WHEREAS, Over a decade ago in Minnesota, a handful of educators envisioned a new type of educational institution that would provide an alternative for pupils trapped in underperforming public schools; and

WHEREAS, Charter schools provide greater educational opportunity by using the dynamics of consumer choice and competition to drive the quality of service; and

WHEREAS, Charter schools are distinct from, and provide an alternative to, the traditional school district model because of the three basic principles that charter schools operate on: accountability, autonomy, and choice; and

WHEREAS, Charter school programs foster parental involvement and high parental expectations by providing parents and guardians with a choice between different educational models and reasserting the right of parents and guardians to select the model that best fits the needs of their child; and

WHEREAS, Charter schools infuse accountability and quality into the public education system and provide educational opportunities that did not previously exist; and

WHEREAS, In California charter schools are in demand. As of fall 2002, there were 436 charter schools in California serving over 166,000 pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive; and

WHEREAS, Charter schools provide a haven for pupils who have had negative educational experiences and have helped pupils who performed poorly in their previous schools to improve their work at the charter school to “excellent” or “above average”; and

WHEREAS, Charter schools are very popular with pupils, parents, and teachers; and

WHEREAS, Families and teachers are seeking out charter schools and are satisfied with the curriculum, teaching methods, and class sizes offered in charter schools; and

WHEREAS, Charter school teachers come from diverse professional backgrounds and nearly all are finding personal fulfillment and reward in working at a charter school; and

WHEREAS, Both Democrats and Republicans have embraced charter schools as an important option in the pursuit of improving our education system; now, therefore, be it