[Filed with Secretary of State July 7, 2014.]
ACR 144, Olsen. California Charter Schools Week.
This measure would proclaim May 5, 2014, to May 11, 2014, inclusive, and every 2nd week of May thereafter, to be California Charter Schools Week, and would state that the Legislature joins the California Charter Schools Association in congratulating charter schools for the accomplishments and contributions they have made to public education.
WHEREAS, In the 2013-14 academic year, 104 new charter schools opened their doors across the state, helping to create new jobs and opportunities for educators and other professionals in California; and
WHEREAS, Charter schools are public schools that increase learning opportunities for all pupils and provide parents and pupils with expanded choices within the public school system; and
WHEREAS, There are 1,130 charter schools operating in California, the highest number of any state in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Charter schools have a combined enrollment of over 514,000 pupils, representing 8.3 percent of the public school pupil population in the state; and
WHEREAS, In 1992, California was the second state in the nation to establish charter schools; and
WHEREAS, Charter schools serve as beacons of innovation and produce effective models of education, of significance to all public schools; and
WHEREAS, Many charter schools are designed specifically to serve children from traditionally disadvantaged communities; and
WHEREAS, Charter schools have made dramatic gains in accelerating the closing of the achievement gap for those underserved populations, increasing the graduation rate and improving college readiness; and
WHEREAS, Charter schools create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the schoolsite; and
WHEREAS, Charter schools offer a variety of learning environments and emphases, including college-preparedness, career technical education, arts, and sciences; and
WHEREAS, Charter schools play an integral role in California’s public education system, the communities in which they operate, the families they serve, and the pupils’ lives they impact; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims May 5, 2014, to May 11, 2014, inclusive, and every second week of May thereafter, to be California Charter Schools Week, and joins the California Charter Schools Association in congratulating charter schools for the accomplishments and contributions they have made to public education; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
O
96