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Charter Schools

Charter schools are tuition-free, tax-funded public schools that have been given more flexibility and autonomy than district-operated schools. In California, most are run by nonprofit boards of directors. As of the fall of 2016, California’s 1,254 charter schools enrolled 602,837 students — for the first time serving 1 in 10 of California’s public school students.
February 5, 2019

Gov. Newsom asks to review impact of California charter schools on district finances

United Teachers of Los Angeles questions the need for the panel, and says an "immediate cap" on charter schools is "urgently necessary."

Louis Freedberg And Mikhail Zinshteyn
January 30, 2019

LA Unified, teachers still face challenges over contract and charter school moratorium

L.A. Unified's school board and UTLA have ratified a contract, but L.A. County Superintendent Debra Duardo is skeptical the district can pay for its promises, and the Legislature may not agree to a charter school moratorium.

John Fensterwald
January 24, 2019

Planned school closures in Oakland Unified have parents, teachers and community members on edge

Oakland Unified faces a budget deficit, in part because students are choosing charter and private schools. The district enrolls only 58 percent of the nearly 63,000 school-age children who live in Oakland.

Theresa Harrington
January 6, 2019

Consistent to the end, Jerry Brown says it's all about teachers and students

Brown has been remarkably consistent on key education issues throughout his governorship.

Louis Freedberg
January 1, 2019

California education issues to watch in 2019 — and predictions of what will happen

Place your bets: curbs on charter schools, passage of universal preschool, more money for K-12, more teacher strikes and the resignation of Betsy DeVos; an untested governor and volatile president may affect the odds.

John Fensterwald, Yuxuan Xie, And Justin Allen
November 7, 2018

Tuck has thin edge over Thurmond race for California schools chief

High-spending campaign for a job with little power but a big megaphone comes down to wire.

John Fensterwald, Nico Savidge, And Mikhail Zinshteyn
November 2, 2018

Differences between Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond are real, as are areas of agreement

Whether it's clamping down on charter schools or changing teacher tenure, candidates can say a lot more than they can actually do.

John Fensterwald
October 16, 2018

Bay Area district faces challenges in attempt to shut down a charter school

District leaders hope state committee reviewing charter school laws will look at grounds for revoking charters and financial impact on districts.

Theresa Harrington
September 17, 2018

Spending on California schools chief race expected to set records again

With few competitive races on California’s 2018 ballot, the focus of some top donors is shifting to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction race

Nico Savidge
September 17, 2018

Essential Guide to Getting Down to Facts II

Here are the take-aways from the studies on special education, funding needs, a teacher shortage, a data deficit, student mental health local control's unmet potential – and more.

John Fensterwald, Daniel J. Willis, Yuxuan Xie, And Justin Allen
September 3, 2018

Gov. Brown again to decide whether to ban for-profit charter schools

The California Charter Schools Association says it's in favor of AB 406, but ambiguity of the language, potentially affecting non-profit charter schools' operations, could give the governor pause.

John Fensterwald
August 27, 2018

Superintendent candidates agree on need to review California’s charter school law

Tony Thurmond and Marshall Tuck said they support transparency and accountability for charters.

Nico Savidge
August 20, 2018

Fewer Californians than residents nationwide favor raising teacher pay

Strikes in low-paying states opened the public's eyes. In California, where teachers are among nation's highest paid – cost of living aside – Education Next's 2018 poll found more support for raising overall funding than teacher pay.

John Fensterwald
August 19, 2018

San Jose district draws the line — to no avail — on adding another charter school

East Side Union in San Jose says state law should let districts consider a charter district's financial impact when deciding a charter application.

John Fensterwald
August 16, 2018

One California charter school's struggle for approval and a building close to its parents

Promise Academy disagreements with San Jose Unified mirror tensions escalating statewide over charter schools.

John Fensterwald