Charter oversight committee reports recommendations on SELPA, Brown Act training and parent engagement

The Charter Schools Oversight Committee presented its first‑year review to the Board of Education on May 11, urging the district to increase transparency and family engagement around charter renewals and oversight.

Michelle Parker, committee chair, described the committee’s membership and work this year, including participation in four charter renewal petitions, requests for consistent disaggregated demographic data, and a focus on special education services. The committee urged that charter schools post a description of the oversight committee, meeting times and translated materials on their websites and on-site bulletin boards to help families know how to raise concerns or share successes.

Lita Blanc outlined the committee’s recent whistleblower experience and emphasized the committee’s requirement to follow the Brown Act (open‑meeting rules) because the body was formed by board resolution. "We were not able to hold conversations about an investigation in closed session," Blanc said, and recommended Brown Act training for advisory committees that must follow the law.

The committee also recommended a deliberate review of charter schools’ Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) assignments. Many California charter schools use the El Dorado SELPA; the committee proposed surveying charter leadership and families to determine whether the El Dorado or SFUSD SELPA better serves students with IEPs and to analyze costs and family engagement differences.

Board members praised the committee for its work and asked staff to provide written responses to each recommendation so the public can track follow‑up actions. Commissioners emphasized the need to fill vacant committee seats and to include more student representation next year.

What’s next: the committee asked the board to invite oversight committee members to formally present during renewal hearings rather than relying solely on public comment; staff were asked to follow up on the committee’s recommendations and report back.