John Fensterwald | Piedmont Exedra

California ready to launch $3 billion, multiyear transition to community schools

Districts can soon apply for funding to transform schools by expanding services for the "whole child" and extensively involving parents.

Newsom projects $24 billion in new spending on K-12 education plus adding nearly $1 billion for arts and music.

Tony Thurmond acknowledges frustration and promises to free up $187 million, much of it for urban parochial schools.

Delays at the state level have impacted urban Catholic schools in particular.

A supermajority in the Legislature would rein in a new governor, who'd also face long odds on the big prize: selling a voucher initiative next year.

Ninth grade course engaged and motivated students who hadn't shown prior success in school.

State leaders recognize crisis some districts face but don't backtrack from applying independent study to students sidelined by delta variant.

Superintendents argue that a new independent study law doesn't suit shorter-term quarantine learning.

Families have a right to independent study instead of in-person instruction; worry about the delta variant may determine how many choose it.

An extra year in high school, a Pass or No Pass option and minimum graduation requirements would help undo damage from the pandemic.