Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 446, Sec. 1. (AB 1098) Effective January 1, 2026.
This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Education Interagency Council Act.
Chapter 12.5 - California Education Interagency Council
California Government Code — §§ 11900-11908
Sections (9)
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 446, Sec. 1. (AB 1098) Effective January 1, 2026.
For purposes of this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions apply:
(a)“Council” means the California Education Interagency Council established pursuant to Section 11902.
(b)“Managing entity” means the Office of the California Education Interagency Council established pursuant to Section 11904.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 446, Sec. 1. (AB 1098) Effective January 1, 2026.
The California Education Interagency Council is hereby established in the Government Operations Agency for the purpose of accomplishing all of the following goals:
(a)Proactively evaluating and addressing the changing nature of work and the economy, and supporting the advancement of state educational attainment, equity, and workforce goals.
(b)Integrating and aligning efforts across elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, employers, and the statewide workforce system, and maximizing the impact of federal and state funding investments to ensure effective student pathways to quality work and well-paying careers and to contribute to economic growth.
(c)Increasing collaboration across postsecondary education and the workforce development systems statewide, and with employers to ensure flexibility and support for meeting the skill-building and upskilling needs of adults.
(d)Working in regions throughout the state to ensure that education supply and statewide workforce demand are aligned.
(e)Being a forum for communication to discuss the impacts of proposed intersegmental and cross-sector issues, including, but not limited to, changes to elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education graduation requirements, including California State University and University of California admissions changes.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 446, Sec. 1. (AB 1098) Effective January 1, 2026.
(a)The council’s membership shall include all of the following members, or a designee of the member who reports directly to the member:
(1)The President of the State Board of Education.
(2)The Superintendent of Public Instruction.
(3)The President of the University of California.
(4)The Chancellor of the California State University.
(5)The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
(6)The Director of Consumer
Affairs.
(7)The Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development.
(8)The Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
(9)The Director of Finance.
(10)The President of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.
(b)The council’s meetings shall be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1).
(c)The council’s members shall serve without compensation but shall receive reimbursement for necessary expenses.
(d)The Governor shall designate one member listed
in subdivision (a) to serve as the council’s chairperson.
(e)The council’s membership shall be limited to only one nongovernmental entity representative.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 446, Sec. 1. (AB 1098) Effective January 1, 2026.
(a)The Office of the California Education Interagency Council is hereby established in the Government Operations Agency.
(b)The Office of the California Education Interagency Council shall also be known as the “managing entity,” and shall serve as a neutral administrative body to carry out the purpose and intent of this chapter.
(c)The managing entity shall be overseen by an executive officer. The executive officer shall be appointed by the Governor, and shall report to the Secretary of Government Operations. The executive officer shall be exempt from civil service consistent with subdivision (f) of Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 446, Sec. 1. (AB 1098) Effective January 1, 2026.
(a)The council’s first meeting shall be held on or before June 30, 2026.
(b)Subsequent meetings of the council shall be held at least once every six months after the first meeting.
(c)Within one year of its first meeting, the council may enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data in order to access Cradle-to-Career Data System data and reports.
(d)On or before November 30, 2027, the council shall adopt a strategic plan to guide the council and its staff in achieving the council’s goals outlined in Section 11902. After the first strategic plan is adopted, the council shall
update the strategic plan on a schedule determined by the council.
(e)(1) On or before November 30, 2027, or no later than 120 days after the first strategic plan is adopted pursuant to subdivision (d), the council shall release a work plan after consultation with the chair of the Assembly Committee on Education, the chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the chair of the Senate Committee on Education, the Governor, and other interest holders. The work plan may include the establishment of workgroups, committees, or subcommittees necessary to effectively meet the goals and objectives provided in the most recently adopted strategic plan. The work plan shall describe the timelines, deliverables, and interest holders that will be consulted as part of the work identified in the work plan. The work plan shall be updated on a schedule determined by the council.
(2)The council shall establish a principal advisory committee to assist the council in accomplishing the council’s purposes as described in Section 11902. The principal advisory committee shall be composed of transitional kindergarten to secondary education, inclusive, postsecondary education, workforce, and business practitioners. The Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly may each appoint, to the principal advisory committee, two individuals representing workforce and business practitioners. The principal advisory committee shall ensure that access and equity principles for underserved populations are part of their discussions. The council may appoint additional representatives to serve on the principal advisory committee to ensure representation from a cross section of relevant interest holders, such as students, parents, teachers, faculty, staff, associations, employers, labor organizations, experts, and other public entities that have relevant content jurisdiction or
expertise regarding work before the council.
(f)(1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5, subsequent to the release of the first work plan pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e), and biennially thereafter, the council shall submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795, and the Governor on the outcomes of the previous two years of work under this chapter, and any recommendations regarding intersegmental, cross-sector, and interagency initiatives and programs, including, but not limited to, efficiencies in instructional delivery, course alignment, graduation requirements, admission requirements, financial aid, or other public benefit programs supporting students, dual enrollment, dual admission, and cross-enrollment programs, transfer pathways, degree and certificate completion, adult education, including upskilling and reskilling for adults, two- and four-year graduation rates, affordability, and workforce
coordination.
(2)The recommendations made pursuant to paragraph (1) may include those for transitional kindergarten to postsecondary education, inclusive.
(g)(1) Contingent upon an appropriation as described in paragraph (2), the council shall establish a faculty and employer advisory committee to discuss emerging skills issues related to changing skills needs and student learning. The faculty and employer advisory committee shall include workforce practitioners to help address the alignment of career programs and college and career pathways with workforce needs and labor market demand. The faculty and employer advisory committee may also develop and provide recommendations to the council for increasing engagement with industry and employers to support experiential learning, including, but not limited to, paid internship opportunities, fellowships, service
learning, and apprenticeships for high school and postsecondary education, as appropriate.
(2)Paragraph (1) shall be implemented only upon an appropriation being made for purposes of paragraph (1) that is separate and subsequent to the appropriation described in Schedule 2.5 of Budget Item 0511-001-0001 of the Budget Act of 2025.
(h)Within one year of its first meeting, the council shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to access labor market and workforce data systems, and to support the integration of education and workforce planning and coordination. The memorandum of understanding shall facilitate data sharing, joint analysis, and reporting that supports the council in accomplishing the council’s purposes described in Section 11902, including identifying in-demand skills and occupations, and evaluating workforce program
alignment with educational pathways. It is the intent of the Legislature that information shared with the council for purposes of implementing this subdivision shall not duplicate information that can be provided to the council by other entities, including the Office of Cradle-to-Career Data.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 457, Sec. 12. (SB 638) Effective January 1, 2026.
(a)The council, with support from the managing entity, shall perform the following duties pursuant to the timeframe described in subdivision (b), as appropriate, to the extent that staff, resources, and data are available:
(1)Evaluate a variety of data sources to inform, pursuant to Section 9795, the Legislature and the Governor of the supply of, and projected demand for, jobs in major occupational or career areas and in-demand skills and sectors at a set interval determined by the council. Each evaluation shall include economic forecasting and analysis to ensure educators can plan for emerging skills needs in areas critical to California’s economy.
(2)Review available data to identify, at a set interval as determined by the council, both statewide and regional progress toward achieving goals and addressing gaps in demand for both of the following:
(A)Postsecondary education admission, enrollment, success, and awards of degrees, credentials, and certificates.
(B)Employment, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status, and any additional categories of students as determined by the council.
(3)Develop recommendations regarding career technical education, college and career pathways, and workforce development recognizing segmental plans and other pertinent plans, including those of the California Workforce
Development Board. These recommendations shall align with the goals and priorities of the Master Plan for Career Education, and shall focus on resolving conflicts and inconsistencies in segmental plans and other pertinent plans. In developing the recommendations, the council shall ensure that the recommendations address all of the following:
(A)Reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies and improving bureaucratic efficiencies by streamlining career technical education, college and career pathways, and workforce development programs.
(B)Increasing access to career technical education, college and career pathways, and workforce development programs in high schools, public postsecondary education systems, and workforce development opportunities. These recommendations shall include options for expanding and increasing such access without
solely relying on additional funding.
(C)Improving, or making specific commitments to align, efforts within program guidelines and budgetary authorities, as appropriate for transitional kindergarten to secondary education systems, inclusive, public postsecondary education systems, and applicable programs within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
(D)To the extent possible, analyzing career technical education, college and career pathways, and workforce development programs and resources offered by independent institutions of higher education, as defined in Section 66010 of the Education Code, and private postsecondary educational institutions, as defined in Section 94858 of the Education Code.
(4)Develop and distribute written
materials and reports to help educators and others encourage students to pursue education and training opportunities leading to professions in in-demand industries.
(5)Support collaborative work to create, refine, or update student pathways from high school to postsecondary education, including, but not limited to, dual enrollment, associate degree for transfer, work-based learning, and credit mobility.
(6)Serve as a forum for discussing and providing advice on the impact of proposed changes to graduation or admissions requirements on California’s education systems.
(7)Serve as a forum for discussing strategic planning around mandated federal plans and related state programs, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A)The federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Public Law 109-270).
(B)The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. Sec. 3101 et seq.).
(C)The Strong Workforce Program.
(D)Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Program.
(E)The Golden State Pathways Program.
(8)(A) Coordinate learning opportunities across the elementary and secondary education systems and postsecondary education systems to ensure students can easily navigate across systems,
thereby enhancing access to postsecondary education and workforce training opportunities and supporting traditional students and adult workers seeking to upskill or reskill.
(B)Include, in actions undertaken pursuant to subparagraph (A), efforts to expand opportunities for online education, credit for prior learning, and access to competency-based education, to integrate technology and to include ongoing efforts to understand skill development opportunities and frameworks.
(9)Provide advice and recommend tools designed to support students across their educational careers. These tools may include, but are not limited to, the Career Passport, the California College Guidance Initiative, and eTranscript California.
(10)Provide recommendations to
the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795, that encourage streamlining application processes regarding student financial aid, housing, campus support programs, and other public benefit programs that assist students in financing their total cost of attendance.
(11)Serve as a central planning and coordinating hub for statewide education-to-career efforts by providing accessible information to the Legislature, the Governor, public agencies, and the general public about strategic plans, program alignment efforts, and available resources, pursuant to this chapter.
(12)When making recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor or in coordinating goals, programs, and efforts across systems pursuant to this chapter, the council shall, to the extent practicable, consider universal design principles and impacts to
traditionally underserved populations.
(b)The council, with the support of the managing entity, shall develop a timeframe for the council to reasonably perform the duties required by subdivision (a), as appropriate.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 457, Sec. 13. (SB 638) Effective January 1, 2026.
(a)The managing entity shall support the council. This support shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1)Supporting and staffing council meetings, and workgroups, committees, or task forces established in furtherance of the council’s goals described in this chapter.
(2)Supporting the council’s development and updates of its strategic and work plans adopted pursuant to this chapter.
(3)Supporting the council’s development of policies required to implement this chapter.
(4)Gathering necessary research, providing analysis, and developing recommendations for the council under the council’s direction.
(5)Developing and maintaining an internet website that provides access to the council’s agendas, reports, work products, and resources.
(b)The managing entity may hire staff or enter into contracts for experts or technical and professional services to support the council’s exercise of its duties pursuant to Sections 11905 and 11906.
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 457, Sec. 14. (SB 638) Effective January 1, 2026.
Regarding the exercise of its duties pursuant to Sections 11905 and 11906, and the professional services provided to support the council’s exercise of its duties pursuant to Sections 11905 and 11906, the council shall operate in an advisory capacity. This chapter shall not be construed to require implementation of any finding or recommendation of the council unless implementation is otherwise explicitly authorized or required by law. However, state agencies and public entities may implement recommendations of the council, in whole or in part, to the extent consistent with their statutory authority and responsibilities.