Back in December, something unusual happened in Sacramento. A group of politicians appeared to defy their biggest campaign contributors and made a push to reopen California schools.

Two of those lawmakers have apparently been corralled by their union handlers and are now working to restrict California children’s access to education. In what can only be viewed as an apology to the California Teachers Association that elected them, former reopening advocates Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, and Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, have introduced new legislation aimed at gutting one of the few educational bright spots in the past year: charter schools.

The bill, Assembly Bill 1316, seeks to severely limit the ability of families and schools to provide instruction that meets the unique learning needs of students by drastically cutting charter school funding; removing their ability to provide the tailored education their students need; restricting which students are eligible to attend charter schools; restraining charters from setting curriculum and providing classes and enrichment they deem necessary; adding unnecessary credentialing requirements to vendors; and introducing layers of bureaucratic red tape that will make it harder for California students to receive a quality education.

The primary target are non-classroom based charters, which serve children who need a more tailored instructional environment, have special or health needs, and may struggle in large classroom settings. Unlike their traditional-school counterparts, children who attend online or distanced charter schools thrive in this smaller scenario, and these providers mastered virtual education long before COVID-19 forced it upon us.

Especially ironic is the timing of this proposal, introduced in a year when students stuck in traditional public schools have experienced devastating callousness from a system and leaders purportedly tasked with educating and nurturing them. Today, most California students remain largely locked out of the classroom. Those who’ve “returned” to school are doing so a few days a week, for limited hours. In Los Angeles, students are spending more time in child care than at their desks. And even if they are at their desks, many are still watching their teachers on Zoom.

California’s COVID-19 case rate dropped to the lowest in the continental U.S. this week, yet Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he wouldn’t mandate teachers to get back to the classroom, not even by fall. While more and more parents vented their frustrations at the indefinite school closures by holding protests across the state in recent days, the California Teachers Association and its affiliates still refuse to fully return to work.

While students in California’s traditional public schools are falling behind in math and reading, and suffering possibly irreversible psychological harm, charter school students have enjoyed ongoing and effective instruction.

Charter schools exist largely outside the iron grasp of unions and have thereby been able to flex to the rapidly changing pandemic scenarios this past year. Their nimbleness and ability to focus on student needs rather than union demands allowed them to shift to a functioning virtual model almost overnight, permit teachers to remain in regular contact with students, extend the school days and years as necessary, and provide additional support to students who needed it.

While California’s traditional public schools failed students, charter schools rose to the occasion, and their enrollment skyrocketed.

The authors and co-authors of this bill have collectively received over a million dollars from government unions, including the California Teachers Association. Together, they  want to level their educational competition, even if it means all kids lose.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. If you can’t join ‘em, crush ‘em.

Chantal Lovell is the communications director at the California Policy Center. 

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