On September 12, 2017, the LAUSD School Board was set to take a vote to approve several charters for five-year renewals, including ICEF Innovation. However, before doing so they needed to hear public comment. The following are my remarks before the Board: We are told continuously that the purpose of charters is innovation and experimentation. […]
Click here for reuse options!State law provides that an authorizer is not liable for debts, obligations [or] liabilities so long as [they] provide appropriate oversight. We believe we are providing appropriate oversight.” [emphasis mine] – José Cole-Gutiérrez As the District slides towards bankruptcy due to declining enrollment, the LAUSD School Board is set to act on another round of […]
Click here for reuse options!Charter schools may not enact admissions requirements or other barriers to enrollment and must admit all students who apply, just as traditional public schools cannot turn away students.” – ACLU On Tuesday, August 23, 2017, I made a third presentation to the LAUSD School Board about the enrollment practices of Granada Hills Charter High School […]
Click here for reuse options!Although comparison of GHCHS’ current demographic data to the data of other schools in the surrounding community does show differences in the numbers and percentages of students in various subgroups, historical demographics data shows that GHCHS has generally increased its diversity over time. For example, in its current approved charter, the school reported that, since its […]
Click here for reuse options!We urge you to make this a living NAACP action plan with a mandate and roadmap for saving America’s public schools by advocating for public quality education in every sector.” – NAACP Task Force on Quality Education When confronting the newly anointed Los Angeles County Board of Education President about his support for a charter […]
Click here for reuse options!BLACKWHITE…a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands this. But it means also the ability to BELIEVE that black is white, and more, to KNOW that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary.” – George Orwell, 1984 Catherine Suitor, the Chief Development Officer of […]
Click here for reuse options!We look at their websites, not only at that time but in their oversight.” Our oversight is “proactive and responsive.” – Jose Cole-Gutiérrez, LAUSD Charter School Division The LAUSD is “the largest district charter school authorizer in the nation, with about 250 independent and affiliated charter schools serving over 130,000 students.” The Charter School Division […]
Click here for reuse options!When work is required, it’s not voluntary. It’s wrong and unlawful to punish a child for what his or her parents can’t or won’t do.” – Hilary Hammell, Public Advocates attorney In return for their receipt of public funding, charter organizations are not allowed to charge parents and guardians any type of fees for their […]
Click here for reuse options!It is time to answer his question.” – Scott Schmerelson, LAUSD Board Member As I have reported previously, Granada Hills Charter High School (GHCHS) has items on the enrollment page of their website that appear to violate the law and clearly violate their charter. During the past six months, I have been unable to get […]
Click here for reuse options!Charters are publicly funded but privately managed and, like most privately run businesses, the schools prefer to avoid transparency in their operations.” – Bobbi Murray / Capital and Main In the past five years, the LAUSD Board had denied nine charter renewals while renewing at least 162. The charter industry, therefore, considered the Board to […]
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