Sacramento Bee Education Reporter Chaewon Chung answers a question during a back to school Q&A session with Tarini Mehta, a higher education reporter, at The Sacramento Bee\u2019s office in Sacramento on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com AI in Education<\/p>\n
As artificial intelligence becomes more common in classrooms, both higher education institutions and K-12 schools are working to decide how it should be used.<\/p>\n
\u201cSacramento State University is investing a lot of money into becoming a massive AI empowered campus,\u201d Mehta said. \u201cSo they\u2019re putting a lot of money into artificial intelligence and a $39 million deal with OpenAI to provide ChatGPT to all their people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mehta said higher education institutions are trying to integrate AI into their systems while also developing policies that define appropriate and ethical use.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost schools are trying not to be left behind by the AI train,\u201d Mehta said.<\/p>\n
At the K-12 level, Chung said AI policies vary by district and school. Many schools are focused on establishing clear guidelines for AI use while also limiting cellphone use during class<\/a> to reduce distractions and cheating.<\/p>\n The number of students enrolled in the Sacramento City Unified School District has dropped from 41,000 to 36,000<\/a> in the past decade. Declining enrollment remains one of the biggest financial challenges facing K-12 districts.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s going to become a growing issue moving forward,\u201d Chung said. \u201cBoth the state and local authorities would have to figure out a way to combat the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Mehta said enrollment at Sacramento State has steadily increased in recent years, but last year President Luke Wood announced<\/a> that beginning fall 2026, incoming students will now face a two-year, live-in residence requirement.<\/p>\n Sacramento Bee Higher Education Reporter Tarini Mehta answers a question during a back to school Q&A session at The Sacramento Bee\u2019s office in Sacramento on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com Enrollment and Budget Challenges<\/p>\n