Legal Landscape for Charter Renewals in 2025 and Beyond
AB 1505 fundamentally reshaped the legal landscape for charter renewals in California, introducing new standards, expectations, and complexities. Perhaps one of the most important—yet under-discussed—factors in the renewal process is how much experiences can vary depending on where a school is located and who the authorizer is. From rural counties to large urban districts, interpretation and application of the law are anything but uniform.
While some charter schools have already navigated renewals under the post-AB 1505 rules, the majority are just beginning or will soon face the process. If renewal is coming up in the next cycle—or even in a few years—it’s not too early to start preparing.
This information-rich session will walk through key legal and procedural considerations, including renewal timelines, essential petition content, recent legal developments, and the intricacies of the multi-track system. The presenters will also explore how to align with an authorizer, build meaningful community support, and understanding rights during the appeal process. Most importantly, this session features authentic, on-the-ground stories of recent and current renewals. The goal is to shed light on practical strategies, common pitfalls, and surprising challenges, all shaped by their unique regional and authorizer contexts.
Join this session for an engaging and timely discussion that blends legal guidance with lived experience—and be ready for a successful renewal, no matter where a school is in the state.
Presented by
Dan Soleimani
General Counsel
Aspire Public Schools
Dan joined Aspire as Chief of Staff in November 2019. In that capacity, he oversaw strategic planning, progress monitoring, board governance, and supported critical organizational strategies, including quarterbacking Aspire’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining Aspire, Dan built and led the School Management Office for Success Academy Charter Schools in New York. In that role, he led a team to scale student supports (e.g., special education, SEL, and mental health) during the organization’s rapid growth and supported superintendents and school teams with data analytics, enrollment, policy, crisis management, and conflict resolution. Prior to heading up its School Management Office, Dan served as Assistant General Counsel and Chief of Staff to Success Academy's Chief Legal Officer for ~6 years. Prior to entering the charter school space, Dan worked in the Juvenile Rights Practice for the Legal Aid Society, representing youth in juvenile justice and child protection matters.
Greta Proctor
Partner
Procopio
Greta Proctor is the leader of Procopio’s Education practice. Greta advises on a wide range of operational, governance, and ever-changing regulatory issues for classroom and non-classroom based charter schools. Greta has worked extensively on charter renewals, including appeals. She also counsels schools through special proceedings ranging from OCR complaints to FCMAT extraordinary audits. Greta provides frequent trainings on topics such as teacher credentialing, Board governance, the Brown Act, Public Records Act, avoiding conflicts of interest under the Political Reform Act and Government Code section 1090, and new legislation impacting her clients.
Merrick Wadsworth
Partner
Procopio
Merrick has worked for charter schools for more than a decade. He advises on a variety of operational issues, including charter renewals and material revisions, authorizer relations, student discipline, board policies and governance, contracts, facility issues, entity formation, government funding requirements, and many others. Merrick regularly provides trainings on Title IX, Brown Act, Public Records Act, avoiding conflicts under the Political Reform Act and Government Code section 1090, board governance, and new legislation impacting charter schools. He also has experience assisting with various phases of civil litigation and appeals. Prior to law school, Merrick worked as a substitute teacher in all grade levels at the Kings County, California, Office of Education.
