An act to add Section 52073.6 to the Education Code, relating to school accountability.
AB 903 would add Section 52073.6 to the Education Code to create a state framework for helping local educational agencies use technology to improve pupil academic achievement, especially in priority schools and Title I schools. The bill directs the State Board of Education and the Department of Education, in consultation with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, to prepare by December 31, 2026 a compilation of best practices and a model policy for incorporating those practices into local control and accountability plans (LCAPs), and to update that guidance at least every two years thereafter.
The bill also requires the department to conduct at least three informational webinars in 2027 to help districts, county offices of education, and charter schools apply the guidance in their LCAPs. It further requires county offices of education to submit a summary of district practices and LCAPs related to technology use by December 31, 2028, and directs the department to conduct a baseline survey by June 30, 2027 and a follow-up survey by June 30, 2030 to measure adoption of best practices and any associated changes in academic performance. In addition, the bill establishes a School Technology Empowerment Advisory Committee to advise the Superintendent of Public Instruction and issue annual progress reports beginning in 2028.
AB 903 would expand the state’s school accountability and LCAP infrastructure by adding a new technology-focused planning and reporting requirement for local educational agencies, with particular emphasis on schools serving high-need and federally funded populations. It would impose new duties on the State Board of Education, the Department of Education, county offices of education, and local educational agencies, and the bill expressly states that these duties could create a state-mandated local program subject to reimbursement if the Commission on State Mandates so determines. The bill does not appropriate funds, but it contemplates use of existing programs and resources and could affect how districts document technology access, device use, internet access, professional learning, parent engagement, and related school-improvement strategies in their LCAPs.
The overall sentiment appears favorable and policy-oriented. The bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a 9-0 vote, indicating broad support at that stage, and the findings section frames the measure as a response to the digital divide exposed by the pandemic and as a way to improve equity and academic outcomes. The bill’s structure is largely advisory and data-gathering rather than punitive, which may have helped it advance without recorded opposition in the available materials.
The main points of potential contention are fiscal and administrative rather than ideological. Because the bill requires new guidance, webinars, county office summaries, surveys, and an advisory committee, local educational agencies and county offices may be concerned about added workload and possible reimbursable mandate costs. Another likely issue is whether the state should be directing technology practices through LCAPs versus leaving those decisions to local control, although the bill tries to frame the requirements as best-practice support rather than a mandate to purchase specific technology. The bill also focuses resources and attention on priority and Title I schools, which may raise questions about implementation capacity and whether existing funding is sufficient to meet the bill’s goals.