SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) is pleased to announce that Governor Brown has signed Assembly Bill 1859 into law. The bill passed through both houses of the Legislature with unanimous support.

AB 1859 requires charter schools to provide a written 30-day notice to their school district of residence of any intent to apply for federal bond authority for construction or rehabilitation that would affect school district property. This notice requirement mirrors the current requirements for charter schools that seek state financing.

"This bill is about increasing communication between charter schools and public school districts on facilities issues," stated Buchanan. "The lack of notice has lead to situations in which charter schools are making plans for the rehabilitation of buildings that in some cases belong to the school district, and there is no coordination with the district."
Currently, charter schools that apply for federal bond authority through the Qualified School Construction Bond program are only required to publish a notice of their intent to apply in a newspaper of general circulation, not to notify the school district directly.

"Adding a 30-day notice requirement to the rules for federal bond authority brings those rules into line with existing statutes for state financing, allowing us to coordinate the requirements for state and federal funding so that charter schools and school districts are working with consistent criteria and rules," indicated Buchanan.

AB 1859 received the support of charter schools and public school districts. The Governor signed the bill on Tuesday and it will take effect January 1, 2013.

Contact: Susanna Schlendorf, (916) 319-2015