CCAP’s Annual California Charter School Authorizers Conference

The CCAP conference provides new and experienced school district and county office of education staff members and board members with an engaging program and excellent opportunities to connect with colleagues and other experts. Other participants also are welcome to attend.

Register Now for the 2026 Charter School Authorizers Conference!

Day(s)

Hour(s)

Minute(s)

Second(s)

Paradise Point Resort & Spa – June 16-18, 2026

San Diego, California

About the Event

Join around 150 authorizing staff and board members from large, small, urban, and rural school districts, and county offices of education throughout the state, as well as attorneys, charter school leaders, vendors, consultants, other officials, and some national speakers and attendees at this year’s gathering of California’s charter authorizing community.

The 2026 conference will convene June 16-18, 2026 at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diego. Tuesday, June 16, will be the optional, stand-alone preconference on “Charter Authorizing & Oversight 101” presented by the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative (CASI). The afternoon of Thursday, June 18, will offer optional “Deeper Dive” workshops, included with registration. As always, the program includes a strand for fiscal professionals. This year’s program offers especially rich options for experienced authorizers, in addition to strong grounding for new ones.

This year’s conference also features a special new strand focusing on governance, perfect for members of school district and county board members, as well as for charter school governing board members — and for the staff who advise them. District and county teams, consider bringing a board member with you!

Conference registration is heavily discounted for CCAP members. For information on joining CCAP as an authorizing entity or another associate member, please click here. All Small School Districts’ Association (SSDA) members automatically also are CCAP members under the strategic partnership between our two associations. In addition, some conference sponsorships (see Sponsorship & Exhibiting Opportunities, below) come with a registration included, and some with a second discounted registration.

Conference Program & Schedule

June 16–18, 2026

NOTE: The program is not completely finalized and is subject to some adjustment. More details including presenters will be added as finalized. Sessions designated “(CASI)” re presented by the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative, a project of the California Department of Education, the Santa Clara and Los Angeles County Offices of Education, and the San Diego Unified School District, with additional support from CCAP.

Tuesday, June 16, 2026
9:00 AM–5:00 PM	Preconference: Charter Authorizing & Oversight 101 Stand-alone, optional preconference presented by the Charter Authorizer Support Initiative (CASI). CASI’s very popular “boot camp” is valuable in its own right but also a great orientation for the full conference.
5:30 PM–7:00 PM	Meet-and-Greet
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
7:30 AM–8:45 AM	Breakfast & Welcome
8:45 AM–9:00 AM	Break
9:00 AM–10:00 AM	Presentations Block 1 (60 minutes) “Where Do I Begin?” When You Are Brand New to Authorizing Navigating Charter Oversight: Challenges and Strategies for Balancing Accountability and Autonomy Renewals: The Fundamentals (CASI) Authorizing Under Pressure: Navigating Politics, Law, and Public Accountability: A Case Study
10:00 AM–10:15 AM	Break
10:15 AM–11:30 AM	Presentations Block 2 (75 minutes) Authorizing in Context: Balancing Law, Local History, and Board Discretion in Charter Decision-Making Adopting Sound Policies on Charter Management Agreements and CMOs Making Sense with Renewal Data – Now Featuring ELA and Math Growth Dashboard Data Future Ready: Authorizing Schools that Support Student Choice from Classroom to Career
11:30 AM–11:45 AM	Break
11:45 AM–1:15 PM	Lunch & First Plenary Panel Discussion: The State of California Charter Authorizing and Related Legislation Ric Reyes, Director, Charter Schools Division, California Department of Education Stephanie Farland, Director of Education Policy, Capitol Advisors Group Brian Badillo, Charter Audit Partner, Christy White, Inc.: A Professional Accountancy Corporation David Patterson, Board President, CCAP, and Trustee, Placer County Board of Education Moderator: Tom Hutton, Executive Director, CCAP
1:15 PM–1:30 PM	Break
1:30 PM–2:45 PM	Presentations Block 3 (75 minutes) From Electricity to AI: Powering the Next Era of Charter Authorizing Using Data in Board Renewal Decisions: Putting Students First Beyond Compliance: Advanced Charter School Fiscal Oversight Topics Delivering FAPE in Charter Schools: What Authorizers Need to Know
2:45 PM–3:00 PM	Break
3:00 PM–4:00 PM	Presentations Block 4 (60 minutes) Strong Boards, Strong Schools: The Authorizer’s Role in Charter Governance The Dependent Charter Dilemma: Navigating Oversight When Schools Feel Like “Yours” (CASI) The Unfinished Agenda: A Discussion of Legislation and Strengthening California’s Charter Authorizing Sector From Data Overwhelm to Defensible Decision: A Structured Approach to Charter Renewal Performance Review
4:00 PM–4:15 PM	Break
4:15 PM–5:15 PM	Role-Alike Meetings Large/urban school districts Small/rural school districts County offices of education – County Charter Authorizing Representative Collaborative (CCARC) meeting Non-authorizer partners Authorizer attorneys
5:15 PM–5:30 PM	Break
5:30 PM–7:00 PM	Reception & Networking
Thursday, June 18, 2026
7:30 AM–8:45 AM	Breakfast & Day’s Opening
8:45 AM–9:00 AM	Break
9:00 AM–10:00 AM	Presentations Block 5 (60 minutes) Charter School Financial Oversight for District, County, and Charter Governing Boards The Auditor’s Perspective: Red Flags, Active Oversight, and Pending Reforms Across District Lines: Renewal and Oversight Challenges for Charters In and Out of Authorizer Boundaries In the Shadow of Juneteenth: From Desegregation, to Vouchers, to the Charter School Movement
10:00 AM–10:30 AM	Break (extra time to check out)
10:30 AM–11:30 AM	Presentations Block 6 (60 minutes) Charter School Authorizing & Oversight 201 (CASI) Overseeing Teacher Credentialing in Charter Schools Building Authorizer-Charter School Data Partnerships that Drive Student Success Authorizers Against Burnout: Burnout, Burn-Through, and Systems Design in Charter Authorizing
11:30 AM–11:45 AM	Break
11:45 AM–1:30 PM	Lunch & Closing Plenary Presentation of CCAP Excellence in Authorizing Awards Panel Discussion: Where the Buck Stops: School Boards as Authorizers Richard Barerra, President, San Diego Unified School Board, and Candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction Ed Sklar, Partner, Lozano Smith, Attorneys at Law Other panelists invited Moderator: Dave Patterson, Board President, CCAP, and Trustee, Placer County Board of Education
1:30 PM–1:45 PM	Break
1:45 PM–3:45 PM	Optional Deeper Dives & Collaborations (120 minutes) These participatory, in-depth sessions are optional but included for conference attendees: Ready-to-Use Tools for Small or New Authorizers Student-Centered Charter School Budgets: Aligning Resources with Educational Priorities Beyond the Moratorium: Nonclassroom-Based Schools, Essential Oversight, and Innovative Models (CASI) No Clear Answer: A Discussion of Authorizing Decisions at the Edge of the Framework Authorizer Attorneys Meeting (subject to interest)
3:45 PM–4:00 PM	Break
4:00 PM–5:00 PM	Social Hour for True Die-Hards

The Venue

Paradise Point Resort & Spa

1404 Vacation Rd., San Diego, CA 92109

Tucked away on gentle Mission Bay in the heart of San Diego, Paradise Point Resort & Spa features comfortable bungalow-style guest rooms amidst lush, tropical gardens, tranquil lagoons, and one mile of sandy beach. Book your room or suite before the deadline of Friday, May 22, 2026, to get the conference rate, which is available until that date or until our room block fills, whichever occurs first. Please note that this year the Juneteenth holiday falls on Friday, the day after the conference. Hint: If you are still considering your conference plans, book the hotel now and cancel later if need be. Don’t delay!

Book here now!

After May 22, rooms may still be available at Paradise Point. Other nearby options include the Bahia Resort Hotel; the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina; The Dana on Mission Bay; the Boardwalk Hotel; and the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa.

Sponsorship & Exhibiting Opportunities

It’s not too late to become a sponsor or exhibitor at the conference!

The conference is the key statewide convening for the authorizing field, drawing around 150-175 district and county staff and board members, as well as attorneys, charter school leaders, consultants, and other officials. The size is optimal for reaching most of the sector but at the same time offering ample interactions with attendees.

Information on sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities at the 2026 conference is available on the Registration page, or by contacting CCAP at info@calauthorizers.org.

Sponsorship opportunities