California teachers had some big wins in this year鈥檚 state budget, including about $700 million for stipends and training, and $218 million to support paid pregnancy leave.

for teacher recruitment and retention builds on the more than $1 billion California has spent since 2018 to end a persistent school staffing shortage that has left many classrooms without a fully credentialed teacher.

The investments appear to be paying off. New preliminary teaching credentials increased 40% between 2022-23 and 2024-25, while the pool of teacher candidates became more racially diverse, according to the , though advocates say more work needs to be done.

Here鈥檚 what California teachers won in the state budget.

Paid pregnancy leave

The new requirement that school districts pay up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave marks a for teachers. Until now, teachers had to rely on accumulated sick leave or other paid time off during pregnancy. 

Members of the California Teachers Association spent at least three years lobbying for the benefit, said California Teachers Association Secretary-Treasurer Erika Jones.

About 22,000 teachers wrote personal testimonies about how the lack of paid pregnancy leave negatively impacted their lives and sent them to state legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom鈥檚 office, Jones said. 

鈥淲e had a lot of mothers going back too soon, and who were literally in labor waiting until they were dilated more before they took time off,鈥� Jones said.

The lack of paid maternity leave has impacted teachers at the end of their careers as well. They often have to work longer than their male counterparts, to make up for time lost during pregnancy, to earn enough service credits to qualify for retirement, Jones said.

Both Gov. Jerry Brown andbills to provide paid maternity leave, citing the cost to districts. This year, the Newsom administration changed course, saying the benefit was a way to improve recruitment and retention of employees while prioritizing the health and well-being of school employees.

permanently increases the cost-of-living adjustment given to schools and community colleges by 1.44%, in part, to help pay some of the cost of pregnancy leave. The larger COLA is estimated to cost the state roughly $218 million each year, according to the budget.

The new benefit will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027, with no required contribution from teachers.

Golden State Teacher Grant

The Golden State Teacher Grant program, which had been at risk of running out of money, had an infusion of funding from three sources 鈥� $16.2 million in ongoing federal special education funding, $1.6 million in one-time federal Title II funds and $10 million in state general fund money.

The federal funding in the grant provides one-time payments of up to $20,000 to teacher candidates working toward a special education credential. Prospective teachers in other high-needs fields of study can get a grant of $10,000.

Recipients of the $20,000 grant must work at a priority school or in a California preschool program for four years and complete that service within eight years of finishing a teacher preparation program. Recipients of the $10,000 grant must complete 2 years of service within four years of completing teacher preparation, according to the , which administers the program. 

The program, which started with $500 million of state funding, has paid stipends to 28,000 teacher candidates since 2020-21. More than 90% of grantees who completed their commitment plan to continue teaching at a priority school, according to the commission.

It was a challenge for state leaders to find the money for the grant because it is considered a higher education item and can鈥檛 be funded with Prop. 98 funding, said Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice, a nonprofit education advocacy organization.

Prop. 98 is the 1988 formula that guarantees schools and community colleges receive about 40% of the revenue from the state鈥檚 general fund.

鈥淚n the initial budget in January, there were no new dollars for the Golden State Teacher Grant program,鈥� Tuck said. 鈥淎nd I think they did a good job of creatively finding some funding.鈥�

The state should create a new iteration of the Golden State Teacher Grant that can be funded with Prop. 98 dollars, said Tuck, who has lobbied with other education advocates for continued funding for the program.

Student teacher stipend

The budget allocates $408 million for the Student Teacher Stipend Program, which was created last year with $300 million after teacher candidates said they couldn鈥檛 afford to complete California鈥檚 required student teaching while working full time without pay. 

The program provides eligible student teachers $10,000 a year while they are completing the 600 hours of required student teaching. Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, the amount will increase to $15,000 for student teachers who work in a priority school or in a subject area where there is a shortage of teachers.

Student teachers being paid as interns or on emergency-style permits are not eligible for the stipend, according to the state budget.

Educator residency programs

The and counselor residency grant programs fund partnerships between school districts and preparation programs that residents a stipend of at least $20,000 while they learn alongside veteran classroom teachers and school counselors. 

California is adding another $250 million to the it has already spent on the programs since 2018.

The new budget extends the time residents are allowed to complete the training from five to eight years. It also waives grant repayment for participants who are unable to complete a program because of hardship. Previously, residents were responsible for repaying the grant, adjusted to reflect the service provided.

The 2026-27 budget authorizes the commission to award grants of between $100,000 and $300,000 to institutions that are beginning or expanding residency programs. Before this year, residency grants had been limited to $250,000.

The new money is expected to fund the program through 2029-30.

The state also has set aside $30 million to fund California鈥檚 through 2034. The center operates through five county offices of education.

Classified staff credential program

The budget includes $10 million for the  Credentialing Program, which helps school districts recruit and prepare classroom aides, food service workers, bus drivers and other classified staff to become teachers. 

Participants in the program receive financial assistance for tuition, books, exams and other fees. They are also given academic guidance and individualized support to complete teacher preparation and earn a credential.

Bilingual teacher recruitment

The budget also includes $10 million to recruit future bilingual teachers.

The funding allows school districts to partner with community colleges and universities to help students begin the process of earning a teaching credential and the bilingual authorization required to teach English learners.

California Teachers Association President David Goldberg called the state investments in teacher grants 鈥渇antastic,鈥� but agreed that more should be done to ensure teachers earn a good living and stay in the profession.

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 a good step in the right direction,鈥� he said.

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It鈥檚 been a difficult year for Mary Moody, owner of the top-rated Silver Bluff Kids Early Learning Center in Haywood County. She said her business has struggled since federal pandemic funds used to keep childcare centers open ran out in 2025.

Moody didn鈥檛 want to cut staff salaries after the federal money ran out, she said in an email, but avoiding wage cuts and paying higher operational costs meant the center had to end contributions to retirement plans and employee health insurance reimbursements 鈥渂ecause the money simply wasn鈥檛 there.鈥�

The center also had to cut back on art and craft supplies and some activities. 

The new state budget tosses a financial life preserver to rural businesses like Moody鈥檚 that provide subsidized childcare, offering them some hope of stability after a long period of hardship.

The budget commits $97 million in federal funds to raise subsidy rates, and it also sets a minimum rate, called a 鈥渞ate floor,鈥� that will end up sending more money to rural childcare providers than they otherwise would have received. Subsidies help low-income families cover childcare costs. 

鈥淭his is what we have been begging for for years,鈥� said Mandy Mills, executive director of the Southwestern Child Development Commission.

Rural providers collect fewer subsidy dollars per child than urban providers. Payments are based on market rate studies, as well as the quality of the childcare center or home and the age of the child. 

Rural providers have argued for years that the rates they鈥檝e been paid fall far below their actual costs. 

Mills鈥� commission administers subsidies for 14 western counties and operates the childcare resource and referral service for 37 counties. The rate floor will make a huge difference in rural western countries, she said. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a game changer,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have had programs closing right and left.鈥�

It鈥檚 not just childcare providers who called for a rate floor. Child advocates and businesses did, too.聽 called the rate floor a 鈥渂reakthrough鈥� and 鈥渢he single most consequential childcare provision in the budget.鈥�

Establishing a rate floor was also a top recommendation from Gov. Josh Stein鈥檚

Rural centers and home-based childcare operators that had been struggling are in line for significant increases.

A top-rated, five-star center in Randolph County receives a $867 subsidy per month for each infant, said Leanna Martin, director of early childhood education policy and research at NC Child. Starting in October, that same center will see subsidies increase by $500 a month for each infant.

In another example, reimbursements for five-star home-based care for 3- to 5-year-olds in Alleghany County will increase from $407 per month to $900 a month. 

The hope is that childcare options will expand in rural areas, with the increased payments encouraging centers and homes to accept more children. 

鈥淲hen reimbursements were so low, they were losing so much money,鈥� Martin said. 

There鈥檚 a tremendous need for infant care, but costs for providers are higher for babies because childcare centers need one staff member for every five babies. Staff-to-child ratios are higher for older children. 

Centers throughout western North Carolina closed classrooms because they could not hire or keep enough staff, said Mills. When centers needed to cut back, infant care was the first thing to go. 

Moody at Silver Bluff Kids is anxious to restore employee benefits and hire a new teacher. 

鈥淭he subsidy rate floor will, number one, allow us to avoid the big financial burden we have had. It will allow us to reinstate either a health insurance policy or a health insurance reimbursement plan with higher reimbursement rates than we were previously able to contribute to employees鈥� insurance. We will also contribute again to the staff鈥檚 retirement plans,鈥� Moody said. 

The center is fully enrolled with 54 children. Moody couldn鈥檛 afford to hire a new teacher, so she and the assistant director have been filling in. Moody said she spends her nights and weekends doing paperwork. 

鈥淭he rate floor, in my opinion, will allow centers to thrive,鈥� she said. 鈥� I think it will be a game-changer for retaining highly qualified staff and recruiting additional staff. This investment will allow many centers like ours to continue providing the high-quality care we are known for, without the financial stress of trying to figure out how to fit it all into the budget creatively.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Laura Leslie for questions: info@ncnewsline.com.

California鈥檚 latest budget includes $116 million over three years to help schools identify and support students experiencing homelessness 鈥� the first time the state has dedicated funding specifically for this purpose.

Homeless student advocates welcomed the investment after years of lobbying lawmakers to supplement the federal dollars California gets annually to address student homelessness. However, advocates cautioned that one-time funding will only go so far to address the long-term problem of student homelessness.

Nearly 300,000 students in California were identified as experiencing homelessness in 2024-25, according to state data. However, homeless student advocates say that number is likely an undercount because it鈥檚 challenging to identify homeless students. With dedicated funding, schools can hire specialized staff trained to identify students facing housing instability and develop longer-term support programs.

鈥淭here is a great need, but the hard part with this population is you have to find them and identify them, and we have never funded that,鈥� said Margaret Olmos, senior director at the National Center for Youth Law.

For years, Olmos and other advocates urged California lawmakers to provide state funding dedicated to homeless students, arguing that the federal McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act 鈥� about $15 million annually to California 鈥� was insufficient to meet districts鈥� needs.

This year鈥檚 2026-27 budget includes a one-time, three-year competitive grant program totaling $116 million. Although advocates had hoped for an ongoing funding stream, they called the allocation a significant step forward.

鈥淪hort-term money is very, very difficult for schools to utilize,鈥� Olmos said.

Why dedicated funding?

California schools already can use several funding buckets to support students experiencing homelessness, including funding for community schools, Title 1 for schools to support low-income students, and supplemental dollars via the Local Control Funding Formula.

But those funding sources can help students only after they have been identified as experiencing homelessness. The state鈥檚 $116 million investment is intended primarily to help schools find eligible students and connect them with services, according to the .

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 community school funding or other funding that California鈥檚 providing for its students, if homeless students aren鈥檛 identified, if they don鈥檛 have regular transportation, a way to get to school, has somebody who鈥檚 attending to all those other needs 鈥� they鈥檙e not going to be able to benefit from those other investments,鈥� said Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, an organization that advocates for homeless students.

Identifying students can be difficult if families are reluctant to disclose housing instability or do not realize they are considered homeless under federal law and thus qualify for services.

Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, student homelessness is defined more broadly than it is for the general population under the more commonly used definition from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Under McKinney-Vento, students are considered homeless if they lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence 鈥� including many who are temporarily living with relatives or friends because of economic hardship.

This definition includes students living 鈥�,鈥� meaning families who share housing due to economic hardship. The HUD definition doesn鈥檛 include families who are doubling up. live 鈥渄oubled-up,鈥� but they could go uncounted if they or people offering support are not aware of the different definitions of homelessness.

In recent years, California has taken steps to improve identification and access to resources.

, for example, requires schools to administer an annual housing questionnaire and report the results to the California Department of Education. Schools are also required under federal law to designate homeless liaisons responsible for identifying students and connecting them with services.

During Gov. Gavin Newsom鈥檚 administration, billions have been allocated to address homelessness statewide, with a small percentage set aside for youth. have applied for and received grants via that program, but funds are exclusively for housing, and not for services such as transportation, food assistance, clothing, school supplies and more that students need.

Olmos and other advocates say that this is where schools come in. School staff work to identify homeless students, though often with little to no dedicated funding.

A teacher or classroom aide might notice a student whose grades have slipped, or another鈥檚 who has an unkempt appearance. An attendance team might note sudden increased absences and might know they should flag a homeless liaison.

In many cases, that a family recently lost housing, cannot afford basic necessities or lacks reliable transportation to school.

California received in McKinney Vento dollars during the 2025-26 school year, distributed among 151 of the state鈥檚 more than 900 school districts and 58 county offices of education. An additional was allocated to support the , jointly managed by the Los Angeles, Contra Costa and San Diego county offices of education. The homeless liaisons for each of these three large counties answer questions submitted by liaisons or school staff from other districts, help train new liaisons and offer webinars on McKinney Vento requirements, among other things.

Because federal funding for student homelessness nationally has remained flat nationwide for at least three years 鈥� about $129 million annually 鈥� advocates say California cannot rely on significant increases from Washington. 

The state鈥檚 $116 million will 鈥渟ignal to other states that there鈥檚 a way forward, but also that, within California, this is one-time funding that will help really show policymakers and educators that this needs to be the new normal in California,鈥� said Duffield. 鈥淏ecause there鈥檚 no indication that homelessness is going to be down significantly in the next couple years.鈥�

A proof of concept

Supporters of the new funding point to the federal American Rescue Plan-Homeless Children and Youth, known as ARP-HCY, as an example of the difference dedicated funding can make.

, through the ARP-HCY program, school districts nationwide received $800 million in one-time Covid-19 relief funding, including $98.76 million for California. Districts used the money to hire homeless liaisons and support staff, provide emergency housing assistance, expand after-school programs and connect families with basic services. 

But when the federal government announced in 2024 the would not be replenished, some of those programs began ending as well.

Homeless student advocates say California鈥檚 new $116 million allocation creates a new opportunity to demonstrate the value of dedicated funding, while also highlighting the challenges of relying on one-time grants.

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a lot of lessons to be learned from ARP-HCY,鈥� said Duffield. 鈥淗ow the funds go out, what they can be used for, how the actual disbursement is being tracked. All of that from the get-go.鈥�

If districts can demonstrate measurable results, the hope is lawmakers will make the funding permanent, said Olmos.

鈥淥ur North Star has not changed. There has to be dedicated funding to this group that is safe in California moving forward,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we have a window to prove that this is a wise investment, and we are really hoping that we don鈥檛 lose it.鈥�

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COLUMBIA 鈥� A state-funded initiative to train South Carolina college students on a quantum supercomputer for future high-tech, high-paying jobs kicks into gear in January.

The newly formed South Carolina Quantum Association will start pairing students and professors with companies seeking industry advancements that only a quantum computer can provide, according to the group鈥檚 organizer, Joe Queenan.

The nonprofit is funded through a $15 million . The initial millions spent will pay for quantum consultants to coach students each semester through spring 2025, starting at the University of South Carolina before expanding to other colleges. It will also pay to rent time on a quantum computer housed at the University of Maryland but accessed through a web portal in the nonprofit鈥檚 office in Columbia鈥檚 Five Points.

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Because the technology is new, there are few experts in the field.

The association鈥檚 goal is to make South Carolina students specialists of this next-era technology through hands-on training before they graduate.

The hope is that a concentration of such experts in the Palmetto State could, in turn, lure more companies here to take advantage of the trained workforce stepping out of the state鈥檚 public and private universities.

鈥淚f we can train a generation on the skills needed, they鈥檙e going to be sought after by every entity in the world at a great salary,鈥� state Sen. Dick Harpootlian told the SC Daily Gazette.

That鈥檚 why the Columbia Democrat lobbied for the state dollars. He wants to make the technology, with its complex computing capabilities, widely available through college and workforce training programs.

While classic computers operate under a binary system of 1s and 0s, quantum computing is multidimensional. These computers solve in minutes complex calculations involving vast numbers of data points that would take years using a standard computer.

Some promising uses for the technology include the development of new pharmaceuticals and batteries. Banks are using it to prevent cyber-theft, reduce risky lending, and meet new regulations put in place in the wake of the Great Recession, according to IBM, which has more than 20 quantum computer systems around the world.

For example, to develop a new drug, scientists typically work by trial and error. It鈥檚 a long process. Researchers run thousands of tests in hopes that a molecule will be found that can combat a disease. But a quantum computer could run even the most complex simulations to determine how subatomic particles that make up a molecule interact. The same is true for scientists searching for new materials for batteries that would make them charge faster and hold more power.

In Silicon Valley, Mercedes-Benz is partnering with IBM to test how sulphur molecules behave in different environments, with the goal of replacing lithium-ion batteries. And Boeing recently gave $3.5 million to a Chicago-based quantum group to study quantum-enabled sensors.

Congress has funneled at least $3.7 billion to quantum research hubs across the country since 2019.

The same entrepreneurial leaders behind Columbia鈥檚 GrowCo organization, a conglomeration of technology startups that want to increase the number of high-tech companies in the Capital City, are leading the SC Quantum Association.

鈥楢n open race鈥�

The non-profit wants to get South Carolina in the game, alongside early adopters in more established quantum clusters such as Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Boulder, Colorado. Its leaders also want to leverage the state money to win more federal dollars.

鈥淲e can be world-renowned for what we do here,鈥� Harpootlian said. 鈥淭he question is, are we going to be last in the country or are we going to be the first.鈥�

Webbed partnerships already have sprung up around studying the technology, signing on Ivy League giants such as Harvard and Yale, renowned technology schools such as MIT and Virginia Tech, as well as a handful of state schools.

While those places may be ahead in terms of research dollars, Queenan said, the technology is still new and broad enough for South Carolina to distinguish itself by starting now.

鈥淚t鈥檚 still an open race but it鈥檚 going to take highly skilled workers,鈥� he said.

The fast pace of the technology鈥檚 development means demand for experts in the field is outpacing the availability of talent. The quantum association wants South Carolinians to fill that niche.

Harpootlian, whose district includes USC and Five Points, wants to reverse what he calls the 鈥渆xodus of our best and brightest鈥� and make South Carolina a technological center.

鈥淲hat we see is, the kids who want to develop skills in technology, they leave,鈥� he said.

This wasn鈥檛 his first attempt to land a quantum computer initiative in Five Points, though he did recraft his request to win more support.

Last year, Harpootlian got a $25 million earmark in the budget to buy a quantum computer. But , and legislators in with that line-item veto.

McMaster did not veto the cheaper option of renting the time.

Later phases of the state-funded initiative involve designing a quantum computing specialty degree program that colleges across the state could replicate. At least one of those will be offered at a historically Black college in South Carolina. Organizers also want to launch an online training academy for workers looking to transfer into a high-tech career.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: info@scdailygazette.com. Follow SC Daily Gazette on and .