As a new school year begins, lawmakers are again trying to give public school teachers paid family leave .
Supporters believe the benefit will help attract and retain high-quality teachers in the face of an increasing shortage. But critics worry that the bill —which has widespread support among the Democratic majority in the Legislature and is a priority for the Legislative Women’s Caucus —could come at the actual expense of students .
The union-backed bill , authored by the Democratic Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry , would give teachers 14 weeks of fully paid leave after having a baby, paid for by school districts through existing state funding .
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill in 2019, but won’t say which way he’s leaning on this legislation, which goes even further than the bill he vetoed.
The reality is that hundreds of thousands of California teachers and public employees are still not entitled to paid leave after having a baby. In fact, teachers effectively have to pay for their own substitute teacher after giving birth.