For many California families, back-to-school season is a time of hope, but also sacrifice.

Parents stretch the family budget to buy backpacks, notebooks, new shoes and everything their children need to start the school year with confidence. They adjust their work schedules, organize childcare, and wonder what this new school year will bring.

Behind every first day of school is a simple dream: that this year will provide new opportunities for your children.

For millions of Latino families, education has always meant much more than academic learning. It is the path to opportunity, economic mobility and a more promising future. It is the promise that each generation can advance thanks to the sacrifices of the previous one.

That's why California's new state budget is cause for celebration.

As families prepare to send their children back to school, our state has made one of the largest investments in public education in California history, raising funding to record levels for our public schools.

This translates into more resources for classrooms; increased support for students with disabilities; additional investments for English learners, literacy, career readiness, immigrant students, and educators who dedicate their lives to helping students succeed. Schools will also receive significant flexible one-time funding that they can use to address local needs and help students thrive.

These investments will have an impact in classrooms across California. Since Latino students make up the majority of our state's public school enrollment, these investments are especially significant for our communities and for the future of California. Additionally, they send an important message to the hundreds of thousands of California families who have chosen a public charter school for their children.

During this year's budget discussions, some proposals would have significantly reduced funding for public charter schools, putting at risk the resources students depend on every day. Instead, California chose a different path.

The final budget protects funding for charter school students, preserves essential supports that enable many public charter schools to maintain safe, high-quality learning environments, and incorporates stronger accountability measures to ensure that public resources are used responsibly and transparently.

That's good news for families.

Charter schools are public schools. They educate hundreds of thousands of students in California, many of them multilingual students, young people who will be the first generation in their family to attend college, or children from communities that have historically had fewer educational opportunities.

Like any family, parents who choose a public charter school simply want their children to attend a school where they feel supported, challenged, and inspired to reach their full potential.

They are not asking for special treatment.

They are asking for equity.

And this year's budget reflects that principle.

As a new school year begins, parents will continue to do what they have always done: prepare lunches before dawn, applaud at school presentations and activities, and encourage their children to dream bigger than they ever thought possible.

Our responsibility as public policy makers is to match that hope with significant investments.

Because every backpack that enters a classroom in California this fall carries much more than books.

Bring the dreams of a family.

It carries the sacrifices that parents make every day.

And it carries the conviction that education remains the most powerful path to a better future.

This year's budget reminds us that those dreams are worth our investment.

(*) Myrna Castrejón is the president and CEO of the California Charter School Association (CCSA).

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