Charter schools: authorization: community college governing boards.

The Charter Schools Act of 1992 authorizes the governing board of a school district to grant a petition to establish a charter school. The act authorizes a county board of education to grant a charter petition upon the denial of the petition by a school district and authorizes a county board to grant a petition to establish a countywide charter school. The act authorizes the State Board of Education to grant a charter petition upon the denial of the petition by a school district and a county board and authorizes the state board to grant a petition to establish a statewide charter school. This bill would authorize the governing board of a community college district to grant a petition to establish a charter school within a school district in which the community college district maintains a campus. The bill also would require the governing board of a community college district to assume all of the duties, responsibilities, functions, and obligations that the governing board of a school district assumes when it grants a charter, as specified. The bill would provide that a petition is eligible for consideration by the governing board of a community college district if the petitioner's intent is to provide an innovative approach that maximizes the educational opportunities available to secondary school pupils and encourages a partnership between a charter school and the community college district, as specified. The bill would require the State Department of Education, by January 1, 2014, to prepare an analysis of the efficacy of community college districts authorizing petitions for charter schools and provide the analysis to the state board, the Governor, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, and the Senate and Assembly Committees on Education.