Citing Costs, Poor Service, Charters Ditch District Special Ed
Posted: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 6:00 am
There's a quiet, studious hum in Deborah Armusewicz's classroom. Kids dressed neatly in button-down, pine-green sweater vests and neckties politely raise their hands to answer questions while two support teachers mill around the room like earnest chaperones, pausing occasionally to whisper encouragement or corrections over a child's shoulder.
Observing this calm period at one of the two special education classes at Gompers Preparatory Academy is Jane Firpo, the school's assistant director. Firpo's eyes gleam as she watches the classroom click. She nods approvingly when kids answer correctly and stands to attention with the students as they "honor" each teacher in turn.
"Good morning Miss Armusewicz," she says, in unison with the children.
Firpo, who oversees Gompers's special education program, believes wholeheartedly in the way Gompers teaches children with special needs. She should. She and her team built it from scratch in 2009, when Gompers broke its last remaining tether to the school district.
The Chollas View school is one of dozens of local charters that have abandoned San Diego Unified School District's special education program since 2005 for reasons of quality, cost and philosophy.
Charter schools are almost entirely independent from San Diego Unified. They're independently funded and have the freedom to hire and fire employees without any input from the district. The