By Scott Sherman

Recently the Planning Commission and the Smart Growth & Land Use Committee approved a proposed measure of mine to reform the city of San Diego’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that would ease permitting requirements on San Diego public charter schools.

Public charter schools serve over 21,000 students in 51 schools within the city of San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District. They have become an important educational option for thousands of San Diego parents. Unfortunately, the city’s burdensome CUP is enormously complex, time consuming and expensive.

My plan would achieve the following:

• Revise municipal code to reduce the permitting requirements to help charter schools obtain facilities
• K-12 schools with less than 300 students will be permitted in residential multi-family, commercial regional, commercial office, and commercial community permitting zones
• These revisions would allow more money to go directly to education instead of navigating through the permitting process

My office began working with public charter schools and affiliate organizations after being contacted by four charter schools in the district that were having trouble navigating the burdensome permitting process.

Thousands of San Diego working families depend on charter schools throughout San Diego to educate their children. I applaud the Planning Commission for approving this important measure. I urge my Council colleagues to join me in support when this item reaches the full council.

––Scott Sherman is the San Diego City Councilmember for District 7. Call his office at 619-236-6677 or email him at scottsherman.sandiego.gov.