Would increase charter school accountability by placing more regulations and reporting requirements on financial distributions from the Charter School Facility Grant Program, which provides facilities and operations funding for many charter schools in the state. Passed by the State Legislature; vetoed by the Governor.
Lead Authors: Hill, Allen Summary: Parcel taxes are one of the only means school districts have to supplement budgets and meet the needs of local students. Last year, however, only 20% of parcel taxes statewide were approved — the excessively high ⅔ threshold currently in place to pass means a minority of voters consistently blocks … Continued
Lead Author: Durazo Summary: The rapid growth of charter schools has contributed to a decline in resources and attention paid to the public education system. The industry also does not always display the accountability and transparency we should require from educational institutions. SB756 would establish a 2-year moratorium on new charter schools until the full … Continued
Lead Author: Gipson Summary: Current California law allows juvenile court judges to criminalize youth for truancy and other non-criminal offenses. This practice increases the chances that youth end up in a juvenile court and, therefore, the juvenile justice system. AB901 firmly decriminalizes truancy and forces counties to seek non-criminal alternatives, including referring juveniles to community … Continued
Lead Author: Mark Stone Summary: Under the Trump Administration, the federal government has dramatically stepped back from its duty to protect education consumers — students — from unscrupulous practices. In 2018, the CFPB even shuttered the office investigating student loan abuses and fraud. AB376 will protect students by ending abusive practices, creating new rules for … Continued
Lead Authors: Medina, Bloom, Bonta, Lorena Gonzalez, Ramos, Weber Summary: Ethnic studies is a multidisciplinary field which includes economics, history, literature, sociology and political science. It offers a comparative study of various ethnic groups. California is one of the most diverse states in the nation, and this curriculum is an essential part of building understanding … Continued
Lead Authors: Smith, McCarty, O’Donnell Summary: Due to a loophole in California law, school districts have been allowed to authorize charter schools not within their geographic boundaries — often leading to charters popping up within geographic districts that expressly oppose them. AB1507 closes this strange loophole, and was passed and signed into law.
Lead Authors: O’Donnell, Bonta, McCarty, Smith Summary: California has over a 1300 charter schools, many of which siphon resources from public education, disproportionately harming low-income families and accelerating the wealth gap. AB1505 would give local districts more power to evaluate charter applications based on the charter’s projected fiscal impact on the district as well as … Continued
Lead Author: Wicks Summary: School districts that use a merit-based classification for employee hiring currently allow new hires to be considered probationary for a period of up to 1-year. AB1353 limits the time unclassified employees can spend in this period to 6-months or 130 days of paid service, streamlining hiring processes and preventing abuses. This … Continued
Author: Leyva Co-author: Carrillo College students should have their right to reproductive health care protected both off campus and on campus. SB 320 would require all health centers within the University of California and California State University systems to provide the drugs prescribed for medication abortion by 2022.
Author: Jones-Sawyer Despite being institutions of public education, charter schools have operated with limited accountability. In an effort to increase accountability and coordination with local school districts, AB 1478 requires charter schools to seek approval from local school districts to open new campuses and renew existing agreements.
Authors: Gipson, Bonta Each year, over a billion dollars in revenue is lost due to the lucrative and unfair carried interest loopholes, which allows a handful of hedge fund managers to lower their federal tax rates below those paid by regular working Americans. AB 2731 will close the carried interest loophole and generate revenue … Continued
author: Bocanegra, Portantino co-author: Acosta AB 1217 was a hastily written to curry favor with a wealthy billionaire donor. It would have created a state-run STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) school in Los Angeles despite the fact that LA already has 97 STEM programs in its school district. Many opponents — including the … Continued
(Liu) Floor: 24-10-6 co-author: Thurmond In 2015, more than 1 in 5 elementary school students were considered truant (three or more unexcused absences throughout the year) and about 8% of elementary students considered chronically absent. When they miss school, students fall drastically behind in their education. SB527 addresses this crisis by providing grants … Continued
(Leno) Floor: 31-34-15 The ACLU recently found that more than 20% of charter schools in California have denied access to students with disabilities, those with lower grades, and English learners, despite the fact that state law requires these schools to accept all students. SB322 would have ensured that charter schools do not discriminate in their … Continued
(Medina) Education: 5-2-2 (Medina) Floor: 23-14-2 Part-time faculty members in community colleges are usually paid per course and need to go through a rehiring process each term. This job insecurity affects a majority of community college professors, since part-time professors make up two-thirds of community college faculty. AB1690 – in conjunction with SB1379 – gives … Continued
(Gipson) Floor: 46-31-3 co-author: Medina California has the highest number of charter schools in the country, with about 9% of the student population enrolled in these schools. Despite the growth of charter schools, they have proven to be incompetent and inefficient stewards of taxpayer money. State authorities have found that $80M in public … Continued
(Gipson) Floor: 21-13-5 co-author: Medina California has the highest number of charter schools in the country, with about 9% of the student population enrolled in these schools. Despite the growth of charter schools, they have proven to be incompetent and inefficient stewards of taxpayer money. State authorities have found that $80M in public … Continued