Amended Charter School Authorizer Bill Passes Assembly Higher ED.

Business Editors/Education Writers

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2004

Significantly-Amended Bipartisan Bill Passes Second Committee,

Will Be Heard in Assembly Appropriations Committee 

California's Assembly Higher Education Committee on Tuesday approved Assembly Bill (AB) 2764, legislation that would expand the types of charter school authorizers to include public colleges and universities, by a four to one vote. The measure was approved after further contentious negotiations which resulted in one additional compromise amendment.

The latest compromise measure now restricts the cap on the number of charter schools that each public university system can operate to ten charter schools. Last week, the Assembly Education Committee approved AB 2764, with amendments that at the time limited the proposal to 20 charter schools per university system. Since its public introduction in March, AB 2764 has been amended 15 times -- each new compromise has effectively watered down the original proposal's effectiveness, but each compromise has been necessary to keep the bill alive in the face of significant political opposition.

"In the midst of intense political opposition, several Legislators stood firm in their belief that our public colleges and universities can more readily meet the needs of California's most disadvantaged public school children," said Caprice Young, CEO of the California Charter Schools Association. "While the bill has been significantly watered down, its intent remains, which is to intertwine the talents and resources of the world's best system of higher education with our struggling K-12 public school system."

Voting to approve AB 2764 were Committee Chair and Assembly Member Carol Liu (D - Pasadena), Assembly Member Hannah Beth-Jackson (D - Santa Barbara), Assembly Member Robert Pacheco (R - Diamond Bar), and Assembly Member Shirley Horton (R -- Chula Vista). While there were several abstentions, only Assembly Member Barbara Matthews (D - Stockton) voted against AB 2764.

Supporting the measure, along with the California Charter Schools Association, is faculty from Cal State University (CSU) at Los Angeles, CSU Dominguez Hills and CSU Sacramento. The California Teachers Association and the California School Boards Association remain strongly opposed to AB 2764.

Concerns raised by special interest organizations opposed to AB 2764 regarding the feasibility of colleges and universities overseeing charter schools have been effectively refuted by the Federal Department of Education's 2001 national study on charter school oversight, entitled, "Authorizing Agencies and Charter School Accountability." According to the study, "Of all the groups of authorizers, state colleges and universities have the highest case loads and receive, review, approve, and reject the greatest number of charter applications. Compared to local school districts, colleges and universities are more likely to reject proposals on the grounds of overall quality." The report also pointed out that universities nationwide are highly likely to view charter schools as partners -- providing technical assistance and accountability measures to the charter schools they authorize.

AB 2764 is a bipartisan proposal introduced by Assembly Member Pat Bates (R - Laguna Niguel). State Senator Dede Alpert (D - San Diego) and State Senator Chuck Poochigian (R - Fresno) are co-authors. Also endorsing this measure is Dr. Richard C. Atkinson, President Emeritus of the University of California System. The measure will move on to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, where it will be heard either later this month or in early May before it moves on to the full Assembly for approval.

AB 2764 was introduced following a major report released January by the California Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), which recommended the Legislature amend state law to include public colleges and universities as authorizers of charter schools. Adding further weight to the proposal is the successful track record of charter school oversight by public colleges and universities in other states. AB 2764 is similar to charter school laws in New York, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin -- states that have thriving charter school movements that successfully incorporate public colleges and universities into the oversight process.

To view or to download a copy of AB 2764, visit: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html

About the California Charter Schools Association

The California Charter Schools Association is California's premier charter school membership organization and is the public voice for California's 471 charter schools that currently serve 170,000 students. The Association supports California's diverse community of charter schools by providing members with the resources, leadership and support they need to work effectively with the entire public school system to ensure that all students get a fair chance to succeed.