Senate Bill 126, which was passed in the Senate Feb. 21, would require that California charter school boards comply with the same open meeting, conflict-of-interest and disclosure laws as district school boards, including holding public board meetings, opening records to the public upon request and ensuring board members don’t have a financial interest in contracts on which they vote.
Union leaders at Los Angeles Unified are concerned that the growth of charter schools has come at the expense of dollars for district schools and the teachers working in them.
In a decision that could do significant damage to the finances of the California Teachers Association and other public sector unions, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that unions can no longer collect compulsory fees from the workers they represent.
Language added to the state budget will make it easier for unions to recruit and keep members as the high court is set to rule on the mandatory fees they charge.
Districts are hoping the upcoming state budget will include financial relief such as deferred state loans, flat per-student payments, and flexibility to sell or lease surplus property.
As teachers’ unions scramble to blunt the impact of a looming Supreme Court decision regarding their ability to collect dues, the recent teacher strikes across the nation have handed them a rallying cry.
