Newsom Reverses on Long-Sought Paid Leave Benefit for Teachers in California By Annie Sciacca July 28, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/elections/newsom-california-teacher-paid-maternal-pregnancy-leave-reversal/ 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. KFF Health News: Newsom Reverses On Long-Sought Paid Leave Benefit For Teachers In California 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 school districts deduct the cost of a substitute teacher from educators’ pay during parental leave. (Sciacca, 7/28)