GOVERNOR PETE WILSON

PR92: 584



WILSON SIGNS LEGISLATION TO CREATE 100 "CHARTER SCHOOLS"



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE         Contact: Franz Wisher

September 21, 1992                     Liza Cannon

                                       (916) 445-4571



SACRAMENTO -- Governor Pete Wilson has signed legislation

allowing parents, teachers, and community organizations to

create and run 100 "charter schools" within the current public

education system.



"The charter school concept allows parents, teachers, and

other interested parties from the community to come together

and create innovative schools that improve on the traditional

education process," Wilson said.



"This bill will allow Californians to design schools that are

more responsive to the needs of the community, establish

alternative teaching methods, give parents a choice, and most

importantly, improve pupil learning," Wilson said.



Specifically, the bill will allow parents, teachers,

foundations, private or public universities, businesses,

community organizations or any other interested party to

design the goals and operating procedures of a charter school,

and petition the local school district for an operating

permit.



In return, charter schools will be exempt from most

bureaucratic laws pertaining to school districts. Schools will

instead be governed by their charter.



The legislation, SUB 1448 by Senator Gary Hart (D-Santa

Barbara), will limit the number of charter schools to 100

statewide, with no more than 10 in a single school district.



Districts can grant charters only if a petition is signed by

either 10 percent of the teachers employed by the district, or

by 50 percent of the teachers in one of the district's

schools.



The bill prohibits the charter schools from charging tuition.

The schools will receive state funds based on their average

daily attendance (ADA), but will not be prohibited from

accepting private funds.



The charter schools will be required to meet statewide

performance standards that other public schools must meet, and

to participate in the same statewide pupil testing program.

Schools can also adopt admission requirements.



In addition, the charter schools will be non-sectarian and

will be prohibited from discriminating on the basis of

ethnicity, national origin, gender or disability.



The legislation prohibits residency requirements for

admissions, but schools can give preference to students that

live in the district. Conversely, no student will be required

to attend the charter school.



Charters will be granted for five year periods and can be

revoked at any time should the school fail to meet it's

outcome goals or violate one of the governing regulations.



The bill also prohibits the conversion of a private school to

a charter school.





WILSON VETOES WEAKER CHARTER SCHOOLS BILL



Governor Wilson has vetoed As 2585 by Assemblywoman Elaine

East in (D-Union City), a competing charter schools bill that

placed numerous additional restrictions on the charter

process.



"This bill requires teacher union approval of all charter

schools, state review and approval of the charter application,

continuation of elaborate collective bargaining processes, and

limitations on who can attend a charter school," Wilson said

in his veto statement.



"On all accounts this bill fails to embrace the basic

ingredients of the charter school concept," Wilson said.