Newsom Reverses on Long-Sought Paid Leave Benefit for Teachers in California

California lawmakers gave public school teachers 14 weeks of paid leave in the state’s new budget, a long-sought benefit for the largely female workforce. Gov. Gavin Newsom previously opposed similar measures.

By: Annie Sciacca

Outlets: KFF Health News

Published: July 28, 2026

Words: 999

Last Updated: 6 days, 7 hours ago

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California public school teacher Mollie Blustein planned her pregnancy so that her daughter would arrive during summer break. But when the elementary school teacher went into premature labor and delivered her baby two weeks before the end of school, she faced another stressor: a huge pay cut.

The majority of California’s roughly 300,000 teachers don’t have access to the state-funded paid leave program that most new parents in the private sector do. Instead, many local …

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