Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1505 (O’Donnell, D – Long Beach), enacting the most significant changes to the Charter Schools Act since its passage in 1992. After months of negotiations between labor leaders, charter advocates, the author’s office and the Administration, a compromise was worked out that makes changes to the authorization and renewals process, the role of the State Board of Education, teacher qualifications and differentiated support. None of the groups got everything they wanted, but this compromise will likely prevent open warfare on charter reform issues for at least a year or two. Additional details are available in our previous update.
The Governor also signed AB 1507 (Smith, D – Santa Clarita), which was part of the Legislature’s original charter school reform package. AB 1507, with certain exceptions, eliminates the ability to authorize a charter school located outside the boundaries of the authorizing school district or county.
We will continue to provide updates on major bills as they are signed or vetoed by the Governor, and our Changes in Law Reports will cover all new education laws that were passed this year.