Across California, education leaders, teachers, and parents are realizing that the state’s nearly three-decade-old charter school law needs to be updated.

In January, the Los Angeles Unified School District voted to ask the state legislature to adopt a temporary moratorium on charter schools in the district.

Then, the West Contra Costa Unified school board followed suit, approving a resolution calling for a moratorium.

Then, just last week, a teachers strike prompted the Oakland Unified School District to consider a similar resolution. Our research from last year found that charter schools cost the district $57.3 million per year.

In fact, a number of districts have been calling for a pause, including the Anaheim Union High School District and San Jose’s East Side Union High School District.

Then there’s the NAACP, the Journey for Justice Alliance, and the Movement for Black Lives, all who’ve called for a moratorium.

It just makes sense: over the past 27 years we’ve learned a lot about how virtually unlimited charter school growth impacts school districts. 

California’s districts should be able to weigh fiscal and educational impacts on traditional, neighborhood schools when deciding whether to authorize a new charter school. Until the legislature updates the law, we shouldn’t be approving any new charter schools.

If you’d like more information or additional background material or just to discuss in more detail, please get in touch: info@inthepublicinterest.org. We’d like to help.

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