Pupil instruction: high school graduation requirements: career technical education.

Budget Education

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Valladares
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 exact effective date of the law is unknown and depends on legislative funding approval.

High School Graduation Requirements: Career Technical Education

This law changes high school graduation requirements by requiring students graduating in or after the 2031-32 school year to complete a separate, stand-alone career technical education course.

What This Bill Does

Eliminates the current option for career technical education to count towards existing graduation requirements starting July 1, 2027, or upon a specified event related to University of California and California State University requirements.
Requires students graduating in or after the 2031-32 school year to complete one semester of a separate, stand-alone career technical education course.
Prohibits combining this career technical education course with any other high school courses.
Requires schools to start offering these separate career technical education courses starting from the 2028-29 school year.

Who It Names or Affects

High school students in California who will graduate after the 2031-32 school year
School districts, county offices of education, and charter schools with high school students

Terms To Know

stand-alone course: A class that is not combined or integrated into another subject.
state-mandated local program: Programs where the state requires local agencies to perform certain duties, often with additional funding provided by the state.

Limits and Unknowns

The law will only take effect if the Legislature provides funding for it.
School districts and other educational institutions must start offering these courses in the 2028-29 school year to comply with future requirements.
If the state mandates new duties on schools, they may be eligible for reimbursement from the state.

Bill History

2026-02-02 California Legislative Information
Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
2025-05-01 California Legislative Information
April 30 set for first hearing. Failed passage in committee. (Ayes 2. Noes 5. Page 961.) Reconsideration granted.
2025-04-22 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 30.
2025-04-21 California Legislative Information
April 23 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-04-10 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.
2025-04-08 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.
2025-04-04 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 23.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.
2025-03-05 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on ED.
2025-02-21 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
2025-02-20 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 612, as amended, Valladares.
Pupil instruction: high school graduation requirements: career technical education.
Existing law requires a pupil to complete designated coursework while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. The coursework requirements include, among others, the completion of one course in visual or performing arts, foreign language, or career technical education. Existing law eliminates the authorization for career technical education to count toward that graduation requirement on July 1, 2027, or upon the occurrence of a specified event relating to career technical education requirements of the University of California and the California State University, whichever occurs earlier, as specified.
This bill, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, would delete the above-described authorization and instead would indefinitely require, commencing with pupils
graduating in the 2031–32 school year, the completion of a separate, stand-alone one-semester course in career technical education, that is prohibited from being combined with any other course, as a high school graduation requirement. The bill, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, would require school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools with pupil in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, to, commencing with the 2028–29 school year, offer a separate, stand-alone one-semester course in career technical education, that is prohibited from being combined with any other course. To the extent that the bill imposes new duties on school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish
procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Current Bill Text

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