Charter schools: chartering authorities: foundational principles.

Existing law, the Charter Schools Act of 1992, provides for the establishment and operation of charter schools and authorizes the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, and the State Board of Education to approve a petition for the establishment of a charter school and to act as a chartering authority. This bill would require a chartering authority to look to specified foundational principles in implementing the act, including, among others, that charter schools are to be governed with transparency and according to the highest ethical standards. To the extent the bill would impose additional requirements on certain local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also make a nonsubstantive change by updating a cross reference. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.