California’s massive $110 billion TK-12 budget dedicates little for early literacy but districts can spend the extra money they are getting on early literacy staffing, books and training. The budget cut in half the $500 million Gov. Gavin Newsom sought for reading coaches. At the urging of Newsom, who himself has dyslexia, the state is funding $18 million to UC San Francisco to create a screening tool in multiple languages to detect reading difficulties, including dyslexia. But a bill to require K-2 testing stalled this year amid fears that English learners would be over-identified.
