Assembly Education Chair, Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) did not schedule AB 2222 for comprehensive early literacy legislation to be heard by the Assembly Education Committee. The deadline for scheduling the hearing was 5 pm Thursday, April 11. This means our bill is dead without even the benefit of being heard in Committee.
It is very disappointing that it came down to two legislators (Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Assembly Education Chair Muratsuchi) who decided not to let our bill move forward for a vote in Assembly Education.
This is the EdSource article that was released today on AB 2222. Please take a moment to post a comment at the end of the EdSource article.
The decision came in the face of tremendous support for AB 2222, built in just over two months. AB 2222 had:
- 69 supporting organizations
- 16 bi-partisan co-authors
- More than 1,000 individual letters of support
- 41 letters from school district leaders representing 25 school districts serving more than 300,000 students
The organization, Education Trust-West, took a support if amended position. The bill faced opposition from 4 organizations: California Teachers Association, California Association for Bilingual Education, Californians Together, and Loyola Marymount University Center for Equity for English Learners.
We knew from the introduction of AB 2222 that passing comprehensive early literacy legislation in a significant state deficit year was going to be a challenge. DDCA is committed to continue pursuing this legislation next legislative session and beyond if necessary and hope you will join us!
Special thanks to Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) for authoring AB 2222 and for her fearless advocacy to improve literacy outcomes for all California kids.
We are grateful to the following 69 organizations and bill co-sponsors for their support for AB 2222:
Organization Letters of Support on Record:
Decoding Dyslexia CA (co-sponsor)
EdVoice (co-sponsor)
Families in Schools (co-sponsor)
21st Century Alliance
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools Foundation
Black Parallel School Board
Boon Philanthropy Inc.
Boys & Girls Club-Hollywood
California Catholic Conference
California State Parent Teacher Association
California Reading Coalition
California Education Justice Alliance
California Youth Services
Charles Armstrong School
Chico Unified School District
Children’s Defense Fund-California
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER)
Disability Rights California
Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund
Dyslexia Training Institute
Educators for Excellence-Los Angeles
Equitable Ed Advocates
Equitable Literacy For All
Eye to Eye
Families in Action for Quality Education
Fourth District PTA
Fulcrum
Glean Education
GP II Foundation
Hawley Special Education Advocacy
Innovate Public Schools
KIPP Bay Area Public Schools
KIPP So-Cal Public Schools
International Dyslexia Association – Los Angeles
International Dyslexia Association – Northern California
International Dyslexia Association – SoCal TriCounties Branch
Learning Disabilities Association of California
Learning Rights Law Center
Lighthouse Community Public Schools
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Mt. Diablo Unified School District Community Advisory Committee for Special Education
NAACP California Hawaii State Conference
National Council On Teacher Quality
National Parents Union
North Bridge Academy
North Region SELPA Community Advisory Committee
Oakland Literacy Coalition
Our Voice: Communities for Quality Education
Palomar Council Parent Teacher Association
Peralta District Parent Teacher Association
Project Second Chance, Inc.
Reading for Berkeley
Right to Read Project
Sacramento Literacy Foundation
San Francisco/Second District PTA
San Francisco Unified School District Community Advisory Committee for Special Education
San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs
San Ramon Valley Unified School District SELPA
Santa Barbara Reading Coalition
Seaside Elementary School PTA
Smart Justice California
San Francisco Parent Coalition
The Dyslexia Project
The Oakland REACH
The Reading League California
Third District PTA
Thirty-Second District PTA
Thirty-Third District PTA
Walnut Grove PTA
