January 7, 1997

The following statement by C. Judson King, UC Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, is in response to Gov. Wilson's State of the State Address this week in which the governor called on UC and CSU to work together with the state to create a new breed of charter schools.

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"The University of California is pleased that Gov. Wilson has recognized the important role higher education plays in the improvement of the state's public schools. We are excited about the prospects of a joint charter schools project with CSU and the potential it has for increasing our ties with local school districts. We are in the preliminary stages of discussion with our partners at CSU, the state Department of Education and local school districts and the specifics of the project will be developed in the months to come.

"The Charter Schools Project is an extension of--not a departure from--UC's already intensive work in public schools. Each year, these programs reach more than 200,000 public school students. We recognize the value in working in partnership at all levels of education--especially with school professionals--to address the complexity and range of issues and problems facing elementary and secondary education.

"UC sees this project as an opportunity to work directly with CSU and local school districts to create model schools in existing public schools where new and innovative educational practices can be researched and tested. UC does not seek to become an alternative provider of K-12 education. UC's central role will be in research and evaluation of charter school programs. It is our hope that eventually all schools, not just charter schools, will benefit from this project."

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Background: In 1992, Gov. Wilson signed into law a measure that allows public schools, with the approval of their school districts and the state Department of Education, to draft their own charters and initiate education reform programs that are exempt from the requirements of the state education code. UC and CSU are involved in a number of current and proposed charter school efforts, including:

UCLA's University Elementary School (UES), the K-6 laboratory school of the Graduate School of Education. In 1994, the state Legislature approved legislation to convert UES to a charter school, although it has not opted as yet to do so.

Accelerated Charter School of South Central Los Angeles, a partnership project with CSULA.

Proposed UCSD Thurgood Marshall College Charter High School. UCSD is working with the San Diego City Schools to create a college preparatory charter school for approximately 250 students.