Over 680 charter schools in California currently operate under ambiguous conflict-of-interest regulations.  This lack of clarity has lead to misuses of public education dollars that were intended for children.  Recent news reports uncovered instances in which charter school officials directed millions of dollars to their own companies and allegedly hired spouses, gave themselves raises, and broke open meetings laws, among other violations.  Due to these financial improprieties, charter schools are forced to close, and school district governing boards are left to assess and repair the damage. 

Assembly Bill 2115 (Mullin) will strengthen efforts to end financial abuse of public funds in charter schools.  This measure will require charter schools to comply with the same conflict-of-interest restrictions applicable to traditional public schools.  Governing board members would be prohibited from holding a financial interest in any transaction with the charter school, participating in or attempting to influence any decision in which they have an interest, and from serving on the board while employed by the school.  In addition, AB 2115 would require charter schools to comply with the Ralph M. Brown Act regarding open meetings.  It is particularly important for charter schools and traditional public schools to be similarly situated under the law for the purpose of protecting public funds.

AB 2115 provides school board members with a viable opportunity to support legislation that would require charter schools to adopt and comply with a conflict-of-interest policy that is currently applicable to traditional public schools.  Please contact your assembly member by August 4 and urge him or her to support AB 2115 when it is considered on the Assembly Floor.

Thank you for your assistance and support.  If you have questions regarding the content of this action alert, please contact Brian Rivas, Sr. Legislative Advocate, brivas@csba.org or Marites Ares, Legislative Analyst, mares@csba.org.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As a school board member and a constituent in your legislative district, I urge you to support Assembly Bill 2115 (Mullin), a measure that would require charter school board members to comply with the same conflict-of-interest policies by which school district board members currently abide.

In the state of California, there are over 680 charter schools serving more than 240,000 students. These schools are funded with public taxpayer dollars. While most charter schools operate with the public's trust in mind, there have been instances in which charter school board members misused public education dollars for personal gain. Recent news reports uncovered instances in which charter school officials directed millions of dollars to their own companies and allegedly hired spouses, gave themselves raises, and broke open meetings laws, among other violations. Due to these financial improprieties, charter schools are forced to close, and school district governing boards are left to assess and repair the damage. These instances underscore the need for clarification of charter school conflict-of-interest laws.

AB 2115 (Mullin) will strengthen efforts to end financial abuse of public funds in charter schools, provide transparency into the operations of charter schools, and renew the faith of parents and the community that their local charter school is acting in the best interest of students. This measure will require charter schools to comply with the same conflict-of-interest restrictions applicable to traditional public schools. Governing board members would be prohibited from holding a financial interest in any transaction with the charter school, participating in or attempting to influence any decision in which they have an interest, and from serving on the board while employed by the school. In addition, this bill would require charter schools to comply with the Ralph M. Brown Act regarding open meetings. It is particularly important for charter schools and traditional public schools to be similarly situated under the law for the purpose of protecting public funds.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter, and I look forward to working with you to ensure parity in the conflict-of-interest laws.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
July 24, 2008