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Governor Newsom has signed the 2026-2027 California state budget. Youth leaders, families, and community members across the state made their education priorities loud and clear, and they fought hard to ensure these priorities were adopted in the final budget. 

The result? The inclusion of a historic $1B in ongoing funding for community schools, a core priority of  CFJ’s 2026 Youth-Powered Legislative Agenda. This investment shifts away from one-time grants and expands the reach from nearly 2,500 high-need schools to 3,700 additional schools!

This is a win grounded in years of community organizing and rooted in deep listening and leadership led by the California Partnership for the Future of Learning, which CFJ co-anchors, alongside more than 128 education, community, labor, and policy organizations across the state. The data demonstrates what folks on the ground know and feel: that this shared-decision making approach to schools is transformative. 

According to a report from the Learning Policy Institute, community schools reduced chronic absenteeism by 30%, reduced suspensions by 15%, and delivered learning gains in English equivalent to 151 extra days of instruction for Black students. English learners gained about 58 extra days in math and 72 in English Language Arts. This win is what community power looks like. 

In addition to the historic investment in the transformative community schools approach, Californians for Justice celebrates the education investments in the final 2026-2027 budget:

• Support for unique student needs and holistic wellness
• • $2.4 billion for special education
  • $116 million to identify and support students experiencing houselessness 
  • $100 million for the California New Americans in Schools program, which would help serve immigrant students and their families (one-time funds)
  • A one-time $5 billion for the Student Support and Professional Development Block Grant, equal to $937 per student, a discretionary grant to be used by districts however they best see fit
  • $500 million in grants for kitchen upgrades to help fulfill meeting the goals of the Universal Meals Program 
• Investments for Educator Diversity and Retention
• • $27 million for the Golden State Teacher Grant, a stipend incentive program that awards grants to educator candidates who agree to serve in high-needs schools after they earn their credential 
  • $408 million for the Student Teacher Stipend Program, which provides stipends of $10,000 to student teachers and an additional $5,000 for those pursuing a credential in a “high-need” field
  • $250 million for educator residency programs through 2029-2030