Orange County Education Board Celebrates 30 Years of Charter Schools

"In God We Trust" hangs in the meeting area of the Orange County Board of Education in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange County is celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the state’s Charter School Act and continuing its commitment to support school choice as state and federal lawmakers push to put more restrictions on charter schools.

The Orange County Board of Education this week unanimously approved a resolution (pdf) to recognize the state’s 1992 Charter School Act, which gave charter schools the flexibility to set their own curriculum and guidelines while still receiving federal funds.

However, charter schools have faced increasing regulations in recent years as Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a 2019 law that requires charter curriculum to be approved by the state and requires charter schools to obtain approval from a local public school in order to be prioritized for federal funding—rules also recently proposed by the Biden administration.

But Ken Williams, Jr., the board’s vice president, reiterated Orange County’s support of charter schools.

“We have stood very firm and strongly backing charter schools here because [charters] do something very different, and we appreciate what [they] contribute to public education,” Williams said.

Board President Mari Barke echoed Williams’ sentiment, saying, “It’s so important to offer choice so that children aren’t trapped by their zip codes. [Charter schools] change the trajectory of children’s lives.”

A school in Tustin, Calif., on March 10, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

About 23,000 students—11 percent of all students in the county—currently attend the 35 charter schools in Orange County, according to 2021–22 enrollment data from the state’s Department of Education.

Because charter schools have more structural flexibility, each one looks a bit different.

Some closely resemble traditional public schools, while others are largely self-paced independent study, and some are a hybrid of both.

Dr. Collin Felch, assistant superintendent for Charter Vista Public Schools, said charters allow parents the ability to send their kids to a tuition-free school that suits their unique needs.

“Charter schools also serve a population that often isn’t heard from,” Felch said. “In California, often half of the population in charter schools is low-income minorities, and that’s even higher in [Orange County].”

Nearly 64 percent of the county’s charter school students are low-income, 28 percent are English learners, and 11 percent have disabilities, according to 2021–22 state Department of Education data.

Other charter schools across the state will be celebrating “Charter Schools Week” from May 8–14.