East SBV Times

Senate Bill 1411, aimed at enhancing K-12 curriculum with higher education expertise, has been vetoed by the Governor. Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) introduced this bill to improve the alignment between K-12 and college STEM education by involving subject matter experts from colleges and universities in mathematics and science curriculum development for K-12.

"SB 1411 was a crucial step towards creating a cohesive and comprehensive STEM education that adequately prepares our students for the challenges of higher education and the workforce," stated Senator Ochoa Bogh. She expressed disappointment but not discouragement over the Governor's decision.

The bill sought to address the need for K-12 science and mathematics education to align with public colleges' expectations. By including higher education experts in curriculum development, it aimed to provide students with a pathway to success in college.

A New York Post article emphasized the importance of math skills for Americans, stating, “The nation needs people who are good at math…They say America’s poor math performance isn’t funny. It’s a threat to the nation’s global economic competitiveness and national security.” Jim Stigler from UCLA noted that technological advances will likely come from other countries due to their intellectual capital.

Brian Conrad from Stanford University described the veto as unfortunate, stating that SB 1411 would have aligned curricular frameworks with future workforce skills. Jelani Nelson from UC Berkeley recalled co-authoring an open letter signed by over 1,000 domain experts calling for more higher education involvement in curriculum development. Despite these efforts, he lamented the Governor's decision as a loss for California's students.

Senate Bill 1411 was part of Senator Ochoa Bogh’s efforts to enhance educational quality in California by creating clear pathways aligned with higher education demands.