Senate committee advances AB 84 to tighten oversight of nonclassroom-based charter schools

Assemblymember Marisucci asked the Senate Education Committee to consider Assembly Bill 84, legislation aimed at strengthening oversight of charter schools — particularly nonclassroom-based charters — after a series of high‑profile fraud cases. “We need to strengthen charter school oversight and accountability,” the author said, citing audits and criminal convictions that exposed “large scale misuse of public funds.”

The bill largely codifies recommendations from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) and the state controller’s task force on charter audits. Mike Fine, executive director of FCMAT, told the committee the bill would “modify existing statute on audits to explicitly apply to charter schools, creating parity” with school districts and would strengthen auditor training and oversight.

Supporters described the bill as a response to major cases that involved millions of…