#AnotherDayAnotherCharterScandal

Protecting Public School Students

Charter schools with operational deficiencies should not be given space on LAUSD campuses, especially when doing so puts children at risk.

“This requires the board to act in the interests of the 80% of Los Angeles students who attend district schools. You know, the students that you were elected to represent.”

- My reminder to the LAUSD Board

The following are comments presented to the LAUSD Board last week regarding PROP-39 co-locations:

For years the district has told communities fighting off co-locations that there was nothing that could be done to prevent them. PROP-39 was the law of the land and the LAUSD had only two choices: comply and give charter schools the space that they demanded or fight the “request” and end up in court.

The passage of AB-1505 has changed this dynamic. This legislation gives school districts more options. For example, during the authorization period, they are now allowed “to consider how the charter school would impact the community and the neighborhood schools”. It cannot be argued that a neighborhood school forced to give up space used to provide special education services is not being negatively affected by a co-locating charter school. However, the board has to have the will to fight for public school students for AB-1505 to have any effect.

There are other methods for holding charter schools accountable. For example, charters can be revoked for fiscal mismanagement. Again, this requires the board to act in the interests of the 80% of Los Angeles students who attend district schools. You know, the students that you were elected to represent.

Last month I spoke to you about the WISH Charter Schools that owe the students of the LAUSD $424,326. I can’t tell you if they have paid any of this debt since this time because the Charter School Division has not reported the balance of…