Dedicated teachers aren’t in short supply in Morgan Hill and the
proof was in the audience Tuesday evening when about 15 teachers
threw their support behind opening
”
a professional educator’s dream school.
”
Dedicated teachers aren’t in short supply in Morgan Hill and the proof was in the audience Tuesday evening when about 15 teachers threw their support behind opening “a professional educator’s dream school.”
The Morgan Hill Unified School District’s board of trustees held a special study session to discuss three charter school ideas that were the genesis of several board discussions in 2010: a cyber high school, a two-way dual immersion (Spanish and English) school and a professional development school.
Most teachers present were the visionaries behind using the charter school model to possibly reopen Burnett Elementary’s vacant campus as a kindergarten through sixth-grade school where teachers would “come together with core philosophies” and act as the testing ground for best practices. The group of teachers, referred to often by board members and district staff as “invigorated” and “dedicated,” would act as the model for other teachers and a strategy think-tank for the district.
“I really support your endeavor,” Trustee Shelle Thomas said Tuesday. “Commitment to me, builds success. We have to allow the professionals who give themselves to the students every day to give us the framework and build on that framework. What I have not seen in eight years is passion and I’m seeing it.” No voting took place during the 2.5-hour meeting Tuesday, but the board did ask district staff to delve into more research on what it would take to open a MHUSD-funded charter school as soon as August.
A charter school operates in the same way as a public school; it’s open to all students residing within the district, it’s tuition-free and is funded by the state and federal governments based on attendance. The difference is the school is given a charter by a state-approved organization (such as a school district, university, or community group) and it must adhere to specifics in the charter or it may not be renewed, usually every five years.
The district is exploring a “locally funded” charter option, not an independent charter school that would need its own board of trustees and would act autonomously from the district, such as Charter School of Morgan Hill.
The second possibility – “it’s not an either/or situation” Superintendent Wes Smith said – is a two-way dual immersion model that would teach biliteracy and bilingualism in English and Spanish with an emphasis on science and technology.
The assistant superintendent of educational services, Socorro Shiels, made the presentation Tuesday and has been instrumental in the information-gathering process, including making a half-dozen trips to charter schools and similar models in Northern California. Shiels said the ideal start for a dual-immersion school would include just kindergartners and would grow each year.
“Research proves reading in their primary language makes the transition more quickly to English proficiency. When we talk about English language learners, the ones that are most successful are those that come into the school with fluency in their home language, then the transition to success in the curriculum is more effective,” Shiels said. The science and technology component was added, Smith said, to take advantage of sponsorships and grants that a school like their model could draw besides the obvious benefits.
The third idea, which was shot down by the board citing it could be put to use without a charter, was a cyber high school model. The district staff believed they could devise an option for students to make up failed classes online, add more technology to the classroom and increase funding per student.
The board chose to focus on the bilingual immersion and the teaching school options instead.
So, why a charter school, and why now?
The federal government supports charter schools with money much more generously than regularly funded public schools. At MHUSD current funding is $4,870 per student; current funding per student in charter schools from kindergarten through high school ranges from $5,030 to $6,097.
“We want to take advantage of the charter school’s higher ADA (average daily attendance)” or what school funding is based upon. “That was the reason to start this discussion and to serve a need in the district,” board President Peter Mandel said. He said several times throughout the meeting that a charter is the “mechanism” to accomplish the district’s goals.
As California’s budget for public education dwindles, the district says its trying to think ahead and draw on the extra money to supplement existing schools with a conversion charter and/or opening a charter school on the empty Burnett campus.
Jackson Elementary could be the site of a conversion charter if 50 percent of the existing teachers agree to the change through a petition. Because of its Program Improvement status and large population of English language learners who likewise are struggling on the state standardized tests, the school is eligible to convert given the staff support and could as soon as August 2012.
Despite the excitement in the room, dissenters were nearby.
The president of the English Learners Advisory Committee, Roberto Aguirre, spoke on the community group’s behalf that has a chapter at most schools in the district.
“The district should not be in the business of opening a charter school,” Aguirre said during the meeting. “All programs in place show good results … at Paradise Valley Elementary, at Jackson with Principal Jimenez. We have to fix the problems we have right now. Let’s not try to stretch ourselves too thin and look for other things to do. We have too much to do right now in the schools we have.” The president of the other major grass-roots education organization in Morgan Hill, the Coalition for Latino Education Achievement Defense, Armando Benavides said he was concerned with a political entity deciding to isolate the English language learners.
“The district needs to focus more on what all the schools are doing and get the best practices and use that for all of our schools so our kids can achieve better,” Benavides said.
Terri Knudsen spoke on behalf of the teachers’ bargaining unit, the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers, saying they have concerns about charter schools but would work with the district.
“Research shows the majority of charters score at the same level or worse. Some of these ideas could be implemented at schools sites,” Knudsen said. If the district did seek a locally funded charter, it would likely use the same permanent teachers the district employs now, but those terms would have to be negotiated once plans are more concrete.
For now, Shiels and her staff will put more time into readying for another presentation on the two potential options.
Teachers in the audience were confident they could draw parents to send their child to a best practices teaching school.
“There’s a lot of excitement around constantly being around highly motivated very up-to-date with recent research. With the 15 or so who have brought this proposal there would be a lot of parents who would be interested in this. We want to show that our continual learning is what impacts each and every student every day,” Paradise Valley kindergarten teacher Angie Hayes said.
The bilingual school was touted by P.A. Walsh teacher Janet Fruit, who has taught as a bilingual teacher and whose three children were taught in an immersion program and are fluent in Spanish as adults.
“All of my kids have benefited from the rich experience. It’s so valuable,” Fruit said. “Many of my students were first to graduate high school from their family … so don’t look at this not from a deficit model and not to transition out of Spanish into English but to keep all the assets they have in the job market. These are the things they need in the 21st century.”
16 required elements under California state law
Each charter petition must contain reasonably comprehensive descriptions of each of 16 required elements. The 16 elements, as specified in EC Section 47605(b) (5) (A-P) are:
- A description of the educational program of the school. Id the proposed charter school will service high school pupils, a description of how the charter school will inform parents about the transferability of courses to other public high school and the eligibility of courses to meet college entrance requirements must be included in the charter petition.
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The measurable pupil outcomes identified for use by the school.
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The method by which pupil progress in meeting those pupil outcomes is to be measured.
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The schools governance structure, including parental involvement.
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The qualifications to be met by individuals employed by the school.
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Procedures to ensure health and safety of pupils and staff.
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The means by which the school will achieve racial and ethnic balance among its pupils, reflective of the general population residing in the district.
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Admission requirements, if applicable.
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The manner in which annual financial audits will be conducted, and the manner in which audit expectations and deficiencies will be resolved.
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The procedures by which annual financial audits will be conducted, and the manner in which audit exceptions and deficiencies will be resolved.
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Provisions for employee coverage under the State Teachers Retirement System, the Public Employees Retirement System, or federal social security.
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The public school alternatives for pupils residing within the district who choose not to attend charter schools.
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A description of the rights of any employee of the school district upon leaving the employment of the school district to work in a charter school, and of any rights of return to the school district after employment at a charter school.
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A dispute resolution process.
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A declaration whether or not the charter school will be the exclusive public school employer of the charter school employees.
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The procedures to be used if the charter school closes.
Source: MHUSD meeting April 12, 2011
