California's latest attempt at charter school reform dies with Gov. Newsom's veto

"Senate Bill 414, authored by Sen. Angelique Ashby, D-Sacramento, and backed by charter school advocates, would have implemented dozens of changes to state law, including creating an education inspector general, adding new requirements for school audits and more strictly regulating school vendors. Earlier this year, charter school advocates had fought vigorously against Assembly Bill 84, another charter school accountability bill that was more extensive in scope and would have automatically reduced some charter schools' per-pupil funding based on how much in-person instruction they offer."

"But the backers of both bills later came together to make SB 414 a compromise bill. Most of AB 84's components were absorbed into SB 414, though not the provision that would have automatically reduced per-pupil funding. AB 84 still exists as a two-year bill and has been moved to the inactive file."

"Its author, Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, who chairs the Assembly's education committee, said negotiations on SB 414 were almost complete but had reached an impasse shortly before the legislative deadline. He said that to his surprise, changes were made to the bill without his involvement, and Ashby advanced it despite a lack of consensus. Newsom vetoed the bill because of sections he said were "unworkable, would face legal challenges, and require hundreds of millions of dollars to implement," according to his veto message. He also said some provisions added at the last minute would violate agreements he made during his first term."

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 414, preventing proposed charter school oversight reforms from becoming law. SB 414, authored by Sen. Angelique Ashby, would have created an education inspector general, added audit requirements, and more strictly regulated school vendors. Earlier debates over Assembly Bill 84, which would have reduced some charter per-pupil funding based on in-person instruction, produced opposition and then compromise as many AB 84 provisions were absorbed into SB 414. AB 84 was moved to the inactive file. Negotiations reached an impasse after last-minute changes and Newsom cited legal, cost, and prior-agreement concerns in his veto.

Read at The Mercury News