WHEREAS, 2022 is the 30th Anniversary of the passage of the Charter Schools Act of 1992, hereinafter referred to as the “Charter Schools Act,” in California, which was designed to “...provide opportunities for teachers, parents, pupils, and community members to establish and maintain schools that operate independently from existing school district structure...”; and

WHEREAS, The Charter Schools Act stated the Legislature’s intent that charter schools are and should become an integral part of the California educational system and that the establishment of charter schools should be encouraged; and

WHEREAS, The Charter Schools Act serves as a living legacy to Senator Gary K. Hart, who authored the legislation, making California the second state in the nation to create public charter schools, allowing educators the flexibility to design instructional models that put pupils first and deliver a high-quality education; and

WHEREAS, All pupils are welcome to attend a charter school in California, regardless of academic performance, disability, religion, income level, race, sexual orientation, or ZIP Code; and

WHEREAS, Charter schools are created by educators who have the flexibility to design instructional models that put pupils first and deliver a high-quality education; and

WHEREAS, All charter schools in California are not for profit, free, public, and open to all; and

WHEREAS, In the 2021–22 school year, the charter school pupil population consists of 56 percent low income, 53 percent Latino, 25 percent White, 15 percent English learners, 10 percent pupils with disabilities, and 7 percent Black; and

WHEREAS, According to State Department of Education 2021–22 school year enrollment data, nearly 700,000 pupils annually attend charter schools in California at nearly 1,300 charter schools; and

WHEREAS, Seventy-eight percent of Californians believe that parents should have the right to choose a charter school if they think it is better for their child; and

WHEREAS, California’s charter schools support equity and inclusion in their schools, and educate a high concentration of pupils in poverty, as well as Black and Latino pupils in communities across the state; now, therefore, be it