CART gets unanimous vote to continue operating

 

An exterior view of the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART). (Photo courtesy of CUSD)

The Assembly Education Committee came together on Wednesday, May 10 and unanimously approved a bill that allows the continued operation of CART, a Central Valley Charter School.

With the passing of Assembly Bill 760, the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART) will be able to operate without needing approval from the state every five years. The bill updates the state education code to remove the sunset clause, so CART can operate in its
current form indefinitely.

“The education code was outdated. They had to have a waiver legislation to continue operating under this model,” California Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) said. “Assembly 760 modernizes the education code and removes the sunset on the waiver. They will have a permanent approval by the educational code. This will be a permanent recognition.”

CART allows junior and senior high school students from Fresno and Clovis Unified to spend 40 percent of their day at their home school and 60 percent of their day at the CART campus.

“CART was the new experiment of this kind of education that is much more connected to the working job reality, giving them experience in the classroom and also experience in the field, providing them an early opportunity to choose a career path,” Patterson said. “It has become a model that is duplicated around the state of California.”

Patterson said the early success of CART played in a huge role in determining the future of the program.

“The success of CART really argued for the elimination of the sunset. They have long since passed the test,” Patterson said. “Although it is an unusual arrangement, it is a highly successful arrangement that has become a model.”

As the bill now goes to the senate, Patterson said he feels optimistic.

“I’m very hopeful about this. I think we will receive the same type of reception on the senate side,” he said. “CART has been so successful. It has demonstrated that it’s a pioneer in this kind of education.”

Patterson adds that the bill “fixes an unnecessary problem that should have been addressed a long time ago.”

“I fully expect it to pass the senate and the governor,” Patterson said. “This will certainly relieve some of the anxiety of having to go back every five years and get permission to proceed. This one was a joy to participate in and to help move forward.”

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