The General Assembly on Tuesday passed a two-year state budget and adjourned their regular session — but our work is not done. Lawmakers will soon go into “special session” to pass the “implementer bills” – hundreds of pages of directions to state agencies about how to execute the new budget.
The legislature on Tuesday took an important step toward establishing greater transparency and more accountability for schools operated by charter management organizations (CMOs) by passing S.B. 1096. The legislation empowers the General Assembly to give final approval to charter school applicants, and requires charter schools and CMOs to:
  • be subject to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act;
  • conduct background checks;
  • adopt anti-nepotism and conflict of interest policies;
  • share best practices with local districts; &
  • submit to random audits.
But attempts to strip the FOI and charter approval process provisions of the bill by Malloy Administration officials were discovered last night during budget implementer discussions.
To contact your legislators, click on this link: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/dont-let-a-rat-gut-charter-school-accountability. Thank them for voting to establish stronger transparency and accountability frameworks for charter schools and urge them to VOTE NO on any budget implementer bills that would dilute S.B. 1096.
Contact Governor Malloy by clicking on this link:https://actionnetwork.org/letters/dont-undermine-charter-school-accountability Ask him to sign S.B. 1096 and refrain from efforts to dilute or weaken its language.
This matter is extremely urgent and it’s critical to take action TODAY to block underhanded attempts to weaken charter accountability.
Advertisement