Dive Brief:

• Because the California Charter School Act mandates public funding of the state's rapidly expanding charter schools, an ongoing conversation around how to fund districts with declining enrollment is creating tension.
• Charters that are for-profit or backed by corporate interests have sparked controversy around whether new checks and balances need to be created for the schools.
• In the past six years, a total of 51 new charter schools have opened in San Diego county, with a student body that increased 80%. 

Dive Insight:

Though a reported fifth of San Diego's students now attend charters, that number isn't as high across California. Still, districts currently grappling with the charter issue should pay attention to what happens next. For example, just north of San Diego in Escondido, overall enrollment in traditional schools has dropped by 12%, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

Opposition to the charter school movement remains rooted in issues around budgets, inclusivity, and the trade-off of the schools being able to use innovation to boost student achievement in exchange for more freedom from certain oversight measures. 

It's still too soon to be able to cull the herd, a process that some school boards in California seem to be beginning to consider by limiting charter authorizations.

For charter networks with proven failure rates, like the California Virtual Academies, the state is already acting. CAVA graduates around 58% of its students. In California overall, the graduation rate is approximately 80%. Attorney General Kamala Harris has an open investigation into the practices of for-profit charters.