Gov. Gavin Newsom

April 28, 2021

California teachers, school staff receive bumps in pay as campuses reopen

Districts signed agreements before reopening campuses that included everything from retroactive raises and bonuses to ongoing salary increases.

April 14, 2021

California governor doubles down on call to reopen schools in the fall

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday reiterated his call for schools to reopen for full-time in-person instruction in the fall.

April 6, 2021

Gov. Newsom expects full in-person fall return to school after state scraps color-coded tiers

State officials plan to retire the “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” color-coded tier system on June 15, and said they expect full-time in-person instruction in the fall.

Ali Tadayon And John Fensterwald

Quick Guides

April 4, 2021

Quick Guide: What California’s color-coded county tracking system means for schools

Learn more about the state's tiered system of assessing coronavirus risk and how it relates to schools.

March 29, 2021

Easing the transfer path in California from community colleges to universities

Long Beach pilot program does a lot of what Newsom wants to do statewide with early transfer guarantees.

March 4, 2021

California Legislature approves plan to encourage schools to reopen for in-person instruction

The bill provides $2 billion in incentives for schools to reopen for special needs and other students, beginning with the earliest grades.

Carolyn Jones And Louis Freedberg

Coronavirus

March 1, 2021

Newsom, lawmakers set April 1 deadline to reopen schools for K-2 students

Under the deal, $2 billion in incentives would require opening up all elementary grades and partially middle and high schools in the “red tier.”

February 25, 2021

California must go all in for financial aid

More than $500 million was left on the table last year because students didn't submit applications for financial aid.

Tyler Wu, Peter Granville & Denise Castro

Coronavirus

February 23, 2021

Rising tensions, heated words add pressure to reach a deal soon on reopening California schools

Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Phil Ting says school districts’ criticism of a proposed deal shows they want money but no accountability.

February 20, 2021

Will reserving vaccines for California teachers break school reopening logjam?

Newsom’s plan to reserve 10% of vaccines for teachers could lead to more schools reopening, but it could take too long to satisfy many parents if teachers insist on being fully immunized before returning

Louis Freedberg

Coronavirus

February 19, 2021

California legislators issue their conditions for reopening schools — without governor’s backing

Lawmakers would offer $2 billion to bring back elementary school students after April 15; Newsom favors a speedier timetable.

John Fensterwald

School Finance

February 18, 2021

Gov. Newsom's proposed cost of living increases could stave off cuts for some school districts

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s K-12 education budget proposal includes a cost of living adjustment that allows some districts to avoid cuts next year.

Ali Tadayon

Distance Learning

February 12, 2021

White students in California more likely to be getting in-person instruction than Black, Latino and Asian students

Across California, nearly half of all districts with elementary schools have reopened them to in-person or hybrid learning. White students more likely to be attending school in-person.