Overview

Megan Macy is the Managing Partner of Lozano Smith's Sacramento office and provides general counsel to school districts and other public agencies. An active member of the Firm's Labor and Employment, Facilities and Business and Charter School practice groups, Ms. Macy works closely with clients to appreciate their organizations, culture and goals, so Lozano Smith can support administrators in developing the right solution for each legal issue. From assisting clients in creating excellent business practices and encouraging positive labor relations, to advocating for their interests at the highest levels, she puts clients - and their communities - first.

Ms. Macy's practice includes:

• Governance
  • The Brown Act
  • Effective Board Governance
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • The Public Records Act
• Employee/Employer Relations and Employment Law
  • Employee Evaluation, Discipline and Dismissal
  • Labor Law and Negotiations
  • First Amendment and Civil Rights Issues
  • Investigations of Discrimination and Harassment Complaints
  • Certificated and Classified Employee Issues
• Facilities & Business
  • Bidding, Procurement & Construction
  • Development Issues, Mitigation and Developer Fees
  • Real Property
  • California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
  • Audit Appeals before the Education Audit Appeal Panel (EAAP)
• Charter Schools
  • Petition Review
  • Nonprofit Formation
  • 39 Requests and Facilities Issues
  • Charter School Oversight

Presenter Experience

Regular Client Trainings

• Board Governance
• The Brown Act
• Charter School Authorization and Oversight
• Complaint Investigations
• Conflicts of Interest
• Evaluations and Discipline
• General Legal Updates
• Interest-Based Bargaining (IBB)
• Labor Law
• The Public Records Act
• Public Works Construction
• Real Property, Acquisition and Disposition
• Sexual Harassment

Education

Megan earned her law degree from the University of Oregon, where she was trained in Alternative Dispute Resolution and certified as a mediator for the local court. Megan earned her B.A. in Public Policy and Religion, also completing the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty.

Governor Newsom Signs Comprehensive Reforms for Charter Schools

By: Megan Macy, Erin Hamor, Edward Sklar, Courtney de Groof- 10/03/2019

Significant Cases

• In the precedent setting case, Anderson Union High School District v. Shasta Secondary Home School (2016) 4 Cal.App.5th 262, Ms. Macy argued before the Third District Court of Appeal, and was part of the Lozano Smith team that prevailed when the Court confirmed that the geographic and site limitations of the Charter Schools Act (Ed. Code, § 47600 et seq.) are applicable to all charter schools, including “nonclassroom-based” programs.
• In New Jerusalem Elementary School District v. Academy of Arts & Sciences Charter School, San Joaquin County Superior Court Case No. STC-cv-UMC-2016-1072, Ms. Macy was part of the Lozano Smith team obtaining a $1.5 million settlement on behalf of New Jerusalem School District against a charter schools for recovery of funds allocated to two charter schools previously operated by the charter schools, which became dependent charter schools operated by the District. The settlement was reached after Lozano Smith successfully argued that such funds belonged and should follow the students to which the funding was allocated by the State.
• In an audit appeal by Orinda Union School District, the Education Audit Appeals Panel determined the District’s auditor erred in applying legal standards during an audit that were not applicable at the time the District’s questioned conduct occurred. As a result, the District retained over $635,000 in State Funding for its academic programs.  (Appeal of 2009-10 Audit Finding 10-07 by Orinda Union School District, EAAP Case No. 11-13.)
• Successfully negotiating resolution of multi-party construction litigation stemming from contractor termination. (Air Systems, Inc., v. Campbell Union High School District.)
• Successfully negotiating resolution of facilities accessibility issues related to existing consent decree. (Spieler v. Mt. Diablo Unified School District.)

Episode 57 State Board of Education Considers First Charter School Petition Appeals Post AB-1505

By: Megan Macy, Courtney de Groof- 10/11/2022

As discussed in Episode 56, there were three pending charter school petition appeals to the State Board of Education (SBE) following denial by the respective LEAs. These were the first three charter petition appeals subject to the new appeal processes since Assembly Bill 1505 became effective in 2020. In this Lozano Smith Podcast episode, host Sloan Simmons engages with Megan Macy and Courtney de Groof to follow-up and discuss the outcomes of these petition appeals and what to anticipate going forward.

Charter School Reform Laws Have Been Enacted - Now What?

By: Megan Macy, Edward Sklar- 10/17/2019

Following months of discussion regarding the impact that charter schools have had on traditional public schools, the Legislature has passed, and Governor Newsom has signed, two bills that will have wide-ranging impacts on California charter schools and their authorizers. Joining host Devon Lincoln to discuss these new laws, and what charter school authorizers need to know about these changes, are attorneys Megan Macy and Ed Sklar.

Fulfilling the Promise of the Charter Schools Act - How Competition Sparked Trilingual Immersion in a Traditional Public School

By: Megan Macy, Sloan Simmons- 01/07/2019

In this Lozano Smith podcast, moderator Sloan Simmons engages with Dr. Daryl Camp, Superintendent of the Riverbank Unified School District, and Lozano Smith Partner Megan Macy, regarding a burgeoning and healthy competition between two separate dual immersion programs operated in Riverbank, one through a dependent charter school and another through in a traditional district school. Their discussion explores how this existing dynamic in Riverbank serves one of the original purposes of the Charter Schools Act, the benefits of this unique situation, and some of the challenges which arose along the way.