On April 10, the California Teachers Association’s package of extreme and divisive bills will be heard by the Assembly Education Committee.

Through this hearing, we have another opportunity to fight back against a collection of poisonous bills that would result in the closure of hundreds of quality charter public schools that put kids before politics.  

Here’s a quick refresher on what these bad bills do and the Sacramento politicians they’re sponsored by:

• AB 1505 (Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell) would eliminate due process rights for teachers, families, and charter operators to appeal local denials of new, renewing or revoked charter schools to the county and state boards of education. AB 1505 would also delete academic performance as the most important factor for approval.

• AB 1506 (Assemblymember Kevin McCarty) imposes a cap on the opening of new charter schools at the existing level of approximately 1,323 schools, and only allows new charters when an existing charter school closes.

• AB 1507 (Assemblymember Christy Smith) removes the right of charter schools to locate their facility outside their authorizing district under very limited circumstances.

• AB 1508 (Assemblymember Rob Bonta) would allow a district to deny a charter petition or renewal based on financial, academic, or facilities impacts a charter school would have on neighborhood public schools.

Plenty of families will fill the committee hearing room to make their voices heard. But they need our help before then. Go here to call on your legislators to reject these extreme and divisive bills and instead embrace unifying policies that put the needs of kids first.