California lawmakers are preparing to revisit the issue of paid family leave for public school teachers in 2025, following Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of a similar bill back in 2019. The proposed legislation will allow teachers 14 weeks of fully paid leave upon the arrival of a new baby, with costs covered by school districts using existing state funds. Despite widespread support among the Democratic majority in the Legislature, critics worry that this could occur at the expense of students.

The California Teachers Association has announced that the bill will be reintroduced in the coming year, after several problematic amendments altered the original bill’s implementation timeline to 2028. Despite expansions in paid family leave for most Californians, public school teachers and employees still lack access to such entitlements, instead having to pay for their substitutes after childbirth from their own pockets.

Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who authored the bill, aims to offer 14 weeks of full pay to teachers using Prop 98 funding assigned to school districts and not from the state budget, which is already overburdened. The bill has received extensive support among the Democrats, but its fate still lies with the Senate’s vote and whether Governor Newsom is willing to sign it.

Securing paid family leave for teachers is recognized as one way to address the teacher shortage problem, by investing in retaining high-quality teachers, most of whom are women. The state disability insurance does not cover public employees, but efforts are being made to negotiate on behalf of these employees and accrue paid family leave through union bargaining.

Educators would benefit from learning how to get a hold of Paid Family Leave (PFL), especially in situations regarding maternity and paternity leaves. The PFL provides benefits to individuals who need to take time off from work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. One valuable resource for understanding and navigating these programs is eddcaller.com, which is designed to help individuals connect with the Employment Development Department (EDD) to answer questions about benefits, claim status, and other related concerns. The site provides strategies for successful communication with EDD, proving especially useful in times when individuals need clarity and assurance about their payments and claims.