Members of the California State Senate & Assembly with parents and charter school advocates at today's press conference. Photo courtesy: Senate Rules Photography
This morning, a bicameral group of lawmakers joined parents and charter school proponents to rally in opposition to Assembly Bill 84. Members of the Senate Education Committee will vote on AB 84 today, and opponents of the measure urge them to kill the bill. AB 84 would limit educational opportunities for students and parents, defund charter schools, and force students into to state-run schools. Click HERE to watch the full press conference.
“Education is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and I believe AB 84 would limit the educational choices available to parents and students. Additionally, this measure is problematic because it would create an anti-charter school czar appointed by the governor. We do not need another unelected bureaucrat, like those at CARB, imposing government mandates on our students and families.” – Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach)
“This is the number one bill my office has heard about from constituents this year, and their message is clear: Californians don’t want it. At its core, AB 84 hands more control to the state and union bosses while tying the hands of parents. Families want more choice, not more bureaucracy. I urge the Senate Education Committee to do the right thing today and vote NO on AB 84.” – Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego)
“AB 84 will reduce educational opportunities for children and prevent competitive alternatives for education, which is the greatest equalizer. In addition to being incredibly detrimental to student educational options across the state, it expands government control and overreach, which is costly, unnecessary and harmful to the viability of charter schools.” - Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach)
“As a mother, former teacher and Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee, I have been privy to the challenges children face and the efforts parents make to create educational environments that help their children succeed. AB 84 would directly harm students in my district by stripping away flexibility, limit individualized supports, and ignore the proven power of parent-teacher-community collaboration in student growth. Kids should not be collateral damage in a rushed process that hasn’t fully allowed for all stakeholders to be at the table. The state should build on what’s working and keep kids in learning environments.” – Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee
“We should be expanding options for families, not narrowing them.This bill forces a single option bureaucracy onto schools that provide options for our most vulnerable students. We have a strong alternative in SB 414.” – Senator Steven Choi, Ph.D. (R-Irvine)
“These flexible models aren’t just convenient—they are necessary. They 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. These are the kids who need more choices, not fewer.” – Senator Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita)
“AB 84 would impose a mountain of red tape on nonclassroom-based charter schools, including enrollment caps, funding penalties, and new layers of state-level bureaucracy. I will continue to fight to protect charter school students and families who thrive in these flexible, personalized learning environments.” - Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), Vice Chair of the Assembly Education Committee
What would AB 84 do? AB 84 would pull resources away from classrooms, undercut personalized learning plans, and put unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on successful charter schools. This bill would harm the most vulnerable California students.