Assembly Education Vice Chair Responds to Passage of Anti-Charter School Legislation

SACRAMENTO – Assembly Education Committee Vice Chair Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) released the following statement in response to the passage of Assembly Bill 1316 (O’Donnell) on a 5-2 vote:

“Our political leaders and the Special Interests they serve have taken another step towards their goal of abolishing charter schools in California.

“This attack on hundreds of thousands of families is orchestrated by the same Special Interest responsible for our state being last in the nation in returning students to school. It’s also the same Special Interest responsible for California ranking 49th out of 50 for education outcomes in poor communities prior to COVID.”

Tellingly, in responding to a question from Assemblywoman Megan Dahle, the Chair of the Committee was unaware of one of the most damaging provisions of his own bill.

The following anti-charter school bills have been passed and signed into law under Governor Gavin Newsom’s watch:

• AB 1505 (O’Donnell, 2019) – Made it easier for a local governing board to deny a charter petition, limited review of charter denial appeals, and placed a moratorium on nonclassroom-based charters.
• AB 1507 (O’Donnell, 2019) – Limited or removed access to resource centers for charter school families across the state.
• SB 126 (Leyva, 2019) – Added burdensome and costly new requirements to charter schools, which Governor Jerry Brown had previously vetoed.
• SB 98 (Budget, 2020) – Penalized growing charter schools by capping their funding while many traditional public schools remained closed.

Assemblyman Kevin Kiley represents the 6^th Assembly District, which includes the Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado County communities of Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Granite Bay, Lincoln, Loomis, Orangevale, Penryn, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sheridan.