Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the second of two bills, sponsored by John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY).
The first is Assembly Bill 2137, authored by Assemblymember Quirk-Silva and co-sponsored by JBAY and the National Center for Youth Law. This policy change will increase school success among foster youth by authorizing county offices of education to use their existing state funding to provide direct services to foster youth. Currently, this is prohibited unless school districts certify in writing that they cannot provide direct services to students in foster care, a requirement that is time-consuming given that foster youth are spread over 1,019 school districts in California.
The second bill signed by Governor Newsom, AB 2508, authored by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, will decrease school absenteeism and increase college enrollment among foster youth by using unspent funding in the CalKIDS program to make sure students in foster care in grades 1-12 receive a $500 augmentation to their college savings account. Currently, only foster children in the 1st grade are eligible for the additional payment.
JBAY Chief Program Officer Debbie Raucher was delighted by the news and grateful for the Governor’s signature, “Governor Newsom’s administration has a strong track record of taking action to improve the lives of California’s youth in foster care. These two policies keep us moving in the right direction.”
JBAY Board Chair John Garcia agrees, “JBAY has adopted an ambitious goal in our recently released strategic plan: to reduce the equity gap for postsecondary educational and career attainment among youth impacted by foster care and housing insecurity by half, a goal that is aligned with the Governor’s vision. These policy changes are important steps towards reaching this mutual goal.”
Both bills will go into effect on January 1, 2025.