A package of major changes to California's charter school laws is advancing through the state legislature — changes that are making pro-charter advocates very, very nervous.
"They certainly represent an existential threat to charter schools," said Myrna Castrejón, executive director of the California Charter Schools Association.
But teachers unions see it the other way — that charter schools pose an existential threat to traditional, district-run schools — and after strikes in Los Angeles and Oakland, their efforts to enact new limits on the growth of charters have gained traction.
If enacted, Senate Bill 756 would prevent any new charter schools from opening until 2022.
In the other chamber, three Assembly bills — AB 1505, 1506 and 1507 — propose new hurdles to opening charter schools, and grant regulators new ways to shut down existing ones.
AB 1505 passed last week.
Statewide, one out of every 10 students in public schools is enrolled in a charter school; what happens to this legislation will directly impact their education.
Read the rest of Kyle’s piece here.
Guest:
Kyle Stokes, education reporter for KPCC who’s been following the story; he tweets