"Frustration with the teacher placement system has fed the stunning growth of charter schools, which tout their hiring freedom as an asset. Local charter leaders say it is one of the biggest factors that push charters to split away from San Diego Unified. It now has the seventh highest share of charter students statewide.
Getting to choose its own teachers was one major reason Gompers Preparatory Academy seceded from the school district four years ago. One of the teachers it picked is Najib Mesdaq, a soothing man who surrounds his classroom with burbling fountains and readily gives preteens a high five and a grin.
He was already working at Gompers, a struggling school in Chollas View, but when it went charter, Mesdaq had to pen an essay and win over a panel of professors and parents. He never actually applied for his original job before Gompers went charter -- the district just sent him.
'It was like night and day,' Mesdaq said. 'I had to really think about, 'Why did I want to be here?''"