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California Elimination of Charter Schools Initiative (2016)
| California Elimination of Charter Schools Initiative | |
|---|---|
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| Election date November 8, 2016 | |
| Topic Education | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
| Voting on Education | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| Policy | ||||||
| Education policy | ||||||
| Ballot Measures | ||||||
| By state | ||||||
| By year | ||||||
| Not on ballot | ||||||
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The California Elimination of Charter Schools Initiative (#15-0114A1) was a proposed initiative and was not put on the November 8, 2016, ballot in California as an initiated state statute.
The measure was designed to eliminate all charter schools in the state.[1]
There were 1,230 charter schools serving about 581,000 students in California at the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year.[2]
Supporters argue that charter schools divert money from the public education system and are not held accountable. They claim that the result is a segregated system, with really quality education exclusively for students of wealthy families and unqualified teachers in out-dated facilities for students in low-income demographics.[3]
Opponents argue that the school choice allowed by charter schools creates better education opportunities, especially for minorities and low-income families since wealthier families can afford private schools while poor families cannot.[4]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The official ballot title was as follows:[1]
| “ |
Elimination of Charter Schools. Initiative Statute.[5] |
” |
Ballot summary
The official ballot summary was as follows:[1]
| “ |
Repeals laws governing charter schools effective July 1, 2017. Requires charter schools to convert to traditional public schools or close, at local school districts’ discretion. Requires charter schools to return all unencumbered public funds to the state and to transfer all real property purchased with public funds to their local school districts. Authorizes state audits of school assets. Provides penalties for violations.[5] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the measure could be found here.
Fiscal impact
Note: The fiscal impact statement for a California ballot initiative authorized for circulation is jointly prepared by the state's legislative analyst and its director of finance.
The statement read:[1]
| “ | About $5 billion in state funding and operational costs would shift from charter schools to school districts. Ongoing facility costs also would shift from charter schools to school districts, with the exact effect depending upon the decisions made by state policymakers and districts. Transition costs totaling hundreds of millions of dollars statewide for school districts to dispose of charter school property, recruit and train staff, replace textbooks, determine appropriate instructional placements for incoming students, and repurpose facilities.[5] | ” |
Support
Supporters
The Repeal Charter School Laws Committee, which has the backing of Voices Against Privatizing Education, was behind this initiative. A member of the committee named Diana Mansker filed this initiative.[6]
Arguments in favor
Jill Stein and Kshama Sawant on charter schools |
Critics of charter schools argue that they lead to segregation, with quality education exclusively for wealthier students and unqualified teachers in out-dated facilities for students in low-income demographics.[3]
Steve Zeltzer, a member of the Repeal Charter School Laws Committee, said, “We need our public money to make the public schools better and we need transparency. If a taxpayer, which I am, is giving money to public schools, we have the right to go to a school board meeting and say what goes on in the public schools. We don’t have that same right in a charter school. A charter operator can pretty much do what they want. That is unfair to the people of California and to the children.”[7]
The Repeal Charter School Laws petition website posted the following statement:[3]
| “ |
As many of you know the charter school industry is at the heart of the corporate takeover of our public schools. Charter schools cherry pick students, falsify records, commit enrollment fraud, close down community schools, destroy jobs, bust up unions and segregate students...[5] |
” |
| —Repeal Charter School Laws Committee[3] | ||
Opposition
Opponents
The California Charter Schools Association called this initiative an “extreme measure that is clearly out of touch with the families of nearly three quarters of a million students in charter schools.”[2][8]
Arguments against
Amelia Hamilton, writing for the California Watchdog, argued:
| “ |
Study after study has shown that school choice, including charter schools, is especially beneficial to minority students. These options provide an education that is comparable to private school, but charge no tuition, so families from all walks of life send their children to these schools. School choice has also been much more successful than government initiatives when it comes to integration. As for the argument that charter schools lack oversight, they actually have more than traditional public schools.[5] |
” |
| —Amelia Hamilton[4] | ||
Background
Charter schools
- See also: Charter schools
Charter schools are public schools that are operated independent of the public school system, either by nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Although they are publicly funded, except for their facilities, charter schools are exempt from many of the requirements imposed by state and local boards of education regarding hiring and curriculum.
Charter schools in California
- See also: Public education in California
When California lawmakers passed the California Charter Act of 1992, they made California the second state to enact a law allowing charter schools. Minnesota was the first.[2]
There were 177 charter schools in California in 1998. This number increased to more than 1,230 schools serving about 581,000 students by the 2015-2016 academic year.[2][4]
Path to the ballot
- Diana Mansker, an organizer of the Repeal Charter School Laws Committee, submitted a letter requesting a title and summary for this initiative in late 2015. On December 7, 2015, Mansker submitted a letter amending the initially proposed initiative.[6]
- A title and summary were issued by California's attorney general's office on February 8, 2016.[1]
- Supporters had until August 8, 2016, to collect the 365,880 valid signatures required to qualify this initiative for the ballot.
State profile
| Demographic data for California | ||
|---|---|---|
| California | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 38,993,940 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 155,779 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 61.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 5.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 13.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 4.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 81.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31.4% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,818 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 18.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in California
California voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More California coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in California
- United States congressional delegations from California
- Public policy in California
- Endorsers in California
- California fact checks
- More...
Related measures
See also
- 2016 ballot measures
- California 2016 ballot propositions
- California ballot measures
- Public education in California
External links
Support
Opposition
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 California Secretary of State, "Initiatives and Referenda Cleared for Circulation," accessed February 10, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 California Charter Schools Association, "Home," accessed February 12, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 REPEAL Charter School Act of 1992 in CA Ballot Initiative, "Home," accessed February 12, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 California Watchdog, "California initiative would shut down charter schools," February 11, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 California Office of the Attorney General, "Text of requested amendment to Initiative 15-0114A1," December 7, 2015
- ↑ My Motherlode, "Initiative To Close California Charter Schools," February 11, 2016
- ↑ CBS Sacramento, "Initiative That Would Shut Down Charter Schools In California Cleared To Gather Signatures," February 9, 2016
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