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Amid concerns that it could experience the same level of charter school growth that Oakland Unified has seen, a nearby Bay Area district is calling for a statewide moratorium on charter school expansion.
The West Contra Costa Unified school board, which oversees K-12 campuses in Richmond and surrounding communities, approved a resolution Wednesday in a 4-1 vote calling for a moratorium on charter school expansion statewide and the strengthening of transparency and oversight in the way they are governed and operated.
Charter school enrollment has grown from 1,451 in 2014-15 to 3,192 last year, rising from 4.7 percent of all students in the district to 10.1 percent, according to the California Department of Education. District officials say those numbers have risen even higher this year. However, state data is not yet available. Oakland’s charter school enrollment has reached 30 percent of students, according to Oakland Unified.
When newly elected West Contra Costa board member Consuelo Lara decided to bring this idea to the board about a month ago, legislation approved by the state Legislature this week and headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature had not yet been introduced.
Senate Bill 126, which the Assembly adopted with a 63-to-9 vote, will require charter schools to follow the same laws governing open meetings, public records and conflicts of interest that apply to school districts. They include ensuring board meetings are open to the public, providing records to the public upon request and, to prevent personal gain, banning board members from voting on contracts in which they have a financial interest.
But since the Los Angeles teachers’ strike and subsequent Oakland teachers’ strike, Lara said public attention is more focused on the impacts charter schools can have on such districts.
The school board in Los Angeles passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on new charter schools in that district. And the Oakland school board has adopted “legislative priorities” that among other things seek to “suspend, for a specified time, the approval of new charter schools or the renewal of existing charter schools that include enrollment growth” when it is in fiscal distress.
“At this point, public opinion is really turning against them,” said Lara, a retired West Contra Costa school teacher who was elected to the board in November, referring to charter schools. “Laws are coming down.”
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, who represents the communities that make up the West Contra Costa district, has been championing some of the proposed legislation that would more tightly regulate charter schools, Lara said.
“I’m hoping there are very strong oversight and transparency laws that come through,” said Lara, who was heavily backed in her election by the United Teachers of Richmond union, which also pushed for the board resolution.
Last night kids won in WCCUSD! The WCCUSD School Board passed our Charter School Moratorium resolution! Thank you to the families, educators, and following organizations for supporting this resolution! @WeAreCTA @Teamsters856 @IFPTE21 @RYSEyouthcenter @CalOrganize @RichProAll pic.twitter.com/dE6GWJRmF3
— UTR (@UTRichmondCA) March 1, 2019
Board President Tom Panas was the lone vote against the resolution. In a recent interview, he said he had concerns about a moratorium, but supports a statewide discussion on laws governing charter schools. “I just think it would benefit the state to have a conversation about ‘what is our intention these days?’” Panas said.
The district’s resolution noted that “current law requires district campuses to accommodate co-locations of charter schools, resulting in shortages of resources and space and increasing tension and conflict within school communities.” Co-locations refers to charter schools being located in district buildings on the same campuses as district schools.
Four other bills have been introduced in the Assembly to further restrict charter schools by eliminating the right of appeals to the county and the state, cap the number of schools to the number operating now, let school districts reject charter schools based on their financial impact and prevent charter schools approved in one district from setting up in another.
Editor’s Note: As a special project, EdSource is tracking developments this year in the Oakland Unified and West Contra Costa Unified School Districts as a way to illustrate some of the most urgent challenges facing many urban districts in California. West Contra Costa Unified includes Richmond, El Cerrito and several other East Bay communities.
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Dennis 5 years ago5 years ago
Charters are a movement that is gaining momentum. In LA right now, we have a brand new pro-charter superintendent and, were it not for an accident, we would have a pro-charter board majority. I teach in LA Unified, and among teachers and administrators, there is a deluded perception that we need to double up the struggle to keep charters out. No one working on the inside seems to understand that the charter … Read More
Charters are a movement that is gaining momentum. In LA right now, we have a brand new pro-charter superintendent and, were it not for an accident, we would have a pro-charter board majority. I teach in LA Unified, and among teachers and administrators, there is a deluded perception that we need to double up the struggle to keep charters out. No one working on the inside seems to understand that the charter movement is a reaction to our own failure. They’re oblivious to it and think that evil outside forces are the problem.
Parent 5 years ago5 years ago
We as parents can read and analyze the data. These are West Contra County Unified School District results: – 11 WCCUSD schools are on state lowest performing list – Only 25% of low income WCCUSD students are at grade level in ELA – Only 15% of low income WCCUSD students are at grade level in Math – Only 35% of graduating seniors are college or career ready – 0% (yes 0%) of African American students were at grade level in … Read More
We as parents can read and analyze the data. These are West Contra County Unified School District results:
– 11 WCCUSD schools are on state lowest performing list
– Only 25% of low income WCCUSD students are at grade level in ELA
– Only 15% of low income WCCUSD students are at grade level in Math
– Only 35% of graduating seniors are college or career ready
– 0% (yes 0%) of African American students were at grade level in math at both Stege and DeJean. Latinos kids were not served much better at 8% and 4%. Those are just two of many examples where kids are being left behind year after year.
Charters are not the silver bullet and nobody reasonable is calling for unchecked growth, but these results were the case long before charters came on the scene (30 years). This is why we as parents are desperate for options.
Of course charters should be held accountable and have the same transparency responsibilities. In fact, charter is California must be renewed every five years based on academic and financial results. They can be revoked earlier if necessary. That is accountability. What is the remedy for a district school that has over 90% of students not at grade level for decades?
Focus on the data and the reasons so the schools can be fixed. Charters are not the reason. Funding is part of the problem but not the only reason. What is being done to hold school leadership accountable for supporting and developing teachers, for making good decisions, for ensuring good instruction, for using resources wisely and ensuring teachers have what they.
We’ll come back, but not when my kid has a 96%, 92%, 100% chance of not being at grade level. Why would I do that?