A perfect example of what is wrong with the California law regarding charter authorizing.” – Scott Schmerelson The average school in the United States has 507 students. Through the 2018-2019 school year, Granada Hills Charter High School is authorized for an enrollment capacity of 5,500 students. This is more than the total number of students […]
Will Students Drown in a Charter School’s Ocean of Debt?
Where am I going to leave her today? I have to call in sick.“ – Parent of Student enrolled in a closed charter school Imagine if the LAUSD decided that one of their schools was draining resources from the District and decided to shut it down just days into the start of the school year. […]
How Can a Charter School Renew or Expand Without a Legitimate Governing Board?
A material revision of the provisions of a charter petition may be made only with the approval of the authority that granted the charter.“ – FCMAT Having already billed itself as the largest charter school in the country, Granada Hills Charter High School (GHCHS) has submitted a charter renewal that would change the school to […]
Flushing Your Money Down the Toilet
Team Granada: It was nice meeting with you yesterday to discuss possible solutions to the challenges you’ve gotten yourselves into with non-DSA approved improvements to your campus.” – Jim DiCamillo, Architect Private businesses operate under a model that has built-in accountability. If a corporation does not generate profits, then the shareholders will demand a change […]
Parents Left In The Dark About Charter Schools
Under the current rules of the LAUSD, “a charter school [is] required to notify all parents, guardians and teachers in writing within 72 hours when the District issues a Notice of Violations…and that the notification include the District’s rationale for the action”. However, no such notification was made after a Notice of Violation was issued […]
How Have Charter Schools Affected Students with Special Education Needs
On February 20, 2018, the LAUSD School Board agendized the proposed Holding GHCHS Accountable to Their Charter as part of their Committee of the Whole meeting. The following is the written statement that I provided to the Board: Honorable LAUSD Board Members: This is Chanda Smith. She was an LAUSD student with special education needs […]
Tone Deaf: Granada Misses the Point in Promoting its iGranada Program
choice noun \ ˈchȯis \ 2 : power of choosing” – Merriam-Webster More than 19 months have passed since the LAUSD issued a Notice To Cure to Granada Hills Charter High School, demanding that they abide by their charter and give “first preference for enrollment…to students residing in the former attendance area.” As lawyers wallow […]
LAUSD Board Set to Consider “Holding GHCHS Accountable to Their Charter” Resolution
It’s hard to light a candle, easy to curse the dark instead” – Nightwish In order to prevent charter schools from discouraging parents from enrolling children with special education needs, the Office of the Independent Monitor required that the District prohibit them from asking for any special education paperwork prior to enrollment. As originally pointed […]
Whack-A-Mole: The Los Angeles Approach to Charter School Oversight
Our oversight is “proactive and responsive” – José Cole-Gutiérrez, LAUSD Charter School Division Last June, I informed the LAUSD School Board that a charter school under their jurisdiction was violating the privacy of their students by publishing “Parent Volunteer Hours” reports on their website that included student names. The charter’s Chief Development Officer defended the […]
A Very Different Definition of Choice
Further, as the CSD is aware, iGranada is a well-designed independent study option, wherein most students are on campus daily, actively engaged in 1-on-1 and group learning.” – Brian Bauer, GHCHS The inclusion of a statement in each independent study agreement that independent study is an optional educational alternative in which no pupil may be […]