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If you support School Choice you need to let CUSD know. As of now CUSD plans to bring forward a Resolution in SUPPORT of AB 1505 based on an April 9, 2019 e-mail from OCDE Superintendent Al Mijares who appears to have acted without OCDE Board approval. CUSD's next BOT meeting is May 8, 2019

Comment from Charter School Development Center: Anti-Charter Bill Goes from Bad to Awful 

CUSD to Join California's War on Charter Schools

At the April 25, 2019 CUSD BOT meeting during Trustee comments, Trustee Amy Hanacek asked CUSD Staff to place a Resolution in Support of AB 1505 Charter schools: petitions on the next board meeting agenda.

AB 1505 (as Amended April 24, 2019) would:

Eliminate state approved charter schools: 

The bill would repeal those provisions authorizing the state board to approve a petition to establish a charter school. 

The bill would provide that charter schools operating under a charter approved by the state board may continue to operate under those charters only until the date on which the charter is up for renewal.

Would limit county boards authority to approve charter schools:

The bill would specify that a petition to establish a charter school may be submitted only to the school district or county office of education the boundaries within which the charter school would be located, and would provide that, commencing January 1, 2020, a county board of education could approve a petition for a countywide charter only under specified conditions and pursuant to a specified procedure, including requiring the petitioner to obtain the approval from each of the school districts where the charter school petitioner proposes to operate a facility.

The bill would authorize a county board of education to deny a petition for the establishment of a new charter school if it makes a written factual finding that the charter school would have a negative financial, academic, or facilities impact on neighborhood public schools, a school district, or the county office of education. 

Would effectively place all approval authority over charter schools with the local school district board.                    

CUSD April 25, 2019 Board Meeting Audio 

at 19:07 Trustee Amy Hanacek Trustee Comment

at 19:51 Trustee Amy Hanacek Comment re: AB 1505

Audio can be heard below at :47:

Something has Gone Terribly Wrong With California's Legislative Process

Timeline:

Orange County Department of Education Board of Supervisors

April 10, 2019 Board Meeting Agenda Item #2 Resolution No. 08-19 In Opposition to Assembly Bill 1505

Board Audio at 41:05 Public Comments

Board Audio at 1 hour Board Discussion

Board Audio a 1:11:14 Vote Motion to Approve Resolution 08-19 In OPPOSITION to Assembly Bill 1505 passes 3-2

Voted to Oppose AB 1505: Ken Williams - Lisa Sparks - Mari Barke

Voted to Support AB 1505: Rebecca Gomez - John Bedell

The Orange County Department of Education voted to OPPOSE Assembly Bill 1505. OCDE Superintendent Al Mijares acted without OCDE Board Approval in requesting that OC school districts sign resolutions in SUPPORT of AB 1505. 

Trustees Cannot Serve Two Masters...

Trustee Amy Hanacek was elected to the CUSD Board of Trustees because her seat was purchased by the Teachers Union. 97% of her donations came from CUEA. 

No one even bothered to run for Trustee in the last election because the entire Board is controlled by public employee unions with the exception of Trustee Reardon who funded his own campaign and Trustee Bullockus who was appointed by the City of Mission Viejo when Trustee Lynn Hatton Hodson stepped down.

This is exactly how Legislation like the CA Healthy Youth Act was put into place without any Trustee, or public input. I was at the April 11, 2018 OCDE Board meeting where OCDE Trustees heard for the first time, about Teen Talk and the CA Healthy Youth Act Sex Education Law which went into effect January 1, 2016 (2 years earlier).  CUSD voted to adopt a Teen Talk Pilot program on December 14, 2016 long before this matter was even brought to the attention of the Orange County Department of Education Board of Trustees.

District Staff and OCDE Superintendent Al Mijares work behind closed doors with CTA to undermine Parental choice.

Comment from Charter School Development Center:

Anti-Charter Bill Goes from Bad to Awful Read More 

AB 1505, the anti-charter measure that would eviscerate the charter granting and appeal process, was amended on July 5, 2019 and now contains new and egregious concerns. The major concerns are outlined below. CSDC asks all charter schools to call their legislators immediately to let them know the impact this bill would have on our schools.

Here is what the bill does:

Adds fuzzy new reasons for charter denial: Adds new elements to the charter petitions and adds ill-defined new reasons for which a district may deny a charter petition, including whether the proposed charter school will “serve the interests of the entire community,” have negative financial impact on the district’s schools, in addition to other questionable criteria and new reasons.

Eviscerates state appeal standard: Shifts the standard of review for charter appeals from the current “de-novo” standard, which generally favors charter schools, to an “abuse of discretion” standard, that could prove extremely challenging, especially in light of the fuzzy new criteria for denial.

Eviscerates state appeal process: Allows the State Board of Education to refuse to hear charter appeals unless charter proponents can demonstrate “abuse of discretion” by district/county. In addition, even if the State Board did find abuse of discretion, it would not grant the charter and become the authorizer as under current law, but instead would remand the charter to the county that previously denied it, forcing the charter equivalent of a “shotgun wedding.”

Moratorium on new nonclassroom-based charter schools: Establishes a two-year ban on new charters that would provide nonclassroom-based instruction except under limited circumstances (e.g., to comply with AB 1507 and/or the Anderson v. Shasta court decision).

Imposes new, Dashboard-based charter renewal laws: Levies several complex new sets of charter renewal criteria based on California’s new and volatile school performance Dashboard, giving some high-scoring schools a smoother path to renewal and the possibility of a longer (7-year) renewal term while making renewal difficult for schools scoring in the lower color bands on the Dashboard. The bill would also allow districts to impose unspecified renewal criteria on schools that qualify for Dashboard Alternative (DASS) status.

The above points merely summarize the long list of problematic amendments to this complex bill. We are simply stunned by the breadth and hostility of this latest round of amendments, especially in light of the fact that the bill nearly failed passage in the Assembly. These amendments present a fundamental threat to all California charter schools during both the initial charter petition and renewal stages.

This bill, along with AB 1507, a measure meant to further restrict charter schools’ geographic reach, will be heard this week (Wednesday, July 10) in the Senate Education committee. If your State Senator is listed below, they will be voting on Wednesday. If you serve students who live in their districts and are concerned about the impact of these bills, we suggest that you call them immediately to ask for a NO vote to both AB 1505 and AB 1507.

Members of the Senate Education Committee

Senator Connie M. Leyva (Chair) (D-Chino Hills)

Senator Scott Wilk (Vice Chair) (R-Santa Clarita)

Senator Ling Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar)

Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles)

Senator Steven M. Glazer (D-Orinda)

Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg)

Senator Richard Pan (D-Sacramento)

Find Your State Representatives at http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ 

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