FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                               
May 13, 2022

In response to Governor Newsom’s 2022-2023 California State Budget proposal May Revise, Aspire Public Schools CEO Mala Batra issued the following statement:

Oakland, Calif. — Today, Governor Newsom signaled his solidarity with California’s students and schools. Since the start of the pandemic, students have lost precious funds every time they’ve had to quarantine to protect the health and safety of their school community. Quarantine-related absences threatened tens of millions of dollars for students’ education, just when we need to increase investments in our schools. 

Governor Newsom has proposed to end this senseless funding loss by ensuring that classroom-based local education agencies, including public charter schools, can utilize a modified version of their 2021-22 average daily attendance to determine their 2021-22 LCFF allocations. This reflects the same accommodations being made in public education at district schools. 

We’re optimistic that the voices of families, teachers, education leaders and advocates are being heard. We are grateful to Gov. Newsom and the California lawmakers who are prioritizing the protection of funds necessary to provide a high-quality education to students. We are counting on our representatives to ensure that the final budget will put the cost of quarantine to rest. If the proposal remains in the final budget, nearly 1,000 public classroom-based charter schools and over 500,000 students they serve will no longer lose funds for doing what’s best for their health and safety. 

About Aspire Public Schools
Aspire Public Schools operates 36 community-based public charter schools educating over 15,500 students in underserved communities across California. Founded in 1998, Aspire is one of the nation’s largest open-enrollment public charter school systems serving predominantly students of color from low-income communities. Delivering a rigorous education to students in grades TK-12, College for Certain is the focus for every age group. Teachers and families partner closely to ensure scholars are prepared to succeed in college, career and life. Currently in its 21st academic year, Aspire is one of the nation’s first charter school systems. Learn more about Aspire Public Schools at aspirepublicschools.org.