CANEC Supports Diaz, Leach Charter Reform Bills, Announces Opposition to Reyes Bill; Leach, Diaz Reform Bills Provides Additional, More Independent Oversight.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

The California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC), today announces its support of Assembly Bill (AB) 2503, authored by Assembly Member Manny Diaz, which proposes changes to where future charter schools can be located. The Diaz bill, which will restrict the location of charter schools to the geographic boundaries of their sponsoring district, has been developed in response to deficiencies in oversight of certain charter schools. The Diaz bill allows charter schools that successfully operate more than one campus to continue to operate, but also provides an additional level of comfort to a legislature that is questioning the effectiveness of the existing oversight system.

CANEC remains strongly opposed to AB 1994, authored by Assembly Member Sarah Reyes. The Reyes bill, which would limit the location of charter schools to a single site within the county of their sponsor, allows no exemption for existing charter schools and would leave thousands of school children unable to attend the school of their choice. It is CANEC's position that the Reyes bill unfairly targets charter schools that are providing much-needed options for parents, teachers and students.

CANEC also announces its support for AB 2628, sponsored by Assembly Member Lynne Leach, which gives an independent, additional level of oversight over charter school operations to county superintendents. Under the Leach bill, the county superintendent will be able to monitor the operation of all charter schools located within their county and will be able to conduct an investigation into the operations of any of these schools.

In contrast, the Reyes bill will eliminate the ability of schools to operate more than one site, despite the fact that many charter schools successfully operate more than one campus. It also mandates charter participation in the district fiscal reporting structure to circumvent a recent court victory won by California charter schools. By imposing this duplicative accounting structure, the Reyes bill will likely result in hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in additional accounting costs to the state.

"The Reyes bill takes the power to choose a school that works for kids away from parents and teachers by forcing good schools like mine to close our doors," said Eric Schoffstall, Director of the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District Charter School, a high quality charter school near Santa Cruz. "This proposal gives no consideration to the many charter schools that are successfully educating kids at more than one campus."

"Forcing good schools that are serving needy kids to close their doors is the wrong way to go," said Sue Bragato, CANEC's Executive Director. "The Reyes bill is an inappropriate response to the problems with the current oversight system since it only adds more bureaucracy, spends additional taxpayer dollars in the midst of a budget crisis and leaves thousands of families with one less option for their children."

All three bills will be heard in the Senate Education Committee when it convenes in Sacramento this Wednesday, June 26.

About CANEC

The California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC) is California's premier charter school networking and service organization and is the public voice of its members for the charter school movement in California. CANEC represents its members through networking, advocacy and public awareness.