This week saw a lot of action on charter school legislation as Friday, April 28 represented the last day for California legislative policy committees to hear and act on bills that are keyed fiscal. Being keyed fiscal means that they will have to be heard in the respective appropriation committees over the next several weeks. Below are some of the key highlights from those bills.
AB 950 by Assemblywoman Rubio greatly expands the power of county boards of education and the State Board of Education to authorize charter schools. Some charter leaders and County Boards of Education view this measure as a big step forward as it eases some of the tensions that exist between an authorizer and its charter school by allowing other means for authorization. It passed the Assembly Education Committee by a 4-1 vote with 2 abstentions. It will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 806 by Senator Glazer would have applied conflict of interest policies and self dealing policies to charter schools including the Political Reform Act and Public Records Act. It would have also created a ‘fire-wall’ between charter schools and the for-profits that they work with while banning for profit companies from operating charter schools. The measure divided the charter school community as the Charter School Association sponsored the bill and other charter school organizations opposed the measure along with the Association of Clerks and Election Officials and numerous union and trade organizations. The bill failed by a 2-1 vote with 4 abstentions in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SB 808 by Senator Mendoza would have removed a charter school’s ability to appeal a denial or revocation at the County Board of Education or the State Board of Education. It would have only allowed school districts to approve a charter school and if they did not approve that charter petition the charter would essentially be dead. Senator Mendoza presented the bill in the Senate Education Committee for testimony only with no vote. There was a contentious debate on both sides but the bill should not move out of committee.
AB 1661 by Assemblywoman Caballero is sponsored by the Department of Education and is their attempt to move the state from the API to a new measurement. The bill is still a work in progress and the Department should be amending it as it moves forward but I want to make sure it is on your radar screen because it will affect charter schools. The measure passed the Assembly Education Committee 4-2 with 1 abstention. It will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1224 by Assemblywoman Weber would have created a pilot program in the state for charter school authorization. The program would have allowed three county offices of education to authorize up to five new charter schools in their county or the neighboring counties. It would have also authorized existing CMOs to consolidate up to 10 existing schools, located anywhere in the State, under a county office of education and exempted these CMOs from existing resource center requirements. Assemblywoman Weber did not take the bill up in the Assembly Education Committee because she did not have the votes so it is effectively dead for the year.
AB 1360 by Assemblyman Bonta would establish expulsion and suspension procedures for charter schools, limit the type of preferences they can use for admission and state that parental involvement cannot be a requirement to attend a charter school. The measure passed the Assembly Education Committee 5-2 and will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
To view any of these measures or their committee analysis please go to www.legislature.ca.gov and hit the bill information tab on the top left and place in the bill number.
Month: April 2017
National Charter Schools Week 2017 (May 1-5) and we’re excited to do our part to support some of the exciting events and state Advocacy Days this year. We’re happy to take this opportunity to recognize and raise public awareness for charter schools, while celebrating their many academic successes.
Charter school education has grown steadily since the first charter law passed in 1991 in Minnesota. Today there are nearly 7,000 public charter schools serving more than 3 million students nationwide in 44 states plus the District of Columbia – this is a sixfold increase from just 15 years ago and is the first year the 3 million mark has been surpassed.
There are many activities this week to celebrate and support charter schools. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools offers a free downloadable toolkit with social channel logos to help promote awareness of the week, as well as other materials like a sample press release, sample op-ed piece, and a state proclamation worksheet to request that your state’s governor recognize Charter School Week.
In accordance with the increased efforts this year to raise charter school awareness amongst the nation’s lawmakers, the National Alliance is also recognizing what they call “Charter Champions” – these are the federal, state and local government officials who are pushing through policies aimed at helping the charter school movement continue to grow and thrive. They’ll be honored at a reception at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 3rd.
Special attention is also being given to charter school graduates, with the #30DaysofGrads campaign spotlighting some of the thousands of students graduating this year. Charter school students are invited to submit their photos and essays about their charter school experiences in order to be featured – the 30 days of Grads kicks off on the first day of National Charter School Week, May 1st.
Other events are happening at state capitols around the country for Advocacy Day on Tuesday, May 2nd. The California Charter Schools Association will be leading a group of charter school advocates in a day of meetings with local legislators at the state capitol in Sacramento. Michigan Association of Public Charter Schools will also be holding a “Day at the Capitol,” in Lansing, Michigan which will include charter school performances, meetings with State Legislators and social promotion of the event using the #CelebrateCharters hashtag.
Our team will be following along and featuring some of these National Charter Schools Week activities on our social channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We invite you to join the conversation as well, by using some of the free social logos and using the #NCSW2017 hashtag.
JOIN OUR WEBINAR ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 3rd!
What’s coming in Federal and State policy issues and what are the key changes from the new administration? Our upcoming webinar will address the trends and challenges that charter school leaders should know about.
Join us on Wednesday, May 3rd at 9 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. EST with panelists Todd Ziebarth, Senior VP of State Advocacy and Support, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, John Cairns, Attorney and Consultant at John Cairns Law, and Stuart Ellis, Charter School Capital’s President and CEO. There will be a lively discussion about the types of federal funding currently available, congressional positions charter leaders can expect, and how individual states will be supporting charter schools.
REGISTER TODAY!
Charter Schools Face Facilities Challenges
Access to appropriate facilities and the funds to pay for them remain big obstacles for charter school expansion today. More than one million students are on charter school waiting lists across the country. One reason for this points to facilities needs. With only 12% of charters able to qualify for a bond, many are left facing financing challenges for facilities they require in order to match their educational programs and the needs of their students. Charter schools across the country are faced with smaller classrooms than their peers, and traditional funding programs simply aren’t sufficient to cover real estate investments or construction costs aimed toward facilities improvements.
According to the National Conference of State Legislation, a “significant relationship” exists between the condition of school facilities and student performance. And, data from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), highlights that more than half of charter schools could outgrow their current facilities within five years.
“The dramatic growth of charter schools across the country makes it clear that facilities financing, which is already one of the industry’s largest challenges, is an even more pressing issue today. Working with charter leaders, developers and other partners allow us to serve a broad array of charter schools nationwide by freeing-up resources that schools are then able to allocate to classroom instruction or other operational needs,” explains Stuart Ellis, President and CEO at Charter School Capital.
Back in 2014, Charter School Capital and its facilities arm, American Education Properties, launched with investors a $500 million pool of capital specifically for charter school facilities needs to allow for broader access to charter school facilities funding. To date, Charter School Capital has invested $300 million into charter school facilities with 37 properties under management nationwide. Access to these facilities funds allows charter schools to align their facilities with their educational mission.
Charter schools are able to determine their own long-term facilities needs and maintain full control of their buildings. This represents a major improvement from the year-to-year lease renewals that many charter schools currently experience. By providing long-term facilities security and an investment partner interested in charter school expansion, charter schools now have the ability to expand their enrollment and educational offerings with confidence.
“By providing charter schools security in their facilities, this effort helps lift a burden many schools face and will enable schools to focus, as they should, on their students and their academic results. School administrators will be better able to direct their scarce resources and time toward educating students rather than worrying about real estate needs,” said Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Charter School Capital offers a variety of financing solutions including working and growth capital in addition to facilities financing, so that charter schools can focus on reaching and teaching more students while continuing to succeed and grow.
If your charter school needs help with expansion, site design and selection or facility development, our team of experts is here to help you with a needs assessment. Contact us at GrowCharters@CharterSchoolCapital.org or learn more on our facilities offerings on our website. Also check out our recent webinars, including one focused on facilities options for charter schools.
The Ultimate Guide to Charter School Facility Financing:
Thinking about a new facility for your charter school or enhancing your current one? This guide shares straightforward and actionable advice on facilities planning, financing options, getting approved, choosing a partner, and much more! Download it here.
JOIN OUR WEBINAR NEXT TUESDAY!
I Need A Better Facility For My School. Now What?
Have you thought about the type of facility required to accommodate your current school’s needs and future growth? Are you aware of the various charter school facilities financing options that are available to you?
Join us for an exclusive webinar with Stuart Ellis, our President and CEO and Mike Morley, President and CEO of American Charter Development for a discussion about funding options for facilities.
PANELISTS:
Stuart Ellis, President and CEO, Charter School Capital
Mike Morley, President and CEO, American Charter Development
WHEN: Tuesday, 4/18 10AM Pacific / 1PM Eastern
Access to adequate facilities is one of the biggest challenges charter schools face nationwide, and we’ll address some best practices for successfully choosing and acquiring the best facility to suit your school’s growth needs.
REGISTER TODAY!
This year’s California Charter Schools Conference was packed full of great keynotes, sessions and networking opportunities and we think it was one of the best conferences from CCSA! We enjoyed meeting other charter leaders in person at our booth and at our breakout and poster sessions on facilities funding, growth strategy, growth capital, student enrollment marketing, and social media marketing.
The learnings we gained from attending sessions and connecting with partners and clients at the many events were invaluable. It was a privilege to be a Diamond Sponsor and we’d like to thank the California Charter Schools Association for putting on a great conference. If you couldn’t attend this year, definitely put it on your calendar for next year…in San Diego!
Whether you attended the conference or not, we invite you to access our conference session presentations and Facebook Live recordings by visiting our website. Also, sign-up for our newsletter and ongoing outreach to continue building your charter school knowledge. Please reach out if you have questions. And, keep an eye out for our upcoming webinars.
Hope to see you at next year’s conference!