SACRAMENTO, CA – California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) President and CEO Myrna Castrejón issued the following statement regarding the passage of the 2022-2023 state budget:
“With state revenues at an all-time high, this year’s state budget appropriately makes education a top priority. There is no better investment of this record surplus than in our kids, which is reflected by this budget.
“There is a lot to celebrate in this year’s budget. Throughout the pandemic, our schools and their students have persevered amid instruction disruptions, teacher shortages, and inflation that we have not witnessed in decades. The increase of funding through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and $11.5 billion in flexible, one-time block grants for all public schools will greatly help schools bolster their supports at a time when students need it most.
“Charter public schools will also benefit from the Charter School Facility Grant Program (SB 740) augmentation of $30 million that was included in the budget. This program has been highly successful at reducing some facility costs for charter schools located in high-need communities. Fully funding the program will make sure that all eligible schools receive the facility funding they deserve.
“While this budget recognized the unforeseen impact of surges in COVID-19 cases that dramatically impacted daily attendance by including funding to protect all classroom-based schools, we were disappointed that nonclassroom-based schools were excluded. While all public school students deserve equitable funding, the increases to funding through one-time grants and the increase to the LCFF will help mitigate devastating fiscal holes for these schools.”