Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991

CONCORD -- To protect the Mt. Diablo school district's reputation, Superintendent Steven Lawrence, the former Board President and another trustee kept a financial analysis on charter costs secret, the rest of the board learned Monday.
Current Board President Cheryl Hansen said she didn't find out about the report on the financial impact to the district from the new Clayton Valley Charter High School until this month, after it was posted on the website of the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team, or FCMAT, which completed the analysis. Hansen and recently elected Trustee Brian Lawrence -- who are part of a new board majority that has pledged more openness and transparency -- expressed dismay at the decision to keep the report secret.
"Board members should tell each other what reports were commissioned," Hansen said. "I think it creates more public distrust if we don't own it."
The superintendent said previous Board President Sherry Whitmarsh and Trustee Linda Mayo commissioned a report in October to further examine the financial impact of the charter school without bringing the contract before the full board