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SB-341 • 2026

Instructional School Gardens Program: reestablishment: Department of Food and Agriculture.

Instructional School Gardens Program: reestablishment: Department of Food and Agriculture.

Agriculture Budget Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Pérez
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify details about public meetings or how community-based organizations will be involved in running the program beyond being part of the working group.

Reestablishing School Garden Program

This law reestablishes and changes the Instructional School Gardens Program, moving it from the State Department of Education to the Department of Food and Agriculture.

What This Bill Does

  • Moves the management of school garden programs from the State Department of Education to the Department of Food and Agriculture.
  • Creates a working group with different state departments and community organizations to help run the program.
  • Sets up a fund in the State Treasury for money used by the Department of Food and Agriculture to support school gardens.
  • Requires the department to develop a process for giving out grants to schools or other groups that want to start garden programs.
  • Needs public meetings before creating the grant process.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School districts
  • Charter schools
  • County offices of education

Terms To Know

Instructional School Gardens Program
A program that helps schools create and maintain gardens for educational purposes.
Working group
A team of people from different organizations who work together to help run the school garden program.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill needs money from the state or private funds to start.
  • It is not clear how much funding will be available for the program.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 California Legislative Information

    Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

  3. 2025-05-16 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 23.

  4. 2025-05-12 California Legislative Information

    May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  5. 2025-05-02 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 12.

  6. 2025-04-29 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 932.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  7. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on AGRI.

  8. 2025-03-28 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 29.

  9. 2025-03-20 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on AGRI.

  10. 2025-03-19 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on AGRI. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 420.) (March 19).

  11. 2025-03-03 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing March 19.

  12. 2025-02-19 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on ED. and AGRI.

  13. 2025-02-13 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 15.

  14. 2025-02-12 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 341, as amended, Pérez.
Instructional School Gardens Program: reestablishment: Department of Food and Agriculture.
Existing law establishes the Instructional School Gardens Program for the promotion, creation, and support of instructional school gardens through the allocation of grants, and through technical assistance provided, to school districts, charter schools, or county offices of education. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to administer the program, as provided.
This bill would revise and recast the Instructional School Gardens Program by, among other things, reestablishing the program under the administration of the Department of Food and Agriculture for the promotion, creation, and support of instructional school gardens through the allocation of grants and the provision of technical assistance to support instructional school garden programming in school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools. The bill
would require the department to convene a working group consisting of the department, the State Department of Education, the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and instructional school garden community-based organizations. The bill would require the working group to advise and assist the Department of Food and Agriculture in carrying out the program, as provided. The bill would establish the Instructional School Gardens and Maintenance Fund in the State Treasury and would require moneys in the fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for purposes of the program, as specified.
This bill, contingent upon an appropriation or receipt of sufficient private funds, as specified, for its purposes, would require the department, on or before July 1, 2026, and in consultation with the working group, to develop a competitive grant process, including selection criteria, goals,
prioritizations, and guidelines, for purposes of the program, as provided. The bill would require eligible applicants to be local educational agencies or other entities
partnering
that have an established track record of operating outdoor, experiential learning programs in schools and that are in partnership, as defined,
with at least one local educational agency,
including, but not limited to, community-based organizations,
and would require applicants to designate one of 2 grant categories for each proposed schoolsite, as provided, and to submit a plan and measurable outcomes for a program of experiential, outdoor instruction that meet specified requirements. Before developing the competitive grant process, the bill would require the
department to hold at least 2 public meetings to gather public input on the development of the competitive grant process.

Current Bill Text

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