- Luiz Torres
- Office of Assemblymember Avelino Valencia
- (916) 319-2068
- Luiz.Torres@asm.ca.gov
Sacramento – Members of the Assembly voted to overwhelmingly pass AB 721 by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim), which modernizes the statutory requirement for county superintendents to publish district budget meeting notices.
Currently, county superintendents are required to post these notices in newspapers. This bill would give school districts the choice to post notices prominently on the homepage of the internet website or continue to post in their local newspapers.
School districts will have the option to cut costs without the need for publications, and save staff time that was focused on formatting for the publications. Switching to online notices will increase the accessibility of information for countless parents looking to be involved in the budget process; additionally, AB 721 will provide flexibility to school districts allowing them to adjust to public needs and giving them the opportunity to save costs during a budget deficit.
“AB 721 will save costs, streamline information, enhance efficiency, and increase local control of these budget notices,” said Assemblymember Valencia. “We trust our educational institutions will continue to provide transparent and reliable information to their constituencies through online means that are the ‘go-to’ destination of resources for countless parents and stakeholders.”
“We are pleased to see that AB 721 has passed the Assembly.” said Orange County Department of Education Superintendent Dr. Al Mijares, “This legislation will significantly benefit transparency and accountability by encouraging the Orange County Department of Education and other local education agencies to post timely budget information prominently on the homepages of their websites, where the public will have greater opportunities to interact with and participate in, the budgeting process.”
AB 721 passed the Assembly 77-0. The bill is now waiting for policy committee referral in the Senate.