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Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Santa Clarita) joined a growing coalition of lawmakers, education advocates and concerned parents to urge the rejection of AB 84, which would defund non-classroom-based charter schools and impose unnecessary, burdensome mandates and regulations.
Senator Valladares joined with coalition partners for a press conference at the State Capitol in advance of a Senate Education Committee hearing Wednesday.
“Charter schools meet students where they are, and they especially matter for students with disabilities, foster youth, minority students, and families without access to expensive tutors or private schools,” said Valladares. “These are the kids who need more choices, not fewer.”
Flex-based charters serve nearly 100,000 students across 56 of California’s 58 counties. These schools are 58% socioeconomically disadvantaged, 7% English learners, and 15% students with disabilities. AB 84 would slash funding and redirect resources away from classrooms and into bureaucratic layers. The coalition expressed support for SB 414 as an alternative bill to provide oversight for charter schools, without imposing burdensome restrictions.
“These schools aren’t just another choice; they are lifelines for students who often slip through the cracks in conventional education systems. In my own community, charter schools have been a life-changing option for pregnant teens, foster youth and many first generation high school graduates. I will never give up fighting to expand education opportunities for all of California students,” concluded Valladares.