(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Without capacity in Californiaâs public school system to conduct meaningful interestholder engagement, especially as it relates to the local control and accountability plan development process, pupils, families, and communities may not be able to hold school districts accountable for decisions that affect pupil outcomes. (2) The statewide system of support established pursuant to Section 52059.5 should include expertise and resources to help school districts improve in their ability to engage interestholders meaningfully. (3) Through an important investment made through the Budget Act of 2018, the statewide system of support has grown to include the Community Engagement Initiative, which was established for the purpose of all of the following: (A) Building capacity in communities and school districts to have difficult conversations with each other and build trust, with a focus on improving outcomes for pupils. (B) Identifying effective models of community engagement and metrics to evaluate those models. (C) Developing effective peer-to-peer partnerships between school districts and county offices of education, utilizing the existing professional learning networks structure administered by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, to deepen community engagement using lessons learned from the work identified in subparagraph (A) and the models identified in subparagraph (B). (D) Scaling up the work identified in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) to improve community engagement statewide and incorporate practices that prove effective toward school district and county office of education continuous improvement efforts. (4) Through the Community Engagement Initiative, local educational agencies have been able to create authentic partnerships among pupils, families, districts, and communities that nurture relationships, build trust, ensure cultural, racial, and linguistic equity, and lead to transformative pupil outcomes. (5) While the initial investment in the Community Engagement Initiative was an important initial foray into building local educational agency engagement capacity, work remains to strengthen engagement statewide and further address the gaps in local capacity for meaningful community engagement. (b) The Community Engagement Initiative Expansion, or the Expansion, is hereby established for all of the following purposes: (1) Increasing and enhancing the emphasis on the engagement of pupils, families, and communities in all aspects of the Community Engagement Initiative. (2) Expanding the use of the Community Engagement Initiativeâs identified metrics to create a common definition and clear standards for meaningful engagement at the local and state levels. (3) Developing an in-depth training series on meaningful pupil, family, and community engagement and engaging local educational agencies and schoolsite staff in those trainings to build the knowledge, skillsets, and commitment of key staff in improving pupil, family, and community engagement. (4) Increasing the capacity of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence and the lead agency selected pursuant to subdivision (c) to scale up the initiative and improve alignment with the statewide system of support. (c) (1) By May 1, 2023, the department and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, with approval from the executive director of the state board, shall select an expert community engagement lead agency, consistent with Section 52073.1, to coadminister the Expansion with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. (2) The lead agency selected for the Expansion shall demonstrate a willingness and capacity to do all of the following: (A) Develop and disseminate expertise in community engagement. (B) Work collaboratively with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence and a diverse group of education interestholders. (C) Communicate reg
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