PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2002
California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC)

SACRAMENTO, CA, JULY 2, 2002 - The State Board of Education last week unanimously approved language that allows binding arbitration to settle disputes over how facilities are provided for charter school students under Proposition 39. Since charter school law was enacted in California in 1992, the largest single impediment to the creation and growth of quality charter schools has been the lack of adequate facilities. Prop. 39, passed by California voters in 2000, guarantees that charter school students receive equitable treatment with regard to facilities.

Prior to the State Board's action, charter schools' only means of settling disputes with school districts that refused to respond to their legal obligation under Prop. 39 was through court action. However, this proves to be difficult for individual charter schools since these legal battles are often costly and time consuming. Financially, charter schools that only operate on a per-pupil allotment provided by the state are heavily outmatched by school districts that can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal bills.

A case brought to the attention of the State Board last week was that of the Sequoia School District in wealthy Silicon Valley. Sequoia School District is suing Aurora High School, a tiny charter high school in Redwood City to prevent them from gaining access to facilities. Aurora High School serves a student population of working class families, two-thirds who are minority children and over 40 percent who fall below the federal poverty guidelines.

Sequoia School District, a basic aid district with an annual budget of over $56 million dollars and an additional $100 million dollars in money for facilities development and modernization, is claiming that it is not required to provide facilities for this charter school.

The California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC) notes that two State Board members, President Reed Hastings and Don Fisher, remained determined and committed to ensuring that binding arbitration was adopted.

"Now that charter schools have binding arbitration as a means of settling disputes, charter schools that are serving our most needy kids will have a way of fighting for their fair share of resources without taking money away from programs that are serving students," said Don Fisher, member of the State Board of Education. "This proposal will get us one step closer to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to receive a quality education in a quality school building."

"This will prove to be one of the biggest wins for charter schools since charter school law was enacted," said Sue Bragato, Executive Director of CANEC. "Thanks to the dedication of state board members Reed Hastings and Don Fisher, charter schools will finally have an effective way of mediating disputes without having to enter the courtroom."

About CANEC
The California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC) is California's premier charter school networking and service organization and is the public voice of its members for the charter school movement in California. CANEC represents its members through networking, advocacy and public awareness.

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