California lawmakers are considering a $2.4 million proposal to launch the state’s first statewide special education parent action network, an effort intended to give families training and tools to advocate for students with disabilities.
The movement comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, July 9, signed AB 126, an education trailer bill for the state budget that allocates an additional $2.4 billion for special education funding.
Elk Grove Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-10th District) announced July 2 that the $2.4 million in funding that she seeks would be used over three years to lay the groundwork for the network through AB-2189. Her office said the effort comes as federal special education responsibilities shift among agencies and California seeks to support about 800,000 disabled students.
“Over the span of three years, we will invest $2.4 million to lay the groundwork for the creation of a Statewide Special Education Parent Action Network,” Nguyen said in a news release. “This is an important step in supporting parents as they learn to navigate the special education system. This critical funding ensures that parents come together in a coordinated manner to uphold the rights promised to students with disabilities.”
AB-2189 has passed the Senate Education Committee and is headed to the Senate Appropriations Committee, according to Nguyen’s office.
The actions follow a June 16 U.S. Department of Education announcement of new interagency agreements involving the departments of Health and Human Services and Justice. Federal officials said HHS will partner with the Education Department on special education and rehabilitative services, while DOJ will partner on civil rights enforcement, student privacy protection and training and advisory services.
Education Department officials said the partnerships are intended to reduce bureaucracy and improve coordination, and that federal obligations to enforce disability rights laws will not change.
Disability advocates have raised concerns about the federal moves, however.
The Arc of the United States warned that moving special education and civil rights functions outside the Education Department could make it harder for students with disabilities to access services, resolve discrimination complaints and hold states accountable under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
“Students with disabilities don’t experience school in agency silos,” Katy Neas, CEO of The Arc of the United States and former deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education, said in a statement. “A student who is denied services, disciplined for disability-related needs, or blocked from an accessible classroom needs one federal education system that can see the whole picture and act.”
Robyn Linscott, director of Education and Family Policy at The Arc of the United States, said that the federal government’s new approach risks segregating students and limiting potential.
“Moving IDEA oversight into HHS pushes students with disabilities toward a medical model, where disability is treated as a diagnosis to manage instead of a natural part of human life,” Linscott said in a statement. “When that mindset drives education decisions, students are more likely to be segregated, underestimated, or treated as separate from the school community.”
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities also criticized federal staffing cuts affecting the Office of Special Education Programs, stating that the office helps distribute IDEA funding and ensure states use it to provide required services.
Jordan Lindsey, executive director of The Arc of California, said the proposed state funding addresses a long-standing need.
“For too long, families have navigated California’s special education system without a consistent statewide structure to elevate their voices and inform policy,” Lindsey said in the news release from Nguyen’s office. “This investment represents more than funding. It is an investment in partnership, transparency, and the belief that families are essential to improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities.”
For the state budget signed July 9, the $2.4 billion increase in special education funding is a 43% increase from 2025, according to news release from the governor’s office. The aim is to secure special education funding at the same rate and increase the per-student rate to $1,340 to local educational agencies in answer to shifts in the U.S. Department of Education.
Chula Vista Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-80th District) said in a statement that the funds will help maintain the support that students in special education programs need.
“I have heard from families and from educators on the need to support students in Special Education; that is why I am extremely proud of this budget,” Alvarez said in the governor’s office news release. “These investments mean more reading specialists, more behavioral health aides, and more one-on-one support that will directly improve student outcomes. For students with disabilities, this means real progress in the classroom and beyond.”
The legislation also follows months of concern among disability-rights advocates over federal special education oversight.
Last October, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities criticized the Trump administration’s announced plans to remove nearly all staff responsible for distributing federal special education funding and ensuring states use it to provide required services, including assistive technology, specialized teachers and related supports. The center said the Office of Special Education Programs distributed $15 billion in federal grants to schools in 2025.
Kathleen Romig, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, wrote that those staffing reductions could weaken enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which requires the Education Department to verify that states are lawfully supporting students with disabilities before awarding funds and to require corrective action when they are not.
She wrote that OSEP staff use reporting, analysis and auditing to monitor whether students’ needs are being met, including whether districts provide required accommodations and services. About 15% of students receive services under IDEA, according to the center.
(Story updated at 7:18 p.m. July 9)
(Story updated at 7:04 p.m. July 9)
This report was partially written using artificial intelligence, then updated, edited and fact-checked against source material by North Coast Current staff. View our AI policy on the About Us page, and read more in a column by our publisher.
