Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1543424
Charter Schools Increasingly Turn to Counties for Approvals Countywide charter petitions, once rare, have been increasingly used by the charter industry in an effort to bypass critical reforms contained in AB1505, passed in 2019 with significant effort from CTA members and our allies. Under AB1505, Districts can now consider the impact of a new or expanding charter on all students in the district, taking into account whether a new charter would cause a negative impact on existing programs and services and/or if they already offer a similar program that serves the same community. By submitting petitions directly to the county, charter operators can bypass districts altogether. Our union, along with education and labor allies, has been vigilant in protecting students and public education against unrestricted charter expansion at both district and county levels. Left to right: MBTA members Brooke DiPaolo and Clarissa Murillo with Wendy Root Askew, Monterey County Board of Supervisors, District 4. SETC members Veronica Espinosa and Tiffany Kellogg rep their public schools. highest populations of migrant students in California. e MCOE report further identified similar concerns about funding and meeting the needs of vulnerable students, including migrant and indigenous students. It cited these issues and other unmet requirements in Navigator's application. e proposed charter school would have three locations in the county — Salinas, Seaside/Marina and Soledad/Greenfield. e MCOE report found that the appli- cation did not reflect a plan responsive to the needs of Monterey County com- munities and did not contain evidence of local community support. MC OE staff highlighted that the petition was largely the same as a petition recently approved by the Orange County Board of Education, and proposed programs duplicative of what was already offered by district programs in Monterey. Locals lead opposition campaign Area locals first heard about the proposed charter school on Dec. 3, 2025. MBTA, SETC and Alisal Teachers Association quickly formed a committee to coordinate the campaign to fight back against Navigator. e committee included other locals, parents, community and labor allies (including local CSEA and CFT chapters and the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council), local elected officials and district administrators. Because of end-of-year activities and holiday breaks, the time for action was limited and organizers had to work fast before the MCOE board meeting on Jan. 14. "It was a huge collective effort," said Book, who is also chair of the Central Coast Counties Service Center Council. "We divided and conquered. We held one-on-ones with county board mem- bers and the MCOE superintendent of schools. We created a petition on Friday night at 5:30 for the board meeting the fol- lowing Wednesday and managed to get 2,100 signatures. We used social media, and our connections to community leaders. Everything had to be very quick. " It w a s a re a l l e ss o n i n stra t e g i c boots-on-the ground organizing. We had to be f lexible day by day, hour by hour. On the day of the board meet- in g, we l earn ed that Nav i gator wa s coming early — busing in their teach- ers, students and parents (many were Navigator employees with children in their charters). So we had to tell our folks to get there sooner — and we had so many people that many were put in an overf low room." e overwhelming support for existing schools and their stu- dents resulted in the board voting to reject the charter proposal, emphasizing in its decision the need to use every resource to support existing neighborhood schools. e decisive win protects existing local schools from financial instability and program cuts, and proves that strong organizing can beat big money. "Our district alone estimated that if the charter school was approved, then 120 employees and $9–$10 million would be cut from our budget. Now students have stability with teachers and school services." —MBTA President Rosalyn Book 41 W I N T E R 2 0 26