n EDUCATION
G
race Kampmeinert has to fire off a lot of emails before CHANGE ALREADY UNDERWAY
the bell rings, signaling the end of fourth period. The After California’s law went into effect, the charter school sys-
eighth-grader at Natomas Charter School, along with tem experienced a double-digit rate of expansion over the
two of her peers, handles quality control for a website next two decades, until the pace of new schools slowed in
of stock media, a seven-month-long legacy project in recent years, according to a report from the California Char-
her technology class. These three students determine if sub- ter Schools Association. California’s roughly 1,300 charter
mitted photographs, short videos and audio clips are good schools enroll about 650,000 students — or 10 percent of the
enough for inclusion, and provide feedback on each piece via state’s public school students.
email. Kampmeinert is a manager, overseeing production
While charter schools are publicly funded, they’re pri-
managers and their team advisers.
vately managed and exempt from many of the rules, regula-
“It’s a tedious process,” Grace says, “but somebody has to tions and statutes other public schools must follow. Former
do it.”
Gov. Jerry Brown, a charter advocate, vetoed bills that would
Each October, eighth-graders in Natomas Charter have required charters to more closely follow regulations im-
School’s Leading Edge Academy identify a problem — in posed on traditional public schools. In 2018, Brown did sign a
this case, a lack of creative materials in the public domain ban on for-profit charter schools that goes into effect this July
— and build a solution. Technology teacher Trisha Sanchez and gives operators a five-year grace period to comply. Crit-
handpicks three managers
ics say the law doesn’t go far
in each of her classes, then
enough to fix deeper prob-
steps aside. “My main focus
lems within what is widely
is to teach collaboration and
known as the wild west of
to give them real-world job
California’s charter system
experience,” she says.
— out of the state’s 1,300-
Natomas Charter School
plus charter schools (the ex-
was one of the first charter
act number fluctuates due to
schools in the Sacramento
the closing and opening of
region following the passage
new schools), only about 35
of California’s charter school
are impacted.
law in 1992. Charters are
According to Sun, Cali-
public, tuition-free schools
fornia’s charter school law
to which the law gives a wide
has been patched up over
berth for innovation and
the years in a manner that
- Ting Sun,
flexibility in curriculum, in-
doesn’t address deeper in-
executive director, Natomas Charter School
struction, hiring and man-
frastructure issues. “I feel
agement to help meet the di-
like we have a little bit of a
verse needs of students. The
Winchester Mystery House
law, however, hasn’t gone
law right now — ‘Let’s ad-
through much comprehen-
dress this here, and address
sive reform over the past 27 years, despite some tough les- this here, and we’re suspicious this abuse is happening, so
sons learned along the way. With a new governor in office, let’s do this here.’ So we’ve got this kind of crazy patch quilt
that may change.
of legislation around charters.”
Many of those working within and outside the charter
But a new administration has alarmed many in the move-
movement across the Capital Region believe the time for a ment — both Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent
close and careful look at the law has arrived. Over the years, of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond express skepticism
much of the interest in reform has focused on transparency over charter schools. Newsom defeated charter advocate An-
as well as who authorizes these schools and what it means for tonio Villaraigosa and pro-charter groups spent $34 million
where they locate.
trying to get Thurmond’s opponent, charter school execu-
“It is time for us to take a look again at the charter law tive Marshall Tuck, elected. Newsom and Thurmond instead
and go back to what the original intent of that law was, garnered support from teacher unions (most charters are
because we’ve evolved in all these different ways,” says not unionized).
Ting Sun, cofounder and executive director of Natomas
Under the new administration, legislation has been in-
Charter School.
troduced to cap the number of charter schools in California,
“It is time for us to take a look
again at the charter law and go
back to what the original intent
of that law was, because we’ve
evolved in all these different ways.”
52
comstocksmag.com | April 2019