The two charter organizations recently denied by the Morgan Hill Unified School District will have their petition appeals heard on the same night Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. during a public hearing before the Santa Clara County Board of Education.
The special meeting will be held inside the County Office of Education located at 1290 Ridder Park Drive in San Jose.
Interim Superintendent Steve Betando announced the key date during Tuesday’s regular school board meeting. He said the County Board will vote on Rocketship’s petition Dec. 11 and Navigator’s petition Jan. 15.
Betando also encouraged community members to attend the public hearing in San Jose and voice their opinions. Each speaker is given three minutes to make their point. The district, as well as the charter organizations, will be given 10 minutes each at the podium.
MHUSD’s Board made identical 6-1 votes in denial of the charter petitions, first shunning Navigator in October before doing the same to Rocketship during a Nov. 5 special meeting.
In both votes, MHUSD trustee Rick Badillo cast the lone opposing vote.
If the County Board approves Rocketship’s and Navigator’s petitions, those schools will be allowed to open in Morgan Hill and subsequently be under the oversight of the County and not MHUSD.
Both charter organizations, intent on opening new schools in Morgan Hill for the start of the 2014-15 school year, also submitted their Proposition 39 requests to the MHUSD district office. Under that measure, school districts are required to make “reasonably equivalent” facilities available to charter schools upon request.
