ORAA Petition: SDCOE

Charter School Litigation Article

C.V. in dispute with charter school The Chula Vista Elementary School District is embroiled in a dispute over a charter school it says is operating illegally in its boundaries. District officials are at loggerheads with the Julian Union Elementary School District over its authorization of the Otay Ranch Academy for the Arts, opened in 2014 on the campus of Mater Dei Catholic School in Chula Vista as part of the Harbor Springs Charter School portfolio. Harbor Springs is a branch of the Temecula-based Springs Charter Schools organization that operates three charter school programs with multiple locations in eight Southern California counties, including San Diego. The other two branches are River Springs Charter School and Empire Springs Charter School. Charter schools operating outside the borders of the districts that authorize them have led to several legal battles around the county in recent years. The problem arises when one district discovers a charter school approved by a different district has popped up in its boundaries without the notification that is legally required. Districts that give the OK to charter schools that set up elsewhere stand to gain financially from the deals through administrative fees they collect — and don’t risk losing any students to the charter schools. The situation causes problems for the non-authorizing districts because they don’t benefit from the state funding tied to enrollment of the students attending a charter school approved by another district but operating in their backyard, and they have no educational or fiscal control over the campus. Last year, the San Diego Unified School District won a lawsuit against the Alpine School District over those circumstances. In that case, a judge ordered a charter that Alpine issued to be revoked because the charter school opened some 30 miles outside its boundary without San Diego Unified being notified. Two years ago, Julian was sued by the National School District over the same issue. The case was settled with oversight of Beacon Classical Academy National City, a K-8 charter school with about 200 students, being transferred to National’s jurisdiction. Julian is also facing lawsuits filed last year by the Sweetwater Union High School District and Grossmont Union High School District over charter authorizations. Under the state education code, charter schools must open in the boundaries of the school district that authorizes them. If they can’t find facilities there, however, they are allowed to look for a site in another district as long as that new district is notified before trustees approve the charter. In the case of the Otay Ranch Academy for the Arts and the Chula Vista Elementary School District, the academy should have located in the Julian district; or, if it couldn’t find space there, Chula Vista should have been told the academy was moving into its district before Julian gave the OK. Chula Vista school officials say that didn’t happened. They have been trying to negotiate a resolution since last year. They sent a letter to the Julian school district Aug. 14 demanding the charter school cease its operations within Chula Vista’s boundaries and move outside the district limits. A lawyer for Julian responded with a letter that denied any wrongdoing, saying the district had fulfilled all its legal obligations because the charter school “offers no classroom based instruction option.” Despite Harbor Springs being listed on the state Department of Education website as a non-classroom based independent study site — with an address that combines the Springs Charter School street address with Julian’s city and ZIP — Chula Vista argues that is not case. When the K-8 arts academy opened in August 2014, it touted a traditional classroom setting, as well as a home-study program. The original schedule called for students to meet in combined-grade classes four days a week, and have one home-study day with an assignment given by their teacher. The current daily schedule posted on the charter school’s website refers to Monday as either a structured studio day or structured home study, depending on what grade the student is in. Tuesday through Friday are scheduled as in-class instruction. Two years ago, the charter school signed a lease for eight classrooms in the coed parochial school’s Seton Hall Building for $14,000 a month, with an option to expand. District spokesman Anthony Millican said Chula Vista has not filed a lawsuit against Julian, and may not need to depending on the outcome of the cases currently filed against Julian. “We sent a cease and desist letter in reference to the operation of the Otay Ranch Academy for the Arts, and followed that up with a Public Records Act request, to which they have not responded,” Millican said by email. “I am not at liberty to discuss next steps in the media, and certainly not before this matter has been taken before the Board of Education for action.” Chula Vista is the state’s largest elementary school district in California. It serves nearly 30,000 students at 45 campuses that include seven charter schools it authorizes. christine.huard@sduniontribune.com

The Process of Grant Writing: Rigor, Results and Resignation

Grant Results:

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 Presentations of Learning: ( Storybird Starts at 6:12)

  

Store Front Charter Schools

A letter from Springs Charter Schools Superintendent, 

Dr. Kathleen Hermsmeyer:

October 18, 2016

Dear Otay Ranch Academy for the Arts Parents & Families,

There has been a recent court decision that concerns our Otay Ranch Academy for the Arts student center. The decision has ruled that charter schools like ours can only operate student centers within the boundaries of the district they are authorized and in the adjacent counties, but not within other school districts in their county. The newspaper article linked below explains the details of the case, but what it means for our school is that we must organize and implement alternative authorization for our student center.

Since the decision will not be published by the court until November 16th, and since this decision affects more than 30,000 students across California, charter school advocacy groups are working feverishly to provide support and relief to charters affected by this change of policy. It is important to understand that the California Department of Education and the State Board of Education are not in alignment with this decision, since it reverses more than 15 years of acceptable operation by our type of school.

We believe we will have time to find an acceptable authorizer, or a waiver alternative, for our Otay Ranch Student Center. We have charters in Riverside County and in Orange County that could host this center as part of their schools, or we could seek local authorization from the local school district. Rest assured that we are committed to keep operating this center with the same wonderful staff, the same great programs and the same mission.

The link to the article (below) gives a "district-centric" view of the issue, but it summarizes the chain of events accurately. I have commented on the article if you scroll down, so feel free to add your voice too.http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sd-me-charter-ruling-20…

Meanwhile, as we sort out our solutions, be sure to vote (please consider charter-friendly candidates and propositions in all local elections) and talk about these issues and the importance of having high quality free public charter schools to your friends, neighbors and co-workers. Spread the positive word of the benefits of public charter schools.

We will be keeping you updated as our plans develop, and we will expect your help in advocating for our school as we apply for a new charter, or a waiver, or whatever our solution may be.

Sincerely,
Dr. Kathleen Hermsmeyer
Superintendent
Springs Charter Schools

Court ruling limits storefront charter schools

In a decision that could change the landscape of charter schools, a California appellate court ruled Monday that charters cannot legally expand throughout their home county by opening satellite campuses outside the district that authorized them.

SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.COM|BY SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

WeVideo: Creating A Digital Personal Narrative

PIXLR - Free Photoshop Online

PIXLAR is a wonderful online resource for students to use when doing photo editing projects.  It is similar to Adobe Photoshop and has most of the major features that digital artists need for their work.  Give it a try and the price points are perfect (it's FREE!)

www.pixlr.com

(the image above was created by students using PIXLR online)

Effort is Everything

Students enjoy being recognized when their work is completed and the effort shines through out process.  Try to think about ways you can let your students know that their efforts are appreciated.  I've found that the simpliest things work best:  allow them to create playlists for the music they enjoy listening to, show their efforts to everyone by posting them on blogs or at the front of the class, leave them a quick note or maybe make them something that is relevant to them...I just finished making a personalized business card for one student who is venturing into architecture and I hope to follow that up with a SketchUp design challenge next week!