Education governance: State Board of Education: Superintendent of Public Instruction: Education Commissioner: State Department of Education: transfer of duties.

(1) Existing law establishes the State Board of Education to adopt policies, and to establish rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the laws of the state, to govern the public elementary and secondary schools of the state. Existing law provides that the state board consists of 11 members, including 10 members who are appointed by the Governor to 4-year terms with the advice and consent of 23 of the Senate and a student member appointed by the Governor to a 1-year term with the advice and consent of 23 of the Senate. This bill, commencing January 15, 2027, would expand the composition of the state board to instead be 13 members by replacing one of the nonstudent positions that expires on January 15, 2027, with the Superintendent, adding one member to be appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate, and adding one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. (2) Existing law requires the State Department of Education to be administered through the state board, which is the governing and policy determining body of the department, and the Director of Education, in whom all executive and administrative functions of the department are vested and who is the executive officer of the state board and the department. Existing law provides that the Superintendent is the ex officio Director of Education, and requires the department to be conducted under the control of the Director of Education. Existing law assigns to the Superintendent numerous duties related to the state board and the department. This bill would revise and recast those provisions by, among other things, (A) deleting the provision in existing law that establishes the Superintendent as the ex officio Director of Education, (B) vesting all executive and administrative functions of the department in an Education Commissioner to be appointed by the Governor, with confirmation by the Senate, and to serve at the pleasure of the Governor, (C) transferring various duties of the Superintenden