Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, June 12, 2024…
- California is expanding transitional kindergarten with a vision of making it available to every four-year-old in the state by fall of 2025. This year, 150,000 kids were enrolled in TK. But that’s a long way from the state’s goal of serving 300,000 students. While many families are eager to sign up, they’re facing challenges when it comes to childcare.
- Governor Gavin Newsom has removed an outspoken occupational safety expert from the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, the agency that adopts California’s workplace health and safety rules. He’s also demoted the former chairperson of the board. This comes as OSHA is scheduled to vote on new heat illness protections for indoor workers.
- California’s ban on gun shows at county fairs and other public properties, has been upheld by a federal appeals court. In its ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided the laws do not violate the rights of firearm sellers and buyers. The decision overturned a federal judge’s ruling in October that blocked the laws.
As California’s Transitional Kindergarten Enrollment Grows, Parents Must Make Big Choices
Thousands of parents have opted into California’s ambitious $2.7 billion expansion of transitional kindergarten. In 2021, lawmakers voted to gradually phase in the grade on public school campuses over a five-year period until it covers all four-year-olds in the state. Governor Gavin Newsom has made universal TK a hallmark of his administration.
Enrollment has significantly increased to 150,000 students this past school year, but the state still has a long way to go to reach its goal of serving more than 300,000 by the fall of 2025.
The program’s growth will largely depend on parents buying into the program, but the transition to this new grade creates logistical challenges that force working parents to make difficult choices.
Newsom Dismisses Workplace Safety Regulator Ahead of Important Vote
Governor Gavin Newsom removed an outspoken occupational safety expert from a powerful regulatory body that adopts California’s workplace safety rules.