Amended in Senate April 13, 2015

Senate Bill No. 322

Introduced by Senator Leno

February 23, 2015

An act to amend Sections 47605, 47610, and 48925 of, and to add Section 49068.7 to, the Education Code, relating to charter schools.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 322, as amended, Leno. Charter schools: pupils: suspension and expulsion: admissions: departures.

(1) The Charter Schools Act of 1992 permits teachers and parents to petition the governing board of a school district to approve a charter school to operate independently from the existing school district structure as a method of accomplishing, among other things, improved pupil learning. Existing law exempts charter schools from the laws governing school districts except those of the Charter Schools begin delete Act, end delete begin insert Act of 1992, end insert those establishing minimum age for public school attendance, specified building code regulations, and other specified laws.

Existing law enumerates the acts for which a pupil may be suspended or expelled from school and sets forth procedures a school district is required to follow in suspending or expelling a pupil.

This bill would require a charter school to comply with laws governing school districts relating to the suspension and expulsion of pupils, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would also make conforming changes.

(2) Existing law begin insert requires, if the number of pupils who wish to attend a charter school exceeds its capacity, preference to be extended to pupils currently attending the charter school and to pupils who reside in the school district, and authorizes other preferences as permitted by the chartering authority on an individual school basis and only if consistent with the law. Existing law end insert prohibits the governing board of a school district from denying a petition for the establishment of a charter school unless the governing board of the school district finds that the petition does not contain specified information, including begin delete a end delete reasonably comprehensive descriptions of certain things, including admission requirements, if applicable.

This bill would begin delete delete admission requirements from the list of things that a petition is required to have end delete begin insert additionally require preference for siblings of pupils attending the charter school and children of employees at the charter school, but would delete the authorization for a chartering authority to permit other preferences. The bill also would eliminate as a basis for denying a petition that the petition does not include end insert a reasonably comprehensive description of begin insert admission requirements end insert .

(3) Existing law requires, if a pupil is expelled or leaves a charter school without graduating or completing the school year, the charter school to notify the superintendent of the school district of the begin delete pupils’s end delete begin insert pupil’s end insert last known address within 30 days, and is required to, upon request, provide the school with certain information, including a transcript.

This bill would require the charter school to notify the superintendent of the school district within 10 days of the pupil’s departure and would require the charter school to provide the reason for the pupil’s departure. By imposing additional duties on charter school officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(4) This bill also would require each school district to draft and implement a policy to annually collect data about teacher turnover at each of its schools, and at each charter school it authorizes. By imposing additional duties on school districts, and to the extent this would impose additional duties on charter school officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would specify that the data collected shall be subject to the California Public Records Act.

(5) This bill would state the intent of the Legislature in enacting its provisions, and would update references and make other nonsubstantive changes.

(6) The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

(7) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
act to do all of the following:

(a) Ensure equal access to interested pupils at charter schools
and prohibit practices that discourage enrollment or
disproportionately push out segments of already enrolled pupils.

(b) Ensure that charter school discipline policies are fair and
transparent.

(c) Ensure that a pupil’s constitutional right to due process is
protected at charter schools.

(d) Consistent with Section 5 of Article IX of the California
Constitution, ensure that charter schools operate within the system
of common schools by remaining “... free, nonsectarian and open
to all students...,” as stated in Wilson v. State Board of Education
(1999) 75 Cal.App.4th 1125, 1137-38.

(e) Gather data on pupil and teacher turnover in the charter
school environment.

SEC. 2.  

Section 47605 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

47605.  

(a) (1) Except as set forth in paragraph (2), a petition
for the establishment of a charter school within a school district
may be circulated by one or more persons seeking to establish the
charter school. A petition for the establishment of a charter school
shall identify a single charter school that will operate within the
geographic boundaries of that school district. A charter school
may propose to operate at multiple sites within the school district,
as long as each location is identified in the charter school petition.
The petition may be submitted to the governing board of the school
district for review after either of the following conditions is met:

(A) The petition is signed by a number of parents or legal
guardians of pupils that is equivalent to at least one-half of the
number of pupils that the charter school estimates will enroll in
the charter school for its first year of operation.

(B) The petition is signed by a number of teachers that is
equivalent to at least one-half of the number of teachers that the
charter school estimates will be employed at the charter school
during its first year of operation.

(2) A petition that proposes to convert an existing public school
to a charter school that would not be eligible for a loan pursuant
to subdivision (c) of Section 41365 may be circulated by one or
more persons seeking to establish the charter school. The petition
may be submitted to the governing board of the school district for
review after the petition is signed by not less than 50 percent of
the permanent status teachers currently employed at the public
school to be converted.

(3) A petition shall include a prominent statement that a
signature on the petition means that the parent or legal guardian
is meaningfully interested in having his or her child or ward attend
the charter school, or in the case of a teacher’s signature, means
that the teacher is meaningfully interested in teaching at the charter
school. The proposed charter shall be attached to the petition.

(4) After receiving approval of its petition, a charter school that
proposes to establish operations at one or more additional sites
shall request a material revision to its charter and shall notify the
authority that granted its charter of those additional locations. The
authority that granted its charter shall consider whether to approve
those additional locations at an open, public meeting. If the
additional locations are approved, there shall be a material revision
to the charter school’s charter.

(5) A charter school that is unable to locate within the
jurisdiction of the chartering school district may establish one site
outside the boundaries of the school district, but within the county
in which that school district is located, if the school district within
the jurisdiction of which the charter school proposes to operate is
notified in advance of the charter petition approval, the county
superintendent of schools and the Superintendent are notified of
the location of the charter school before it commences operations,
and either of the following circumstances exists:

(A) The school has attempted to locate a single site or facility
to house the entire program, but a site or facility is unavailable in
the area in which the school chooses to locate.

(B) The site is needed for temporary use during a construction
or expansion project.

(6) Commencing January 1, 2003, a petition to establish a charter
school shall not be approved to serve pupils in a grade level that
is not served by the school district of the governing board
considering the petition, unless the petition proposes to serve pupils
in all of the grade levels served by that school district.

(b) No later than 30 days after receiving a petition, in accordance
with subdivision (a), the governing board of the school district
shall hold a public hearing on the provisions of the charter, at
which time the governing board of the school district shall consider
the level of support for the petition by teachers employed by the
school district, other employees of the school district, and parents.
Following review of the petition and the public hearing, the
governing board of the school district shall either grant or deny
the charter within 60 days of receipt of the petition, provided,
however, that the date may be extended by an additional 30 days
if both parties agree to the extension. In reviewing petitions for
the establishment of charter schools pursuant to this section, the
chartering authority shall be guided by the intent of the Legislature
that charter schools are and should become an integral part of the
California educational system and that the establishment of charter
schools should be encouraged. The governing board of the school
district shall grant a charter for the operation of a school under this
part if it is satisfied that granting the charter is consistent with
sound educational practice. The governing board of the school
district shall not deny a petition for the establishment of a charter
school unless it makes written factual findings, specific to the
particular petition, setting forth specific facts to support one or
more of the following findings:

(1) The charter school presents an unsound educational program
for the pupils to be enrolled in the charter school.

(2) The petitioners are demonstrably unlikely to successfully
implement the program set forth in the petition.

(3) The petition does not contain the number of signatures
required by subdivision (a).

(4) The petition does not contain an affirmation of each of the
conditions described in subdivision (d).

(5) The petition does not contain reasonably comprehensive
descriptions of all of the following:

(A) (i) A description of the educational program of the charter
school, designed, among other things, to identify those whom the
charter school is attempting to educate, what it means to be an
“educated person” in the 21st century, and how learning best
occurs. The goals identified in that program shall include the
objective of enabling pupils to become self-motivated, competent,
and lifelong learners.

(ii) A description, for the charter school, of annual goals, for
all pupils and for each subgroup of pupils identified pursuant to
Section 52052, to be achieved in the state priorities, as described
in subdivision (d) of Section 52060, that apply for the grade levels
served, or the nature of the program operated, by the charter school,
and specific annual actions to achieve those goals. A charter
petition may identify additional school priorities, the goals for the
school priorities, and the specific annual actions to achieve those
goals.

(iii) If the proposed charter school will serve high school pupils,
a description of the manner in which the charter school will inform
parents about the transferability of courses to other public high
schools and the eligibility of courses to meet college entrance
requirements. Courses offered by the charter school that are
accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
may be considered transferable and courses approved by the
University of California or the California State University as
creditable under the “A” to “G” admissions criteria may be
considered to meet college entrance requirements.

(B) The measurable pupil outcomes identified for use by the
charter school. “Pupil outcomes,” for purposes of this part, means
the extent to which all pupils of the charter school demonstrate
that they have attained the skills, knowledge, and attitudes specified
as goals in the charter school’s educational program. Pupil
outcomes shall include outcomes that address increases in pupil
academic achievement both schoolwide and for all groups of pupils
served by the charter school, as that term is defined in subparagraph
(B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 47607. The pupil
outcomes shall align with the state priorities, as described in
subdivision (d) of Section 52060, that apply for the grade levels
served, or the nature of the program operated, by the charter school.

(C) The method by which pupil progress in meeting those pupil
outcomes is to be measured. To the extent practicable, the method
for measuring pupil outcomes for state priorities shall be consistent
with the way information is reported on a school accountability
report card.

(D) The governance structure of the charter school, including,
but not limited to, the process to be followed by the charter school
to ensure parental involvement.

(E) The qualifications to be met by individuals to be employed
by the charter school.

(F) The procedures that the charter school will follow to ensure
the health and safety of pupils and staff. These procedures shall
include the requirement that each employee of the charter school
furnish it with a criminal record summary as described in Section
44237.

(G) The means by which the charter school will achieve a racial
and ethnic balance among its pupils that is reflective of the general
population residing within the territorial jurisdiction of the school
district to which the charter petition is submitted.

(H) The manner in which annual, independent financial audits
shall be conducted, which shall employ generally accepted
accounting principles, and the manner in which audit exceptions
and deficiencies shall be resolved to the satisfaction of the
chartering authority.

(I) The procedures by which pupils can be suspended or
expelled.

(J) The manner by which staff members of the charter schools
will be covered by the State Teachers’ Retirement System, the
Public Employees’ Retirement System, or federal social security.

(K) The public school attendance alternatives for pupils residing
within the school district who choose not to attend charter schools.

(L) A description of the rights of an employee of the school
district upon leaving the employment of the school district to work
in a charter school, and of any rights of return to the school district
after employment at a charter school.

(M) The procedures to be followed by the charter school and
the entity granting the charter to resolve disputes relating to
provisions of the charter.

(N) A declaration of whether or not the charter school shall be
deemed the exclusive public school employer of the employees of
the charter school for purposes of Chapter 10.7 (commencing with
Section 3540) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code.

(O) A description of the procedures to be used if the charter
school closes. The procedures shall ensure a final audit of the
charter school to determine the disposition of all assets and
liabilities of the charter school, including plans for disposing of
any net assets and for the maintenance and transfer of pupil records.

(c) (1) Charter schools shall meet all statewide standards and
conduct the pupil assessments required pursuant to Sections 60605
and 60851 and any other statewide standards authorized in statute
or pupil assessments applicable to pupils in noncharter public
schools.

(2) Charter schools shall, on a regular basis, consult with their
parents, legal guardians, and teachers regarding the charter school’s
educational programs.

(d) (1) In addition to any other requirement imposed under this
part, a charter school shall be nonsectarian in its programs,
admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations,
shall not charge tuition, and shall not discriminate against a pupil
on the basis of the characteristics listed in Section 220. Except as
provided in paragraph (2), admission to a charter school shall not
be determined according to the place of residence of the pupil, or
of his or her parent or legal guardian, within this state, except that
an existing public school converting partially or entirely to a charter
school under this part shall adopt and maintain a policy giving
admission preference to pupils who reside within the former
attendance area of that public school.

(2) (A) A charter school shall admit all pupils who wish to
attend the charter school.

(B) If the number of pupils who wish to attend the charter school
exceeds the charter school’s capacity, attendance, except for
existing pupils of the charter school, shall be determined by a
public random drawing. Preference shall be extended to pupils
currently attending the charter begin delete school end delete begin insert school end insert begin insert , siblings of pupils
currently attending the charter school, children of employees at
the charter school, end insert and pupils who reside in the school district
except as provided for in Section 47614.5. begin delete Other preferences may
be permitted by the chartering authority on an individual school
basis and only if consistent with the law. end delete

(C) In the event of a drawing, the chartering authority shall
make reasonable efforts to accommodate the growth of the charter
school and in no event shall take any action to impede the charter
school from expanding enrollment to meet pupil demand.

(3) If a pupil is expelled or leaves the charter school without
graduating or completing the school year for any reason, the charter
school shall notify the superintendent of the school district of the
pupil’s last known address within 10 days and shall provide that
school district with a copy of the cumulative record of the pupil,
including a transcript of grades or report card, health information,
and the reason for the pupil’s departure. This paragraph applies
only to pupils subject to compulsory full-time education pursuant
to Section 48200.

(e) The governing board of a school district shall not require an
employee of the school district to be employed in a charter school.

(f) The governing board of a school district shall not require a
pupil enrolled in the school district to attend a charter school.

(g) The governing board of a school district shall require that
the petitioner or petitioners provide information regarding the
proposed operation and potential effects of the charter school,
including, but not limited to, the facilities to be used by the charter
school, the manner in which administrative services of the charter
school are to be provided, and potential civil liability effects, if
any, upon the charter school and upon the school district. The
description of the facilities to be used by the charter school shall
specify where the charter school intends to locate. The petitioner
or petitioners also shall be required to provide financial statements
that include a proposed first-year operational budget, including
startup costs, and cashflow and financial projections for the first
three years of operation.

(h) In reviewing petitions for the establishment of charter
schools within the school district, the governing board of the school
district shall give preference to petitions that demonstrate the
capability to provide comprehensive learning experiences to pupils
identified by the petitioner or petitioners as academically low
achieving pursuant to the standards established by the department
under Section 54032, as it read before July 19, 2006.

(i) Upon the approval of the petition by the governing board of
the school district, the petitioner or petitioners shall provide written
notice of that approval, including a copy of the petition, to the
applicable county superintendent of schools, the department, and
the state board.

(j) (1) If the governing board of a school district denies a
petition, the petitioner may elect to submit the petition for the
establishment of a charter school to the county board of education.
The county board of education shall review the petition pursuant
to subdivision (b). If the petitioner elects to submit a petition for
establishment of a charter school to the county board of education
and the county board of education denies the petition, the petitioner
may file a petition for establishment of a charter school with the
state board, and the state board may approve the petition, in
accordance with subdivision (b). A charter school that receives
approval of its petition from a county board of education or from
the state board on appeal shall be subject to the same requirements
concerning geographic location to which it would otherwise be
subject if it received approval from the entity to which it originally
submitted its petition. A charter petition that is submitted to either
a county board of education or to the state board shall meet all
otherwise applicable petition requirements, including the
identification of the proposed site or sites where the charter school
will operate.

(2) In assuming its role as a chartering agency, the state board
shall develop criteria to be used for the review and approval of
charter school petitions presented to the state board. The criteria
shall address all elements required for charter approval, as
identified in subdivision (b) and shall define “reasonably
comprehensive,” as used in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b), in a
way that is consistent with the intent of this part. Upon satisfactory
completion of the criteria, the state board shall adopt the criteria
on or before June 30, 2001.

(3) A charter school for which a charter is granted by either the
county board of education or the state board based on an appeal
pursuant to this subdivision shall qualify fully as a charter school
for all funding and other purposes of this part.

(4) If either the county board of education or the state board
fails to act on a petition within 120 days of receipt, the decision
of the governing board of the school district to deny the petition
shall be subject to judicial review.

(5) The state board shall adopt regulations implementing this
subdivision.

(6) Upon the approval of the petition by the county board of
education, the petitioner or petitioners shall provide written notice
of that approval, including a copy of the petition to the department
and the state board.

(k) (1) The state board may, by mutual agreement, designate
its supervisorial and oversight responsibilities for a charter school
approved by the state board to any local educational agency in the
county in which the charter school is located or to the governing
board of the school district that first denied the petition.

(2) The designated local educational agency shall have all
monitoring and supervising authority of a chartering agency,
including, but not limited to, powers and duties set forth in Section
47607, except the power of revocation, which shall remain with
the state board.

(3) A charter school that is granted its charter through an appeal
to the state board and elects to seek renewal of its charter shall,
before expiration of the charter, submit its petition for renewal to
the governing board of the school district that initially denied the
charter. If the governing board of the school district denies the
charter school’s petition for renewal, the charter school may
petition the state board for renewal of its charter.

(l) Teachers in charter schools shall hold a Commission on
Teacher Credentialing certificate, permit, or other document
equivalent to that which a teacher in other public schools would
be required to hold. These documents shall be maintained on file
at the charter school and are subject to periodic inspection by the
chartering authority. It is the intent of the Legislature that charter
schools be given flexibility with regard to noncore, noncollege
preparatory courses.

(m) A charter school shall transmit a copy of its annual,
independent financial audit report for the preceding fiscal year, as
described in subparagraph (I) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (b),
to its chartering entity, the Controller, the county superintendent
of schools of the county in which the charter school is sited, unless
the county board of education of the county in which the charter
school is sited is the chartering entity, and the department by
December 15 of each year. This subdivision does not apply if the
audit of the charter school is encompassed in the audit of the
chartering entity pursuant to Section 41020.

SEC. 3.  

Section 47610 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

47610.  

A charter school shall comply with this part and all of
the provisions set forth in its charter, but is otherwise exempt from
the laws governing school districts, except all of the following:

(a) All laws establishing minimum age for public school
attendance.

(b) The California Building Standards Code (Part 2
(commencing with Section 101) of Title 24 of the California Code
of Regulations), as adopted and enforced by the local building
enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the area in which the
charter school is located. Charter school facilities shall comply
with this subdivision by January 1, 2007.

(c) Sections 41365 and 47611 and Article 1 (commencing with
Section 48900) of Chapter 6 of Part 27.

SEC. 4.  

Section 48925 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

48925.  

As used in this article:

(a) “Day” means a calendar day unless otherwise specifically
provided.

(b) “Expulsion” means removal of a pupil from (1) the
immediate supervision and control, or (2) the general supervision,
of school personnel, as those terms are used in Section 46300.

(c) “Governing board” means the governing board of a school
district or the governing body of a charter school.

(d) “Principal” means the principal of the school or the site
administrator of a charter school.

(e) “Pupil” includes a pupil’s parent or guardian or legal counsel.

(f) “School” includes a charter school.

(g) “Schoolday” means a day upon which the schools of the
district are in session or weekdays during the summer recess.

(h) “Suspension” means removal of a pupil from ongoing
instruction for adjustment purposes. However, “suspension” does
not mean any of the following:

(1) Reassignment to another education program or class at the
same school where the pupil will receive continuing instruction
for the length of day prescribed by the governing board for pupils
of the same grade level.

(2) Referral to a certificated employee designated by the
principal to advise pupils.

(3) Removal from the class, but without reassignment to another
class or program, for the remainder of the class period without
sending the pupil to the principal or the principal’s designee as
provided in Section 48910. Removal from a particular class shall
not occur more than once every five schooldays.

SEC. 5.  

Section 49068.7 is added to the Education Code, to
read:

49068.7.  

(a) Each school district shall draft and implement a
policy to annually collect data about teacher turnover at each of
its schools, and at each charter school it authorizes.

(b) Subject to existing state and federal law regarding privacy
and personal directory information, the data collected pursuant to
this section shall be classified as public records subject to the
California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with
Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code).

SEC. 6.  

The Legislature finds and declares that Section 5 of
this act, which adds Section 49068.7 to the Education Code,
furthers, within the meaning of paragraph (7) of subdivision (b)
of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution, the purposes
of that constitutional section as it relates to the right of public
access to the meetings of local public bodies or the writings of
local public officials and local agencies. Pursuant to paragraph (7)
of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California
Constitution, the Legislature makes the following findings:

By making public the reasons for teacher turnover at charter
schools, the public's interest in charter school operation and
transparency begin delete in end delete begin insert is end insert furthered.

SEC. 7.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.