New laws impact charter schools

Association of California School Administrators

September 4, 2023

The following information was provided by Lozano Smith.

On July 10, 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill, Senate Bill 114, which, among other things, clarifies and revises provisions of the Charter Schools Act. Notably, the trailer bill:

Provides an automatic one-year extension for certain charter terms;
Extends the nonclassroom-based moratorium through January 1, 2026; and
Clarifies application of the standard of review for appeals of charter petition denials to the State Board of Education.

The trailer bill has several potential impacts on charter schools and authorizers, relating to renewals, instructional format and consideration of charter petitions on appeal. There is now additional time to plan for charter renewals, mitigating previously anticipated challenges related to the unavailability of California School Dashboard data. Further, the trailer bill offers statutory clarity that may be helpful to charter schools and authorizers alike in navigating the charter petition and appeals process. Finally, the extended moratorium and related study period may offer insight into funding and oversight processes for nonclassroom-based charters.

FYI

Read the Brief

The full legal brief is available now at content.acsa.org/sb-114-new-laws-impacting-charter-schools.