[KHTS] – Five Santa Clarita Valley school district superintendents sent a letter chastising Acton Agua Dulce Unified School District officials over concerns with the state’s Education Code, ahead of a vote on the state Senate floor that might address their concerns.
State Senate Bill 1263 would stop a school district from being able to approve a charter school outside of its district’s boundaries.
The concern and subsequent letter were spurred by AADUSD’s interactions with charter schools such as Albert Einstein Academy for the Letters, Arts and Science, according to Marc Winger, Newhall School District superintendent.
“We sent a letter (May 12) stating we will do everything we can legally and administratively to expose this,” Winger said, calling AADUSD’s proliferation of charter school approvals a “pay for play” budgeting mechanism skirting both the intent and letter of the law.
“SB 1263 needs to pass,” Winger said. “This abuse is incredible.”
Einstein Academy officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment Tuesday.
The letter, signed by Winger and four other school district superintendents, notes AADUSD operates four of its own schools, although district staff has recommended the approval of 15 charter schools in the last three years.
Brent Woodard, superintendent for the Acton Agua Dulce School District, said in previous interviews the charter school approvals aren’t a for-profit move.
The approvals are a way for the district to offer parents what they want, Woodard said. The district was failing to meet parental demand, he said, and as a result, the parents were voting for charter school approvals “with their feet.”
“It’s not a model that generates money (for school districts),” Woodard said. “It’s just nonsense. It’s unfortunate that people have gotten that take.”
The goal was to attract parental support, which has gradually gone away over the last 10 years, by adding programs to attract them. AADUSD has been losing hundreds of students a year, Woodard said, describing the approvals as a long-term strategy to address parents’ concern.
A little more than a year ago, the AADUSD board voted 3-2 to OK Einstein Academy for a Mandarin language charter school petition.
While the school ended up being within the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District boundaries, there was controversy surrounding the move. Saugus Union School District officials were notified about the approval, which is required by law, the day before the vote. Einstein officials said they were planning to put a school chartered by AADUSD in SUSD district boundaries
However, the site approved was actually within Castaic Union School District boundaries, a site that still lacks proper zoning approvals. Students for that charter school are now taking classes on AADUSD campuses.
The discussion from AADUSD board members in favor of the Einstein approval focused on the loss of enrollments to other Santa Clarita Valley school districts, and the resulting budget crunch the district was facing.
“These are the folks who take approximately $1 million a year from us, and have been doing it for years and years with the students they’ve been taking from us,” said AADUSD board member Mark Ridenour, at the May 13, 2013, meeting when the Einstein Academy school was OKed. “‘Oh, there’s a district up there now?'” he asked the crowd rhetorically. “I find little sympathy for that group of folks right now.”
At the time of the approval, Woodard said the district could be facing a half-million-dollar deficit for 2014-15.
The bill, which was authored by state Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Calabasas, is likely to go to a floor vote on the Senate by the end of the month.
State Sen. Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, said he was still weighing concern from his constituents, and wasn’t ready to give a yay or nay on the bill. He’s a big supporter of charter schools, he said, but also of the traditional public school system, which his children attend.
Knight also noted that certain educators, such as continuation schools, benefit from the ability to operate outside of their chartering district, in order to better serve students.
“I don’t want to hurt those (charter school) programs, but I understand where the school districts are coming from,” Knight said, adding he just spoke with Pavley on the matter, and planned to speak with SCV superintendents this week. “If a charter school is performing well and providing a great service just like a public school, I’m going to be there to support them.”
A statement about SB 1263 from Pavley’s office expressed concern over accountability and oversight, not finance.
“School districts that are not also the authorizer do not have any oversight or monitoring authority, even though other local bodies have this authority,” the statement read. “Additionally, when a charter plans to operate outside the authorizing school district, it must notify the district in which it intends to operate, but there are no consequences for improper notice or failure to notify.”
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46 Comments
I just left the aea end of year awards. Did you know that 80% of the students there qualified for the National honor society? Maybe they are doing something right and instead of always looking for something to complain about we should just let them educate kids.
Good for the school districts who wrote the letters!
I love this school my child has done so well he is reading at a 5 grade level and he is only in 2nd grade. I love how they push my kid to do better.
Leslie Van Aalst Reasonover
stop fighting the charter schools
“The proof is in the pudding” as the old saying goes…
I hope they know the kids are the ones who are suffering from all this. In my home my husband is the only one that works right now, we can afforded to put our son in a privet school but AEA gives our son everything he needs. When he was in the public school he should of been moved up a grade and the refused to let him. He was so bored at the public school, now he comes home happy everyday and tells me hey mom did you know this or I can’t wait to learn more about that. That’s what school is supposed to be about. Stop fighting btw AEA isn’t for every kid or family but to the ones who it’s good for let us be please!!!
This is what the district gets for not giving our kids better education better classes smaller classroom my kids deserve a better education I’m sick and tired if this people neglecting our kids education we can’t afford to pay for private school and AEA is offering more than our home school did
Sorry for my spelling errors my phone won’t let me fix them lol
Back off and let us have our school!
Charter Schools are scary to the regular public school system because they push the envelope for quality teachers and provide students with an above average education. Public schools are bound by tenure, teacher’s unions, etc. which force them to continue employment of mediocre teachers who are burned out. That’s hard to swallow (AND say) for district administrators. What’s easier? Fight the charter schools so there is no comparison. There is no need to make education better….because no one knows what better looks like. AEA is challenging the districts to become better and the districts are fighting the challenge— not facing it.
I am completely happy with Einstein Elementary. My daughter has done so well this year, and is getting the help and personalized attention that she needs. I’m looking forward to her attending Einstein again next year. Please, stop wasting your time and energy and let us have our school!
Alesha Hensley
I’m so glad to hear that the Superintendents in the Santa Clarita Valley are speaking up. AE Is not a great Charter School and that’s why so many Families have left.
The SCV School leaders should be more concerned about this:
http://conversationed.com/2014/05/11/conform-a-liberal-book-report/
Attn parents: we have our OWN homework to do!
Indeed! While many charter schools are leading the nation in pupil excellence, the keepers of the flame (unionized and tenured school bureaucrats) are working their tail ends off to ensure that school choice cannot continue to erode the peoples’ confidence in one-size-fits-all public school instruction.
There goes the districts, more concerned about their own well-being that the well-being of children and parental choice. Leave the charters alone!
Too bad there is no dislike button For Jackie Harnage Willens comment!!!!!
The school district should spend time pushing for more quality education rather than waste their time writing letters like this. We love what AEA teachers and educators do for our kids, strive to learn. My kids gets personalized attention and appreciation from their teachers so they are encouraged to learn and motivated, they dont ever want to miss school!
My children have been in GATE, National Honor Society, Honors/AP classes, 1 graduated with honors and received thousands of dollars in scholarships, another is #1 in his class with a 4.7 GPA…all from getting their education from PUBLIC schools. Please stop putting down our great schools.
My kids attended charter school, not AEA, but another one I. SCV. It’s pretty awesome to have a kid go at their own pace. One of mine graduated at 15 and now at 18 has 110 units at COC and will graduate with 2 AS degrees before going on to university. He would have been stifled in the regular public school system!
Guess these people have nothing better to do with their time except to go after Albert Einstein. People are allowed to have choices, no overcrowded classrooms and no furlough days. The kids today at public school spend to much time out of the classrooms with early dismissals and furlough days. Get over it already and leave Albert Einstein alone.
Lauren Pfenning we are not putting down your schools, we just want the districts to let us have options. This is not us vs. you. They’ve made it a war no one wants to fight. I thought this was a free country? Why can’t we choose to educate our kids wherever we want?
She’s a teacher!
AEA it’s a great school the district needs to leave us alone
Amen Josephine! Maybe Lauren knows someone in Saugus she can tell to stop putting down our great CHARTER school and let everyone make the choices we want to make for our own children!
She’s a teacher!
Education is NOT one size fits all. Charters allow freedom of choice!
AEA is coming, get ready .. Whether you want us or not and we are here to stay. Saugus should spend more time cleaning their own house – did you know they had a board member that was into child porn and blowing up neighbors dogs on his lawn.. ITS TRUE!! He sat on the board for years! They are also spending educational money on an Audit for AEA.. What a joke! Such Hippocrates!
Such small minded public school house comments – so sad- this is how racism lives, from those that cannot accept change.
Agreed..I live in agua dulce..we are so excited about the charter…no more public schools and one size fits all learning…no more tenure teachers that are burned out …Don’t care…I want my kid to be able to go anywhere and feel good.This is a global economy…today..
Wow Alesha I had no idea
and jackie is an idiot – who in theirnight mind
and jackie is an idiot – who in theirnight mind
jackie is an idiot, who in their right mind would say rude mean stuff and then havenhermfb page open to the public to view her life…. ‘somempeople are somDUM
jackie is an idiot, who in their right mind would say rude mean stuff and then havenhermfb page open to the public to view her life…. ‘somempeople are somDUM
for Jackie:
for Jackie:
It is about choice. I liked our home school very much – but we have chosen AEA and are happy we did – she is thriving more than ever did at her home school – she has more opportunity for learning – the class is not taught to the lowest common denominator in the class. It’s about choice. If SUSD put as much effort into the children and teachers as they are into defeating AEA maybe so many would not want to leave the district.
My daughter is in a charter school and she Is 14 and half way down with high school. I love it cuz she gets one on one help if she needs it. She has disabilities and district would not give her the services she was suppose to get, take her out and put her in charter, independence study and she gets her services. See there is a difference. Not everyone can handle public schools. My son graduated GV and got very good grades with disabilities, were my daughter can not handle the crowding in the schools. GO CHARTER SCHOOLS.
The statement from the districts contains specific evidence of violations of state law.
We know that blog comments can veer to parent choice and the value of charters. But this is not about whether charter schools are good or bad, or about parent choice.
It’s about a charter school and its authorizing district that have violated and ignored state law, violated two different cities’ building codes that exist to protect children safety, and are both under audit by a powerful state agency because of serious fiscal questions.
We believe parents should be concerned about schools, but also about lawful operation and fiscal integrity.
For anyone wishing to get in deep, here’s a link to the statement: http://www.newhallschooldistrict.net/images/stories/pdf/board/notice/pay_to_play.pdf
Charter schools are great for students that actually want to learn, rather than be held back by over crowded classrooms, inadequate teachers, school district red tape, and under funding. Public schools districts are clearly concerned, and yet continue with the ‘same ole same ole’.
We are all paying taxes to support these school districts and if they aren’t the best fit for our kids, shouldn’t we be able to pursue other options? In our district alone, tens of thousands of dollars have been spent to block school choice. I wish those thousands of dollars had gone towards rewarding dedicated teachers and reducing class sizes. We have been fortunate to have incredible teachers over the years, Mrs. Yates, Mrs. Sheridan, Mrs.Soussi, Mrs. Campbell, to name a few. Our issues weren’t with our homeschool but with the decisions made at the district level. Our daughter has thrived at AEA MS/HS for the past 3 years and our son is now able to do the same at AEA elementary. It has been a long and frustrating uphill battle these past 4 years, but I would do it all over again for the opportunity for our kids to attend this amazing school. I look forward to a time when we can respect the choices parents make for their children and greedy self-serving superintendents will open their eyes to the real issues, our children.
The school district spends so much time whining about the loss of $$$ because of charter schools. If only they concentrated on educating the kids by making sure there are good teachers and the kids actually get taught and cared for, they wouldn’t have this problem. A few months ago, I received an email from the principal at WRHS about Senior Ditch Day. The school wanted to make sure I talked to my child about not participating in this non-official school holiday so that the school wouldn’t lose money. The email went on and on about the money. Not a single line about making sure my child was in school for their education. Unbelievable! AEA is about the students. No place is perfect, but I couldn’t be happier that we send our son to AEA instead of WRHS. Wish we had known about it when our daughter was entering high school.