California Charter Schools Association
 | |
| Abbreviation | CCSA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2003 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
Region served | California |
Board Chair | Cristina de Jesus |
President and CEO | Myrna Castrejón |
| Website | ccsa |
The California Charter Schools Association, abbreviated as CCSA, is an American charter school advocacy group, based in California. It represents many of the state's more than 1,200 charter schools.
The organization's political advocacy arm, California Charter Schools Association Advocates, has played an influential role in some of the state's most expensive and competitive school board elections.
History
The California Charter Schools Association was founded in 2003.
CCSA has defended charter schools against allegations of fraud and mismanagement. The organization has successfully fought restrictions on colocations with traditional public schools, protected under 2000 California Proposition 39, including through lawsuits against individual school districts.
Since its founding, CCSA Advocates and its affiliated political action committees have frequently clashed with teachers unions including the California Teachers Association and United Teachers Los Angeles over the issue of charter schools. In 2026, agreement between the organizations in the 2026 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election and low spending in Los Angeles Unified School District races led some commentators to conclude that this conflict may have ended.
References
- 1 2 Zinshteyn, Mikhail (May 3, 2017). "California's largest charter group pushes its agenda with money and people power". EdSource. Archived from the original on October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- ↑ Fensterwald, John (November 1, 2016). "Charter organization fills gap with new school ranking system". EdSource. Archived from the original on January 3, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
The charter association represents many of the state's 1,230 charter schools.
- ↑ "Digital Democracy: California Charter Schools Association". CalMatters. Archived from the original on February 26, 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- ↑ Blume, Howard; Poston, Ben (May 21, 2017). "How L.A.'s school board election became the most expensive in U.S. history". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 17, 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- ↑ Szymanski, Mike; Favot, Sarah (April 9, 2017). "Has the President of the Los Angeles School Board Abandoned His Re-election Campaign?". The 74. Archived from the original on June 22, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- ↑ "CCSA says report on charter school fraud 'simply inaccurate'". L.A. School Report. March 25, 2015. Archived from the original on February 8, 2026. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- ↑ Seshadri, Mallika (July 24, 2025). "Judge rules LAUSD broke state law denying charter co-location access". EdSource. Archived from the original on January 31, 2026. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- ↑ Blume, Howard (April 3, 2024). "LAUSD banned charter schools from many of its campuses. Now charters will fight it in court". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 21, 2026. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- ↑ Chapman, Ben (May 8, 2024). "The Los Angeles Charter School Wars Are Headed To Court. Here's What's At Stake". The 74. Archived from the original on November 17, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- ↑ Seshadri, Mallika (April 2, 2024). "Charter Schools Association sues LAUSD over charter co-location policy". EdSource. Archived from the original on January 2, 2026. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- ↑ La, Lynn (May 21, 2026). "They used to battle in CA elections. Now, they back the same candidate". CalMatters. Archived from the original on May 28, 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- ↑ Lambert, Diana (May 19, 2026). "Charter schools association endorses Barrera for state superintendent". EdSource. Archived from the original on May 29, 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
The charter schools association joins the California Teachers Association in support of Barrera. The two organizations have historically supported opposing candidates for statewide seats and school board races.
- ↑ Blume, Howard (May 29, 2026). "For decades, LAUSD battled over charter schools. This election shows that war might be over". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026.