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California Charter Schools Association President & CEO Myrna Castrejón Issues Statement on the State Budget and Education Trailer Bill

July 10, 2021

Budget prioritizes important supports for additional educational opportunities, but more work must be done on independent study mandates

SACRAMENTO, CA  California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) President and CEO Myrna Castrejón issued the following statement regarding Governor Newsom’s signing of the state budget and Assembly Bill (AB) 130, the Education Trailer Bill:

“We commend Governor Newsom and the Legislature on this year’s education budget that provides an unprecedented level of school and student funding to transform the state’s public schools into gateways of equity and opportunity.

“We are pleased that the Governor and Legislature’s education budget supports charter public schools and ensures continuity as schools emerge from the pandemic. The budget education trailer bill signed by the Governor today provides an important extension of charter public school renewals so that students will not be adversely impacted by the disruption of data over the past two academic years.

“The pandemic has shown families that they have options of public education opportunities that meet their child’s unique needs, and charter public schools welcome this historic level of funding for all public K-12 schools.

“We support the goal of ensuring that students who are not ready to come back to in-person instruction, or desire an alternative learning environment, have access to high-quality independent study opportunities. However, we are concerned by many of the new mandates imposed on existing independent study programs and believe the short time frame for schools to implement these changes is unrealistic. We encourage the Governor and Legislature to take another look at these changes and offer more clarity and a more practical implementation timeline to ensure the provision of quality services.

“We welcome Governor Newsom and the Legislature’s prioritization of education investments and continuing to fundamentally transform California’s public schools.  California charter public schools serve approximately 700,000 students statewide and are an integral part of preparing students for the future with high-quality educational opportunities to all communities.”