Assembly committee advances AB 84 to tighten audits and oversight of charter schools after A3 fraud cases

The Assembly Education Committee on Tuesday voted to pass AB 84, a measure to standardize audits and tighten oversight of charter schools and non‑classroom‑based (NCB) programs, advancing the bill as amended to the Appropriations Committee.

Supporters said the bill responds to documented fraud, including the A3 charter network prosecutions, and implements recommendations from the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), the state Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) and a State Controller task force. Opponents, including many charter school leaders and parents, said the measure is overly broad, will divert classroom dollars to oversight, and will unduly burden legitimate programs such as blended and independent study models.

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Marisucci, said AB 84 targets “bad actors” and implements three goals: strengthen audit and accounting practices statewide, reduce documented fraud among NCB charters, and reform school district oversight consistent with LAO and FCMAT recommendations. Mike Fine, CEO of FCMAT, told the committee AB 84 would remove audit language from…