Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/830448
Advocating for Transparency, Accountability and Equal Access For more information, see cta.org/charterschools. CTA supports all public educators, whether they work at traditional or charter schools, and believes all students deserve a quality education. Charters are public schools, funded by taxpayer money. But many don't hold themselves to the same standards as traditional public schools. This has led to severe problems at taxpayer, educator and student expense. CTA is working to address these issues through legislation — and unionization. PROBLEM: SOLUTION: Charter schools are not subject to over- sight or transparency. This means they are not accountable and can operate in secret, which can lead to waste, fraud and abuse. AB 1478, by Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), makes governance of charter schools transparent and accountable to the taxpayers who fund them. It would make charter schools subject to the Brown Act, requiring open meetings; the Public Records Act, requiring open books; and two laws preventing conflict of interest. It prohibits charter school board members and their immediate family from finan- cially benefiting from their schools. Charter schools can cherry-pick students. This denies equal access to all students. It can leave school districts with a larger percentage of kids with high needs, and because Average Daily Attendance funds follow students to charter schools, a smaller amount of money to serve them. AB 1360, by Assembly Member Rob Bonta (D-Alameda), pro- hibits discriminatory admissions and enrollment practices and ensures due process in pupil discipline. Charters would be required to provide fair access to all students regardless of ZIP code, socioeconomic status, race, grades or native language. It clarifies that schools cannot weed out students with special needs, require parental volunteer hours as criteria for admis- sions, and must comply with federal and state constitutional due process regarding suspension and expulsion. Charter school petitions are often approved by entities far removed from local school districts and communities. This means local funding and educational objectives are often ignored or dismissed. SB 808, by Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), legislates local control of charter schools. It requires that all charter school petitions be approved by the school board of the school district in which they are located. An appeal of a charter school denial would be allowed by a county board of education only if the dis- trict committed a procedural violation in reviewing the petition — in which case the county board would remand the petition to the school district for reconsideration. (Charter schools operat- ing outside the district in which they are based could continue operating until the date on which renewal is required — and then go before the local school district's board.) The bill also allows a school board to deny a charter petition if granting a charter would impose financial hardship on the district. Educators at non-union charter schools often have no say in decision-making, and can be hired and fired at will. These educators have the right to unionize. Approximately 250 of California's charter schools are unionized, and CTA proudly represents more than 7,300 charter educators. 33 May / June 2017