One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Want To Start A Charter School In LAUSD? New (Tougher) Ground Rules Now Apply
FILE - A group of around 50 teachers and parents from El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills attend a protest on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (Kyle Stokes/KPCC)
Los Angeles Unified School Board members this afternoon narrowly voted to approve a policy that has alarmed charter school advocates.
The new policy outlines how LAUSD officials will weigh requests to start new charter schools or renew existing charter schools, which currently serve more than 118,000 students.
LAUSD is adapting its guidelines to account for sweeping changes to California’s charter law, which granted districts statewide more powers to block new charters from opening. But the changes to state law — part of Assembly Bill 1505 — also mean that existing schools with strong academic track records should have an easier time staying open.
The California Charter Schools Association argues LAUSD’s new policy oversteps its new powers, and could effectively “ban new charter schools and close existing quality schools.” But LAUSD leaders say the charter association’s concerns actually stem from AB 1505 itself, not district overreach.
HOW THEY VOTED
On Tuesday, board members held several, separate votes on each section of the 120-page policy. Board members voted 4-3 to approve the section on new charter applications, with Mónica García, Kelly Gonez and Nick Melvoin — all endorsed by the charter association — voting no.
But on the section covering charter renewals for existing schools, only Jackie Goldberg voted no. The board also adopted an amendment that would apply LAUSD-generated growth data to the district’s decisions on renewals.
Sponsored message
L.A. Unified School Board members meet via Zoom on Aug. 11, 2020. (Screenshot/LAUSD)
WHY THIS MATTERS
Assembly Bill 1505 was crafted in the spirit of high-minded compromise — meant to help charter advocates and critics resolve their differences and join forces to advocate for mutual interests.
But L.A. Unified is home to more charters — publicly-funded schools run by nonprofits, operating under district oversight but outside school district control — than any other school system in the nation. Whether or not Assembly Bill 1505 can live up to its goal of turning down the temperature of charter school politics will largely depend on how LAUSD implements the new law.
READ MORE:
- Huge Changes To California's Charter School Law Just Took Effect. Already, LAUSD Charters Are Worried
- Your Guide To The Biggest Changes To California Charter School Laws Since 1992
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
