February 2026 ACCS - Item 3 Public Comment 2

January 28, 2026

Advisory Commission on Charter Schools
California Department of Education
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Re: Olive Grove Charter School – Santa Barbara

Dear Members of the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools and State Board of Education:

This letter is submitted by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) in connection with the pending appeal of the renewal petition for Olive Grove Charter School – Santa Barbara, anticipated to be heard by the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) on February 3, 2026, and by the State Board of Education (SBE) on March 11–12, 2026.

SBCEO respectfully provides the following background information for consideration regarding authorizing authority and local context.

Olive Grove Charter School operates four charter schools within Santa Barbara County:

Olive Grove Charter School operates four charter schools within Santa Barbara County:
1. Olive Grove Charter School - Lompoc  
2. Olive Grove Charter School - Orcutt/Santa Maria  
3. Olive Grove Charter School - Buellton

Olive Grove Charter School submitted renewal petitions to the respective school districts in the fall of 2025, and three were approved by local school districts. Beginning July 1, 2026, Lompoc Unified School District, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District, and Santa Maria Joint Union High School District will authorize the charters listed above.

4. The fourth charter school, Olive Grove Charter School - Santa Barbara, was denied by the Santa Barbara Unified School District and is now in the midst of the appeal process pursuant to California Education Code section 47605.9¹.

California Education Code section 47605.9¹ provides that, if the State Board of Education (SBE) grants a charter appeal, the SBE, in consultation with the petitioner, designates the chartering authority. It is important to note that the Santa Barbara County Education Office did not receive or act upon the renewal petition, as no appeal was submitted to the Santa Barbara County Board of Education under the county-level appeal process described in California Education- Code section 47605.5.³ Accordingly, SBCEO has not conducted a formal review of the renewal petition.

At present, SBCEO does not authorize any charter schools. As such, serving as a charter authorizing agency would represent a new function for the County Education Office, whereby the office would need to establish staffing, infrastructure, and oversight capacity in accordance with applicable provisions of the Education Code.

Regardless of the authorizing agency ultimately designated by the State Board of Education, SBCEO will continue to fulfill its statutory role as the county office of education by providing countywide leadership, guidance, and support to the 14 charter schools within Santa Barbara County. This includes technical assistance, professional learning opportunities, coordination with state and local partners, and other support functions consistent with SBCEO’s responsibilities under state law.⁴

Please contact Bridget Baublits, Associate Superintendent, Student and Community Services, at bbaublits@sbceo.org or (805) 698-1019 should additional information or clarification be required.

Sincerely,

Dr. Susan Salcido
Santa Barbara County
Superintendent of Schools

Footnotes

¹ California Education Code § 47605.9 — Governs appeals of charter school denials or revocations to the State Board of Education and the designation of the chartering authority if an appeal is granted.
² California Education Code §§ 47604.32, 47604.33 — Establish charter authorizer oversight responsibilities, including fiscal, academic, and operational monitoring.
³ California Education Code § 47605.5 — Describes the appeal process to a county board of education following denial by a school district governing board.
⁴ California Education Code §§ 1040, 47604.4 — Define county office of education responsibilities related to countywide leadership, coordination, and support of charter schools.