What don’t they get? Rather than work to make struggling public charter schools successful, the leadership of the California Charter School Association is seeking to weaken the State’s original law.
Since the passage of the California Charter Schools Act in 1992, educators across California heeded the call to develop schools and give families a better option for their child’s education. In order to innovate, charter schools were given freedom and flexibility.
Unfortunately, SB 806 now threatens charter schools’ ability to thrive and serve students – especially those in underserved communities.
The California Charter Schools Association shares McCarty’s concerns, but the powerful advocacy group disagrees with his approach.
Fearing that overbroad language in AB 406 could impact routine contracting and send successful charter schools’ operations into disarray, the organization is sponsoring an alternative, Senate Bill 806. Authored by Democratic state Sen. Steve Glazer of Orinda, the measure seeks to create a “firewall” between for-profit contractors and the nonprofit charter schools they serve.
SB 806 would prohibit the companies from selecting a school’s board members, approving its budget or supervising any of its teachers. It would also force all charter schools to comply with existing open meeting and open record laws.
“We don’t think it’s appropriate to prohibit charter schools from contracting with (for-profit companies). We want to create some nuance around when that sort of contracting is appropriate,” said Colin Miller, a senior adviser to the association.
Read More: https://calmatters.org/articles/california-bills-aim-crack-profit-charter-schools/
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