(Sacramento) – Today, Assemblymember Sandré Swanson’s (D - Oakland) Oakland schools bill, AB 45, made a historic leap forward as it cleared the final legislative hurdle before reaching Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk for signature. After garnering bipartisan support from 2/3rd of the Senate last week, AB 45 cleared the Assembly for a concurrence vote of 45 – 28.

“The passage of AB 45 today represents my commitment to returning the democratic participation of parents and teachers in the educational decisions affecting children,” Mr. Swanson stated. “AB 45 guarantees that the progress made so far will continue.”

Swanson’s schools bill will also safeguard the financial solvency and continued improvement in academic achievement in the District by creating a structured and orderly process for returning local control to the Oakland Unified School District.

Assemblyman Swanson is satisfied that the debate over the last several months about returning local control and democracy to the Oakland School District has been met with some early success, resulting in the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) transferring Governance and Community Relations to the School Board. AB 45 will codify this process and continue returning local control to the parents, students and teachers of the district.

When Assemblymember Swanson campaigned for the 16th Assembly District, the number one issue he heard from Oakland voters was regaining control over the Oakland School District.

Assemblymember Swanson concluded: “I am extremely satisfied that I was able to keep my promise to the citizens of Oakland and pass this critical measure through the Legislature. I am now calling on the public to help – I encourage the citizens of Oakland to call and write the governor and urge him to sign AB 45 into law. The students, parents, and teachers in Oakland deserve accountability and democracy in the school district.”