Task force’s findings signal renewed fight over charters
(Calif.) A one-year moratorium on establishing new charter schools won majority support of a blue ribbon task force on charter reforms, the group announced Sunday.
The panel, convened by Gov. Gavin Newsom and led by state schools chief Tony Thurmond, also backed removing the California State Board of Education as the final court of appeal for charter applicants rejected on the local and county levels.
The 11-member task force, a majority of which represent labor unions and traditional public school entities, has no authority to dictate changes in state law or policy—but the backing of new restrictions on charter growth by the group signals a likelihood that lawmakers will return to battle over the question in the coming weeks.
Myrna Castrejón, president and CEO of the California Charter School Association, which was one of the organizations represented on the task force, said in a statement that the education community remains polarized over the growth of charter schools and that the work of the task force has not ended that debate.
“While we recognize that this marks an important step forward in fulfilling the charge entrusted by Governor Newsom to Superintendent Thurmond, there are elements that are deeply concerning and require more work ahead,” she said.
Earlier this year, the governor requested formation of the task force primarily to look at the fiscal impacts of charter growth on traditional public schools. That call came as a wave of legislation was being introduced targeting charter growth, the application process and management rules.
Although Newsom signed a bill in March that imposed new “good governance” requirements on charters, lawmakers set aside a number of further restrictions late last month in anticipation of the recommendations from the task force.
Now, efforts to revise the state’s charter school laws will no doubt take center stage again, and while the governor is generally not supportive of the charter movement, the question still deeply divides CONTINUE READING: Task force’s findings signal renewed fight over charters :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
