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Monday, February 14, 2011

After lawsuit, officials call for new 'statewide charter' rules | California Watch

After lawsuit, officials call for new 'statewide charter' rules | California Watch

After lawsuit, officials call for new 'statewide charter' rules

The state Board of Education ordered new rules last week to clarify how charter schools are granted statewide operating privileges. The action comes in the wake of a July 2010 Court of Appeals ruling that found the board improperly awarded statewide status to Aspire Public Schools, a charter school company founded in 2000.

Aspire currently operates six "statewide benefit" schools – two each in Sacramento, Huntington Park and Stockton. The organization has appealed the ruling – the result of a lawsuit filed by the California Teachers Association, California School Board Association and others – to the state Supreme Court. The court has not

New initiative aims to restrict teen access to abortion

In the past five years, three measures attempting to restrict abortions for minors have appeared on California ballots.

Last week, another state initiative "entered circulation," which means organizers have until July 11 to gather enough signatures to get it on the ballot. In December, another version failed to make it to the ballot, but proponents aren't giving up.

Like other recent measures, this initiative proposes [PDF] to change the California Constitution to require