A nascent bill in the California Legislature would allow public colleges and universities to authorize and oversee charter schools, and advocates hope that bipartisan support will buoy this second attempt to expand the charter movement.

Sponsored by Assemblywoman Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, and co-authored by Sen. Deirdre Alpert, D-San Diego, AB 2764 seeks to increase the number of agencies that can create and monitor charter campuses. Currently, only local school boards, county offices of education and the state Board of Education can authorize charter petitions.

Supporters say that California's universities, which train most of the state's public school teachers, are a natural fit for charter schools seeking to improve education through innovative teaching and learning methods.

"We have the best university and college system in the world right here in California," said Caprice Young, CEO of the California Charter Schools Association. "It only makes sense to involve them in this reform and innovation for K-12 schools."

Several universities already have expressed interest in operating charter schools, but some education experts say that the state's budget crisis may trigger second thoughts by campus officials trying to determine how to best spend their money.

Other states, including Michigan and New York, long have allowed universities to operate charter schools. In both states, roughly eight out of 10 charter schools are overseen by institutions of higher learning.

In California, Preuss Charter School operates on the campus of the University of California, San Diego, though it was authorized by the San Diego Unified School District. Serving low-income students in grades 6-12, the school collaborates with UC San Diego faculty, who use it as a laboratory for new teaching methods.

Richard Atkinson, former president of the UC system and a board member of the California Charter Schools Association, cited Preuss School's success in saying the bill would bring mutual benefits to the state's higher and lower education systems.

"Part of the role of the universities is to try to facilitate the quality of K-12 education," he said.

Charter schools would offer teacher trainees and education experts the flexibility to try out innovative teaching methods and determine the most effective ones, Atkinson said. In turn, the most successful methods could be applied at all public schools, leading to increased achievement statewide and more successful students applying to state colleges and universities.

Alpert, who led the effort to conceive the state's Master Plan for Education and chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, said she has been wary in the past of proposals to expand chartering authorities.

For example, a 2003 bill introduced by Bates would have allowed public universities, big-city mayors and nonprofit agencies to start and operate charters. Lacking bipartisan support, the bill fizzled.

"I just felt that was too broad and I wasn't ready to go that far," Alpert said.

Reining in the previous proposal made sense to Alpert.

She also cited Preuss School as a promising success story and said that in the last decade, California's universities have shown an increased willingness to work with K-12 schools to improve educational outcomes.

"I'm willing to give other campuses and community colleges the opportunity to do this," Alpert said. "These universities prepare the teachers that prepare the kids to come onto those campuses. We all need to be in this together."

Charter-school backers are hopeful about the bill's chances because of bipartisan support, a charter-friendly governor and education secretary, and a January recommendation by the Legislative Analyst's Office that colleges and universities be allowed to authorize new charter schools.

Several campuses, including California State University, Los Angeles, and CSU Dominguez Hills, already have expressed interest, Young said.

In the Sacramento region, some college educators said the possibility is an intriguing one.

"I would agree that it's potentially a good fit that would provide learning opportunities for teachers and students," said Robert Pritchard, who chairs the department of teacher education at CSU Sacramento.

But he wonders how many colleges and universities will be willing to open experimental public schools in light of the current budget climate.

Charter school authorizers receive a small percentage of per-pupil funding from the state to cover most administrative costs, said Young.

But assigning current faculty to new charter school duties would necessitate new hires and "increasing the part-time budget when I'm being urged not to do that," Pritchard said.

Atkinson acknowledges that colleges and universities would assume additional responsibilities and financial obligations if they chose to step into the charter school arena.

Still, he said, "I think it's more than worth the effort when you consider the potential impact on K-12 education."

The bill will be heard by the Assembly's Education Committee in late March or early April.