Excelsior Charter Schools Central Office: 15505 Civic Drive Victorville, California 92392 PH 760-245-4262 Fax 760-780-4996 www.excelsior.com

Thursday, June 25, 2020 Greetings Excelsior Families,

It is tough to share with you some troubling news from our California lawmakers. Last night we learned about another attack on parent choice and public charter schools. The charter movement of parent choice and our entire Excelsior family need you to respond to advocate for lawmakers to remove harmful language from Assembly Bill 77.

Below are some excellent points and steps we can take that have been put out into circulation from some of our fellow area Charter School partners in advocating for great public charter school options for parents in our communities.

Although the recently approved state budget was not a bad as it could have been for public schools, there was hidden language added in a trailer bill that impacts charter schools’ ability to enroll and serve new students.

AB 77, as written and if passed, would divert millions of dollars away from local public charter schools, such as SRA, next year and would restrict our ability to enroll new students. AB 77 is part of the 2020-21 budget package and makes statutory changes to implement the 2020-21 Budget Act.

Your legislators need to hear this simple message:

“Please fund charter public schools at the same rate as traditional public schools when they enroll new students for the 2020/2021 school year.”

There are four things you can do: 1. TODAY: You may call and speak during the public hearing for the Senate finance committee using the following number 1-844-291-6364 - Access Code 665757 OR you may email comments to [email protected]. ** Meeting starts today at 11am** Watch or listen here: https://www.senate.ca.gov/

2. TODAY: Please reach out to the legislators on the budget committee. Phone and email information for members are listed at the bottom of this email. It's easy and takes less than five minutes.

3. TODAY: Please reach out to your local legislators to tell them you want full funding for charter schools with no enrollment restrictions. You can find your local legislator’s information at the bottom of this letter.

4. TODAY: Reach out to the governor by contacting him here. Visit the Governor’s website and send him the same message as above. His website can be reached at https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/. Here is the simple request. “Please fund charter public schools at the same rate as traditional public schools when they enroll new students for the 2020/2021 school year. Your budget draft currently makes that impossible.”

Board of Directors

Navid McCarthy Terrance Stone Guy Burnett Alan Kay Lucy Rivera Ronnie Henderson, Ed. D. President Secretary/Treasurer Board Member Board Member Board Member Superintendent

BACKGROUND AND IMPACT OF AB 77 AB 77 was brought forward yesterday, Tuesday, June 23rd, and will be voted on TODAY by the Senate Budget Committee. If the bill passes through the Senate Budget Committee, we expect the Assembly and Senate to take final actions Friday, June 26, 2020, in time for Governor Newsom to act on them before the start of the fiscal year. Under AB77, schools are locked in and must use 2019-20 funding numbers for 20-21 which means that our school would not receive even one dollar to support these additional students to our program. Now hidden in the budget bill’s language is a statement that reads:

“For the purposes of calculating apportionments for the 2020/2021 fiscal year and for any other calculations that would be based on average daily attendance in the 2020/2021 school year, for a non-classroom-based charter school described in Section 76612.5 as of the 2019/2020 fiscal year, the department shall use the non-classroom- based charter school’s average daily attendance on the 209/2020 fiscal year pursuant to subdivision (b) of section 43502.”

Okay, what does that mean in plain English? The budget bill is stating that schools like Excelsior, offering independent study, who have enrolled new students for the fall, will not be funded for serving those students. They are putting our charter schools in the crosshairs, punishing us for serving students well, and basically capping our growth so we don’t enroll any new students.

Why would the legislature and Governor agree to this type of action? When some districts didn’t serve students well the past few months, parents decided to pull their students out of these traditional public school programs and enroll in public charter schools that have a track record of serving students well. Instead of expecting and requiring those traditional school districts to change or improve, they are deciding to cap charter school enrollment. In essence, this bill language takes choice away from parents who want their children to attend a charter school for the first time in the fall. If AB77 passes, parents have to keep their children in schools that may have failed them and that is just not acceptable.

Our legislature and governor have a duty to protect all students and to ensure that public charter schools are funded for each enrolled student in the coming year, just like they are for traditional public schools. They need a reminder from our community. We need your voices to reach our state lawmakers. Let them hear loud and clear from our Excelsior family that we will not allow any attack on good public charter schools to go quietly unnoticed.

Sincerely,

Ronnie Henderson, Ed. D. Deputy Superintendent

Here are the members of the Committee and their contact info:

• Senator Holly J. Mitchell (Chair)

Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 5050 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4030 Fax: (916) 651-4930 Los Angeles Office Wallis Annenberg Building 700 State Dr., Suite 113 Los Angeles, CA 90037 Phone: (213) 745-6656 Fax: (213) 745-6722 Email [email protected] [email protected]

Senator Jim Nielsen (Vice Chair) Capitol State Capitol, Room 5064 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916.651.4004 Fax: 916.651.4904 Roseville 2200A Douglas Blvd. Suite 100 Roseville, CA 95661 Phone: 916.772.0571 Fax: 916.772.0589 Chico 2635 Forest Ave, Suite 110 Chico, CA 95928 Phone: 530.879.7424 Fax: 530.879.7437 Yuba City 1110 Civic Center Blvd., Suite 202-A Yuba City, CA 95993 Phone: 530.751.8657 Fax: 530.751.8865 Email [email protected]

Senator Jim Beall Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 2082 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4015 Fax: (916) 651-4915 Campbell District Office 2105 S. Bascom Avenue Suite 154 Campbell, CA 95008 Phone: (408) 558-1295 Fax: (408) 558-1296 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Senator Anna M. Caballero Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 5052 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4012 Fax: (916) 651-4912 Salinas District Office 132 West Gabilan Street, Suite 101 Salinas, CA 93901 Phone: (831) 769-8040 Fax: (831) 769-8086 Merced District Office 510 West Main Street, Suite E Merced, CA 95340 Phone: (209) 726-5495 Fax: (209) 726-5498 [email protected]

Senator Brian Dahle Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 2054 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4001 Fax: (916) 651-4901

Redding Office 1320 Yuba St #102, Redding, CA 96001 Phone: (530) 224-7001

Gold River Office 11230 Gold Express Drive, #304 Gold River, CA 95670 Phone: (916) 464-4201

Grass Valley Office 11310 McCourtney Road, Unit E2/E3 Grass Valley, CA 95949 Phone: (530) 271-1022 [email protected] [email protected]

Senator Maria Elena Durazo Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 5066 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4024 Fax: (916) 651-4924 District Office 1808 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026 Phone: (213) 483-9300

Fax: (213) 483-9305 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Senator Melissa Hurtado Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4014 Fax: (916) 651-4914

Fresno District Office 2550 Mariposa Mall, Suite 2016 Fresno, CA 93721 Phone: (559) 264-3070

Bakersfield District Office 1201 E. California Avenue, Suite A Bakersfield, CA 93307 Phone: (661) 395-2620

Hanford District Office 611 N. Douty Street Hanford, CA 93230 Phone: (559) 585-7161 [email protected]

Senator Connie M. Leyva Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 4061 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4020 Fax: (916) 651-4920 Pomona Office 101 West Mission Boulevard, Suite 111 Pomona, CA 91766 Phone: (909) 469-1110 Fax: (909) 469-1123 San Bernardino Office 464 W. 4th Street, Suite 454B San Bernardino, CA 92401 Phone: (909) 888-5360 [email protected] [email protected]

Senator Mike McGuire State Capitol 1303 10th Street, Room 5061 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-651-4002

Fax: 916-651-4902

Eureka Office: 1036 5th St., Suite D Eureka, CA 95501 Phone: 707-445-6508 Fax: 707-445-6511

Santa Rosa Office: 50 D St., Suite #120A Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Phone: 707-576-2771 Fax: 707-576-2773

San Rafael Office: 3501 Civic Center Drive Suite 425 San Rafael, CA 94903 Phone: 415-479-6612 Fax: 415-479-1146

Ukiah Office: 200 South School Street, Suite K Ukiah, CA 95482 Phone: 707-468-8914 Fax: 707-468-8931 Crescent City Office 1080 Mason Mall, Suite 4 Crescent City 95531 Phone: (707) 464-1255 [email protected] [email protected]

Senator Melissa A. Melendez Capitol Office State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4028 Fax: (916) 651-4928 Murrieta Office 25186 Hancock Ave, Suite 320 Murrieta, Ca. 92562 Phone: (951) 894-3530 Fax: (951) 894-3536 Indio Office 45-125 Smurr Street, Suite B Indio, California 92201 Phone: (760) 398-6442 Fax: (760) 398-6470 [email protected]

Senator Bill Monning Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 4040 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4017 Fax: (916) 651-4917

Monterey District Office 99 Pacific Street, Suite 575-F Monterey, CA 93940 Phone: (831) 657-6315 Fax: (831) 657-6320

San Luis Obispo District Office 1026 Palm Street, Suite 201 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Phone: (805) 549-3784 Fax: (805) 549-3779 Santa Clara County Satellite Phone: (408) 847-6101 Santa Cruz District Office 701 Ocean St. Suite 318A Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Phone: (831) 425-0401 Fax: (831) 425-5124 [email protected]

Senator John M. W. Moorlach Capitol State Capitol, Room 2048 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916.651.4037 Fax: 916.651.4937

Costa Mesa 940 South Coast Drive, Suite 185 Costa Mesa, CA, 92626 Phone: 714.662.6050 Fax: 714.662.6055 [email protected]

Senator Mike Morrell Capitol State Capitol, Room 3056 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916.651.4023 Fax: 916.651.4923 Rancho Cucamonga 10350 Commerce Center Drive, Suite A-220 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

Phone: 909.919.7731 Fax: 909.919.7739 [email protected] [email protected]

Senator Richard Pan Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 5114 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4006 Fax: (916) 651-4906

District Office 2251 Florin Road, Suite 156 Sacramento, CA 95822 Phone: (916) 262-2904 Fax: (916) 914-2179 [email protected]

Senator Richard D. Roth Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 2080 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4031 Fax: (916) 651-4931 Riverside District Office 3737 Main Street, Suite 104 Riverside, CA 92501 Phone: (951) 680-6750 Fax: (951) 680-6757 [email protected]

Senator Nancy Skinner Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 5094 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4009 Fax: (916) 651-4909 District Office 1515 Clay Street, Suite 200 Oakland, CA 94612 Phone: (510) 286-1333 Fax: (510) 286-3885 [email protected]

Senator Henry I. Stern Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 5080 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 651-4027 Fax: (916) 651-4927

Calabasas District Office 5016 N. Parkway Calabasas, Suite 222 Calabasas, CA 91302 Phone: (818) 876-3352 Fax: (818) 876-0802 [email protected]

Senator Bob Wieckowski State District 39510 Paseo Padre Parkway Fremont, CA 94538 Phone: (510) 794-3900 Fax: (510) 794-3940 State Capitol 1303 Tenth Street Sacramento, CA 95814-4900 Phone: (916) 651-4010 Fax: (916) 651-4910 [email protected]