Williams Act Information

Williams Act Compliance

The Eliezer Williams, et al., vs. State of California, et al. (Williams) case was filed as a class action in 2000 in San Francisco County Superior Court. The plaintiffs included nearly 100 San Francisco County students, who filed suit against the State of California and state education agencies, including the California Department of Education (CDE). The basis of the lawsuit was that the agencies failed to provide public school students with equal access to instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities, and qualified teachers.

The case was settled in 2004, resulting in the allocation of $138 million in funding for standards-aligned instructional materials for schools in the first and second deciles as determined through the 2003 Academic Performance Index (API) Base. The settlement includes another $50 million for implementation costs for schools in deciles one through three. These two amounts were included in the 2004-05 state budget.

Another $800 million will be provided for critical repair of facilities in future years for schools in deciles one through three. The settlement will be implemented through legislation adopted in August 2004: Senate Bill (SB) 6, SB 550, Assembly Bill (AB) 1550, AB 2727, AB 3001.

As a result of the Williams case, CDE is proposing changes to the School Accountability Report Card to help all schools report the overall condition of their facilities, the number of teacher misassignments, and the availability of textbooks or instructional materials.

For additional information visit the Williams Case page on the CDE web site.