San Diego school chief wants charter authority expanded to other entities
If Superintendent Carl Cohn has his way, the San Diego Unified School District would shift much of the responsibility for approving and managing its charter schools to other organizations. Cohn is partnering with the California Charter Schools Association to explore legislation that would allow colleges, universities and other entities to authorize and oversee San Diego's growing number of charters. Cohn says charter schools take up too much of the school board and staff's time – a sentiment echoed by districts across the state. More than 600 charter schools serve more than 200,000 students statewide. In California, charters typically are authorized by local districts, which are required to provide facilities for them, if the schools meet certain conditions.