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News Briefs | FYI
April 20, 2026
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Law requires equal distribution of SPED initial assessments LEAs should review their collective bargaining agreements in light of a recently enacted law that requires equal distribution of special education initial assessments, according to the law firm Lozano Smith.
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Assembly Bill 560 requires LEAs to take all reasonable steps to distribute the workload associated with initial special education assessments across all resource specialists employed by the LEA in an equal manner, unless otherwise collectively bargained, according to the law firm.
AB 560 also requires the state superintendent of public instruction to recommend a maximum adult-to-pupil staffing ratio for special education classes for students 3 to 22 years of age, which will be posted to the CDE’s website by no later than July 1, 2027.
“AB 560’s intent is to improve LEA special education services by creating better learning environments for students with unique needs and reducing burnout for special education teachers with heavy caseloads,” according to a client news brief from Lozano Smith. “Supporters of AB 560 expressed concerns that initial assessments are time-consuming and often not factored into resource specialists’ existing workload, contributing to staff burnout, potential impacts on students’ rights to adequate individualized education programs (IEP), degradation of educational quality, and LEA’s ability to recruit and retain resource specialists.”
Read the full client news brief at www.lozanosmith.com/news-clientnewsbriefdetail.php?news_id=3484.
CTC launches newly redesigned website The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing has unveiled its new, modern website following two years of development and a decade since the last redesign.
On April 7, the commission debuted the new website (www.ctc.ca.gov), which includes streamlined navigation with audience-based dropdown menus designed for users to select options around who they are and what they need, rather than department or content type.
On the homepage, a call-to-action invites aspiring educators to begin their teaching journey with one click leading them directly to the Roadmap to Teaching and funding resources. Prominently featured educator stories bring the commission’s work to life with authentic voices that provide inspiration and practical insight for current and future educators.
Four CA superintendents make NSPRA’s watch list Four California district leaders have made the National School Public Relations Association’s annual list of Superintendents to Watch.
The association recognizes a select number of superintendents from across the country each year. Honorees are school district leaders who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core. They use communication technology in innovative and effective ways to engage and inform their school communities and to expand two-way communication and outreach efforts.
The 2025-26 Superintendents to Watch list includes 30 superintendents, four of whom are from California:
  • Melissa Bassanelli, San Juan Unified School District.
  • Juan Cabral, Redlands Unified School District.
  • Dr. Kelly May-Vollmar, Ed.D., Desert Sands Unified School District.
  • Heath Rocha, Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District.
Read profiles about the winners at www.nspra.org/Awards/Nominate-a-Colleague/Superintendents-to-Watch.
Report: 6 practices that support school leaders of color Researchers have identified six promising practices that support equity-centered leadership pathways, according to a new report. The practices are taken from districts participating in the Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative, a multi-year effort funded by The Wallace Foundation that supports eight districts from across the country in building comprehensive, aligned principal pipelines with the goal of developing school leaders who can advance each district’s vision of equity.
One practice highlighted in the report comes from Fresno Unified School District, where an initiative to establish and sustain leadership affinity groups has cultivated a vibrant community of leaders of color.
The report details the district’s challenges with recruiting and retaining school leaders who reflect the demographics in their schools. One practice that has helped Fresno USD support Black educators, who have historically been underrepresented, is affinity groups. These groups provide professional learning, mentoring, and other support to school leaders of color in formal and informal spaces. The district collaborates with outside organization Men of Color in Educational Leadership to provide mentors for the groups.
“MCEL has benefited me greatly professionally and personally,” said one middle school principal. “Professionally, it has been a breath of fresh air to receive professional development that acknowledges the additional challenges we face as men of color ... Personally, the brotherhood that we have formed in Fresno Unified with MCEL goes beyond work.We have developed a network of support that cares for one another professionally and personally.”
District leaders say the affinity groups play an important role in the recruitment and retention.
“Affinity groups are important voices for equity,” said Kim Villescaz, executive director, Leadership Development Department, Fresno USD. “Capturing a representation from each voice is instrumental to our district’s improvement.”
Other practices detailed in the report include internal principal residency programs, engaging the community in principal selection, focusing principal supervisors on equity, expanding district-university collaboration beyond leader preparation, and sustaining Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiatives over time.
Read the full report at wallacefoundation.org/report/promising-practices-design-and-implementation-equity-centered-leader-pathways-moving.
FYI
Critically Conscious Classroom returns to YouTube
ACSA’s Critically Conscious Classroom is back in session. In two new episodes, hosts Dr. Tracie Noriega and Anthony Robinson sit down with UC Berkeley professor Dr. Travis Bristol and founder of the Racial Literacy Project Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz. The episode with Bristol discusses teacher retention and explores the “invisible tax” often placed on educators of color and examines what school and district leaders can do to create environments where teachers feel supported and able to thrive. Sealey-Ruiz’s episode invites educators into an honest and reflective dialogue on truth telling, healing and the courage it takes to confront bias, identity and the systems shaping our schools. Dr. Sealey Ruiz challenges us all to engage in the deep internal work required to create more just and humanizing learning environments for every student. Both episodes are available to watch now on YouTube.
ACEs training supports student behavioral health
The Recognize, Respond, Connect: Supporting the Behavioral Health of Our Students training is now available to all California school staff. Developed by the CDPH Office of School Health in partnership with the UCLA–UCSF ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Aware Family Resilience Network, this free, 50-minute online training helps educators working with students in grades seven through 12 to identify warning signs of mental, emotional, and behavioral health challenges, apply trauma-informed approaches to support students, and recognize when and how to connect students to additional help and resources. Register for the training at training.acesaware.org/aa/detail?id=2285.