Overview
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the 2026 budget trailer and AB 126 on Thursday, formally adding $2.4 billion for K–12 special education and enacting the governance changes in AB 181.
- The funding rise is about 43% over last year, raises the special-education per-student rate to $1,340, and includes ongoing and one-time allocations such as an $80 million ongoing extraordinary cost pool and dedicated grants for inclusive practices and alternative diploma pathways.
- AB 181 removes primary operational authority from the elected state superintendent and creates a governor-appointed education commissioner who will oversee the Department of Education’s day-to-day work.
- Education leaders, teachers’ unions, the current superintendent Tony Thurmond and some superintendent candidates criticized the move as bypassing voters and said they plan legal and political challenges while supporters argue the change will streamline decision making.
- Supporters point to stagnant statewide test results and rising special-education enrollment as the reason for paired funding and reform, but implementation plans are still being developed and the shift could reshape how education policy is run and debated ahead of the fall elections.