State lawmakers want charter schools to rev up academic performance and follow stricter guidelines for financial oversight and meeting diversity standards.

A trio of bills written by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, are designed to require greater accountability of charter schools during a time when state funding for public education has fallen to unprecedented lows and traditional schools are fighting to keep students and prevent further budget cuts from the state.

"We let charters operate with a greater degree of freedom, but in exchange for that freedom we expect results," Simitian said Monday. "A significant minority, about a third, are underperforming academically."

Roughly 10 percent of students in Santa Cruz County attend one of the seven or so charter schools throughout the