What we learned from this legislative session
From the Executive Director, Wesley Smith
November 4, 2019
Our first legislative session with Gov. Gavin Newsom is in the books, and we learned a lot about his leadership, dispositions and agendas. Most alarming for many of our members was the erosion of local control. Prior to his taking office, ACSA wondered where Newsom would land relative to local control. He told us during his endorsement meeting that he agrees with local control but believes the benefit of local control should be earned. 
This session, he gave us greater insight into his opinion of local control when he signed SB 328 (Portantino). ACSA mobilized its members to help the Legislature see that the “science” behind this bill is refuted by other research. More importantly, SB 328 is the opposite of local control. Our members passionately shared that school start times must be local decisions because our communities are very diverse and have disparate access to transportation and child care. ACSA also warned that SB 328 would significantly impact co-curricular and extra-curricular activities — activities that engage and motivate students. Gov. Jerry Brown was a passionate defender of local control and we could count on him to veto bills that threatened it. Newsom signed SB 328 and signaled that this administration has a different perspective than the previous one. We also learned that Gov. Newsom wanted to prioritize charter school reform in his first session so the Legislature can move on to other issues in future sessions. The very first bill he signed was SB 126 (Leyva) that mandated transparency and conflict of interest provisions that traditional school districts already had to abide by. That was the easy one. Next, the governor and the rest of the state for that matter, turned their attention to the most comprehensive charter authorization and renewal reform since 1992. AB 1505 (O’Donnell) soon became the conversation in the Capitol. ACSA convened a charter school task force in 2017 to prepare for this moment. Our task force included school, district, county and charter leaders statewide. ACSA staff and members used their “Charter Principles and Priorities” (public accountability and transparency, equity and diversity, and innovation) to advocate for appropriate and meaningful reform. We also advocated for the ability to consider the financial impact of charters on host LEAs and their communities.  While no one got everything they wanted with AB 1505, the signing of this bill gave LEAs the ability to consider the financial impact, the redundancy of offerings, disparate demographics, and fiscal solvency as they renew and authorize charters. AB 1505 also took the state out of the authorizing business by changing the role of the State Board of Education. Finally, we learned that Gov. Newsom is trying to be more inclusive and collaborative. When Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond convened the state’s Charter Task Force, the governor appointed a balanced task force that included charter advocates, labor, and ACSA. Appointments in previous years were not this balanced, often having more labor representatives than any other group. When negotiations stalled, the administration’s staff would regularly reach out to ACSA for input. Then, when the bill was signed, Newsom ensured that labor, management and CCSA were all in the room for the historic signing. We will continue to work with this administration to protect and enhance your ability to serve your students and communities. While we have some serious concerns with some of the signed and vetoed bills, we are encouraged by this governor’s inclusive style.  Speaking of your ability to better serve your students and communities, we have added a
link on our website homepage and app
that will allow you to give us your legislative priorities. By clicking on the
“Legislation: Your Voice Matters”
link, you can ensure that your voice is heard and your priorities influence ACSA’s legislative platform.
Gov. Gavin Newsom poses with stakeholders, including ACSA’s Wes Smith, after the signing of AB 1505.
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