Attorneys

William “Bill” Schuetz is a Shareholder based out of DWK’s Sacramento Office. Since 2000 Bill has provided trusted legal assistance and counsel to public school districts, county offices of education, and community college districts throughout California.

Charter School Law

Bill is widely recognized for his expertise in all areas of charter school law and regularly provides assistance and learned counsel to charter authorizer school district and county office of education clients regarding various charter school related legal matters and issues, including the new and renewal charter petition processes, charter denials and appeals, revocations, closures, authorizer-operated “dependent” charter school development and operation, charter school operations MOUs and other agreements, the Proposition 39 charter school facilities process and alternative facilities arrangements, and charter school oversight functions, responsibilities, and best practices.

Labor & Employment/Board Governance

In addition to his extensive work with clients on charter school related matters, Bill frequently provides legal guidance and assistance to public education clients in various other areas, including labor & employment/personnel and Board governance related matters and issues.

• In the area of labor and employment, Bill advises and represents public education clients regarding employee discipline and dismissal, discrimination and harassment complaint investigation matters, and collective bargaining related grievances, and cases before the Public Employment Relations Board.
• In the area of Board governance and transparency, Bill assists clients with Brown Act open meeting requirements, conflicts of interest, and other governance standards and protocols. In recent years Bill served on the Board of Trustees of an elementary school district. The experiences Bill gained as a sitting Board member has given him unique insight and perspective that enables him to better serve the school board and administration governance teams he supports.

Trainings and Conferences

• Bill provides trainings to authorizers on charter oversight and other charter school related topics, study sessions for school Boards and administration regarding the Brown Act and other governance topic areas, and professional development and compliance trainings to administration and staff regarding personnel topics like harassment prevention, employee discipline, and performance evaluation/documentation.
• Bill regularly presents on charter school and governance related topics at state-wide and local conferences including CSBA, CASBO, and CCAP.

Past Experiences

Prior to becoming an attorney, Bill worked and interned at various California and federal administrative agencies, including the United States Attorney Office, California Attorney General Office, and California Legislative Counsel Bureau, where he gained valuable experiences related to his practice of educational law.

PUBLICATIONS