Parent Advisory Council Transparency Bill Passes Assembly Education Comm. With Unanimous Vote

A bill aimed at increasing transparency of information about members of the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Parent Advisory Council (PAC) passed the Assembly Education Committee late on Wednesday, moving up to the Assembly Appropriations Committee by a 6-0 vote with 1 abstention.

Senate Bill 1194, authored by Senator Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita), would require the department, on or before January 31, 2025, to publicly post on its internet website the membership of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Parent Advisory Council and to update the membership list on its internet website within 30 days of a membership change. In addition, the bill would require meetings of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Parent Advisory Council to be open and public, with anyone being allowed to attend meetings.

Senator Wilk wrote the bill because of the secrecy around the group. The PAC was created in April 2022 in response to parents across the state wanting to be part of the education policy decision making process. Applications went out the next month, with candidates being selected in early 2023.

“The Parent Advisory Council’s mission is to engage families to help shape education policy and represent diverse parent voices in the statewide decision-making process,” said the CDE. “The PAC is committed to helping close gaps in achievement and to create authentic engagement opportunities that will result in transformative outcomes for California students.”

However, the CDE has still, as of June 2024, yet to reveal any information on who was selected. As the PAC would play a part in decisions ranging from class offerings to policies surrounding the what to let parents know about their children in school, parents across the state began demanding to know about these parents on the Council. With the CDE staying silent on the matter, Wilk took up the matter earlier this year and introduced SB 1194 in February.

Transparency bill moves ahead

Besides a handful of Democratic Senators voting against it in the Senate vote last month, SB 1194 has enjoyed unanimous or nearly unanimous support from both Republicans and Democrats across both houses. This included it’s first Assembly Committee vote on Wednesday where it passed 6-0 with only 1 abstention, strongly hinting at the same level of support as seen in the Senate.

“The CDE created this council two years ago to allow parents to offer input on the issues impacting our students. While the concept is sound, today we’re still in the dark about who’s on the council, when they meet, or what they’re actually up to,” said Senator Wilk on Thursday. “This bill aims to ensure full transparency from the CDE, so parents know who is advocating for them on the council. Transparency and accountability are crucial for successful collaboration. While I’m glad to see the Superintendent advocating for parental involvement, parents deserve to know who is speaking on their behalf. This bill holds the CDE to its promise of sharing this information.”

Many noted that the bill, should it pass, also let parents work more directly with those on the Council, bringing forth issues that otherwise would not be seen at that level.

“The state has been very concerned about letting info go out. Many don’t want members targeted or anything like that,” added Cecilia Norton, a lawyer who has many cases dedicated to transparency issues, to the Globe on Thursday. “But parents want to know more because it is their children being involved. They want to know who is representing. You know, what their background is. Who best they reach out to. And so much more. These people are at that high a level pushing for them, yet we don’t know anything about them.”

“This bill really is one of the more gimme sort of ones. You see how many people are supporting it. I mean, they are asking for transparency for people representing them. It makes sense.”

SB 1194 is to be heard next in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.