ALL charter schools are included. SB 739 will extend the term of every charter school in the state by one year.
Take Action Now!
How can I help?
-
Spread the word: Send our Action Alert to your networks and ask them to contact their legislators and ask them to support SB 739.
- We urge you to use our Social Media Toolkit to spread the word on SB 739, use #SupportSB739 on all social.
What is SB 739?
SB 739 would extend all charter terms by one year
In the middle of the pandemic, the California Legislature extended all charter terms by two years due to the incredible uncertainty and volatility faced by charter public schools. However, the pandemic has gone on for longer than anticipated and that extension is coming to an end.
Data gaps and testing suspensions caused by the pandemic have upended our system, especially in the face of high-stakes accountability decisions such as charter renewals. Subjecting charter schools to a renewal process that is based on a system fractured by the pandemic will cause arbitrary and political decisions on charter renewals, creating uncertainty for students, families, teachers, and schools alike.
Newly proposed legislation in the State Senate, Senate Bill 739 would extend the current terms of ALL charter schools by one year to accommodate the gap in student data caused by the pandemic, and to reflect the state’s priority to focus efforts on supporting students in recovering from pandemic impacts within a stable learning environment.
The California Charter Schools Association is sponsoring SB 739. Read the Coalition Letter Supporting SB 739 and CCSA's floor alert on SB 739.
Without extending all charter terms, we would cause a “pile-up” of the majority of charter petitions expiring on the same year, causing an overwhelming workload for charter schools and school district authorizers across the state. This is why the original extension also extended all charter terms.
California suspended testing during the spring of 2020 as the pandemic began and has only recently re-instated testing for public schools. This caused a serious gap in data on the CA School Dashboard, upon which renewal decisions and renewal tracks are based.
Resources
- Sample Board Resolution Supporting SB 739
- Sample Support Letter for SB 739
- CCSA’s Press Conference Announcing SB 739 (3-15-23)
- CCSA’s Press Release on SB 739 (3-15-23)
- Talking Points on SB 739
- English Action Alert Supporting SB 739
- Spanish Action Alert Supporting SB 739
- Medium: Give All Public Schools the Best Environment to Recover from the Pandemic
- SB 739 Social Media Toolkit
- SB 739 Social Media Toolkit (Spanish)
- CCSA Support Letter to Senate Education Committee
- CCSA President & CEO Myrna Castrejón Issues Statement on Senate Education Committee Passage of SB 739 (4-26-23)