SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California charter schools would be subject to the same open meeting laws and disclosure requirements as school boards and local governments under a bill passed by the Assembly.
Lawmakers passed AB913 by Democratic Assemblyman Ed Chau of Monterey Park on Thursday. The bill now moves to the Senate.
Chau says it makes sense to hold the governing bodies of charter schools accountable to the same standards as other public schools because they are funded with taxpayer money.
He says too often charter schools are found to have misappropriated funds.
Republican lawmakers say the bill goes too far. Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen of Modesto said she didn't have a problem with transparency requirements but warned the bill contained restrictions on charter school donations that would put them in a fiscal bind.