Today’s Fresh Start Charter Schools theme published prior to the Legislative event which took place on April 12 th in Sacramento; where California Public Charter Schools travelled for a historical event. The theme going forward for this event: “Education Equity.”
The California Charter Schools Association is reforming itself, building interest in the lowest performing subgroup, African Americans.
That’s good! For uncountable years, I have complained of the inequities in our education system, voicing it [to anyone who would listen] children’s minds have been enslaved, hungering for knowledge and success as they languished in the system. Most of the children don’t know any better. They just go along…..the participation of parents, guardians and family members help children’s success. The State mandated testing system has subgroups, e.g. School Wide, Socio-Economically Disadvantaged; African American, Latino, American Indian, Caucasian, Asian, etc. The number of students in a subgroup must be “numerically significant” to determine if the school will be “evaluated” on that group. Quoting Assemblymember Autumn Burke, “Currently, The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), makes sure the most funding goes to the state’s highest needs students, which are defined as English Language Learners, low-income students, and foster and homeless youth. Black students however, remain the lowest performing subgroup of students in California outside of students with special needs. Despite this, they aren’t entitled to any extra funding under LCFF. That’s almost 300 million in LCFF funding that schools don’t get to help this subgroup. So Assemblymembers Shirley Weber, Mike Gipson and I are writing AB 2635, which directs greater funding and demands greater accountability for the education of black kids in California. Our legislation establishes another high-needs subgroup to the LCFF for students not of a certain “race” but kids with the lowest academic performance. Then it directs the Superintendent of Public Instruction to reassess funding annually for the next lowest performing subgroup of students should Black student performance be lifted from the bottom.” How is legislation made? All legislation begins as an idea, which can come from anyone. The process begins when someone persuades a Senator or Assemblymember to author a bill. Both Assemblymembers and Senators are limited to introducing forty bills per two-year session. A legislator, who acts as the author, [in this case three legislators, Honorable Assemblymembers Shirley Weber, Autumn Burke, and Mike Gipson], send the idea and language for the bill to the Legislative Counsel where it is drafted into the actual bill. The California State Constitution provides that every act shall only embrace but one subject and that subject must be expressed in the title of the measure. Also, every law must contain the enacting clause: “The people of the State of California do enact as follows…..” Part 2 coming
Teach the Children.
Jeanette Grattan Parker, Superintendent/Founder Today’s Fresh Start Charter School www.todaysfreshstart.org Will You Marry Me? Inquiring Minds Want To Know Copyright. All rights reserved. [email protected]
