending plan falls short because it is not tied to student outcomes.. “His so-called ‘investments’ are not producing results where our children are literate or numerate,” Christensen said.. “He has presented large numbers for increasing special education, paid pregnancy leave, community schools.. What was missing was whether those dollars would produce better outcomes for our children.”
Christensen also criticized the omission of a budget discussion about a Trump administration proposal to provide new nonrefundable tax credits to fund scholarship-granting organizations.. He pointed to New York Gov.. Kathy Hochul’s recent announcement that New York would join more than 30 other states in that federal private school choice program.. “That would bring billions of dollars into our school system, whether it is private, public and charter,” Christensen said.
Teachers unions and school boards: withheld money still hurts
The sharpest conflict remains what Newsom has proposed to hold back, even after revising downward the amount earlier planned for withholding.
Newsom has insisted he needs to withhold some funding from schools and community colleges until early 2027 to ensure increased state revenue arrives as expected. In January, he said he would withhold $5.6 billion; in his May revision, he reduced the withheld amount to $3.9 billion.
The state’s school boards association, teachers unions, and school district leaders have continued to argue that districts need the funding now.
David Roth. superintendent of the Buckeye Union School District in the Folsom area and organizer of the Raise the Base Coalition. which advocates for increased “base operating funding” for districts. said the May revision was an improvement compared with the January proposal.. He described the base increase to special education as part of why.. But Roth said the plan does not fully address the withholding from Proposition 98 and warned that proposed costs would offset gains.
Roth said the governor’s proposed 14 weeks of pregnancy leave for teachers would eat into increased funding from the cost-of-living adjustment.. “That new expense. coupled with declining enrollment. means many districts will net something less year over year than the 4.13% that will be cited. ” Roth said.
California Teachers Association president David Goldberg said the revised approach ignores what he described as voters’ will by withholding Proposition 98 funding minimums.. “The governor’s proposed budget revision clearly ignores the will of voters by proposing to withhold $3.9 billion from California’s constitutionally guaranteed Prop.. 98 funding minimum,” Goldberg said.. He argued the state is in an era of unprecedented wealth and that decision-makers have choices about revenue.
“We are living in an era of unprecedented wealth. where the rich continue to get richer as the rest of us struggle to make ends meet.. The governor and Legislature have the power to ensure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share and raise revenue to fully fund schools and communities. ” Goldberg said.
Jeff Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers, agreed that Proposition 98 should be fully funded.. “We stand firm in our demand that Proposition 98 be fully funded,” Freitas said.. “CFT will continue to fight for long-term revenue solutions that protect education funding in good years and in bad — because the strength of our public schools should never depend on the whims of a revenue forecast. or the greed of billionaires.”
Where the proposal lands next
For many in California’s education world, the budget revision is turning into a test of what “historic” disability funding will mean in practice once the Legislature finalizes the package.
Supporters say the $2.4 billion increase for students with disabilities directly answers a long-running federal funding shortfall under IDEA.. Critics say the governor’s withheld billions—and additional costs they argue are not fully accounted for—could still leave districts scrambling as 2026-27 approaches.
As negotiations move forward, education leaders from advocacy groups, unions, and districts are pressing for one question to be answered plainly: whether the final budget protects the investments the state is promising while delivering the operational funding schools say they cannot delay.
California education budget Gavin Newsom 2026-27 special education funding Proposition 98 IDEA teachers unions school boards childcare COLA English learners bilingual education Golden State Teacher Grant community schools Raise the Base Coalition