Parents want to convert closed Sacramento campus into charter school
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 18, 2014 - 5:10 pm
A group of parents tonight will urge Sacramento City Unified trustees to approve a charter schoolat Joseph Bonnheim Elementary, one of seven campuses closed last year due to falling enrollment.
The petition – initiated by parents late last year – seeks to educate more than 320 K-6 students starting in the fall. The charter school would hire district teachers, administrators and classified staff subject to collective bargaining. That approach helped parents win support last month of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, which historically has been critical of charter schools.
Many backers of New Joseph Bonnheim Community Charter School opposed the elementaryschool closures, which predominantly affected lower-income neighborhoods with disadvantaged students. Before Bonnheim’s closure, 94 percent of students at the south Sacramento campus qualified for free or reduced price meals.
The school’s theme would be based on agriculture, drawing from the industry in the region. It touts support from agricultural organizations and educational institutions. The charter school also would pursue a “body-brain approach to teaching” that incorporates physical activity into academic exercises.
The educational plan, according to the petition, mirrors the Yav Pem Suab Academy on South Land Park Drive, which includes a Hmong language component. The academy was founded by Dennis Mah and approved as an independent charter in the district in 2010. Mah has offered to lend $300,000 in startup costs and to work pro bono at Bonnheim, he said.
New Joseph Bonnheim proponents initially submitted an application in December, but district staff recommended that the board reject the school. They said petitioners failed to adequately describe challenges facing the school’s target population, show an understanding of student needs or define approaches that would meet those needs. The board at the time voted to table the petition so that it could be retooled for reconsideration.
The latest petition has found similar district resistance. In a report Friday, staff reviewers found the proposed educational program lacked of clarity in governance and hiring matters. And they repeated warnings that the petitioners are unlikely to succeed in launching the charter school and did not meet state Education Code requirements in explaining programs.Parents want to convert closed Sacramento campus into charter school - Education - The Sacramento Bee: