The Fresno League recently completed a study on charter schools. With all the recent attention to charter schools, they were asked by other Leagues to do additional work to propose a charter school position for adoption by concurrence at the LWVC Convention.

Since all California Leagues did not have the advantage of the position language for their Program Planning, this concurrence item will be submitted for the delegates’ consideration as a non-recommended item. As such, it would require approval by three-fifths of the delegates for adoption.

Charter Schools

The League of Women Voters of California supports the concept of educational choices for parents and students within the public school system, including charter schools.

Education Code regulations with respect to the authorization, reauthorization and oversight of charter schools-- whether independent, dependent, seat-based, independent-study, virtual or other-- should be clear and enforced.

The League supports the implementation and enforcement of academic, equity, transparency and financial standards for the authorization and reauthorization of all charter schools.

The League believes public charter schools should
1)      be authorized and under the oversight of a locally elected or appointed school board within whose district they reside,
2)      not be governed by an entity without ties and accountability to the community whose students they serve,
3)      be required to report the same academic and financial data, including attendance, to the state and public as any other public school and school district,
4)      be required to get authorization for any expansion to new sites (including resource centers) and that any such expansion requires an evaluation of their current effectiveness and compliance with their contract,
5)      adhere to the California Public Records Act and applicable Open Meeting laws and provisions of the Political Reform Act of 1974.

The League further believes that

1)      California standards governing the granting of charters, their renewal and their funding should be periodically reevaluated and amended as necessary, and
2)      the calculation of attendance for independent-study and virtual schools should be periodically reevaluated to align attendance practices with school district standards.