Rocketship appeals to state board to build school in Concord - ContraCostaTimes.com:
Rocketship appeals to state board to build school in Concord
The Charter School Approval Flea Flicker
CONCORD -- After being rejected by district and county education boards in its bid to establish a new elementary school in the Monument Corridor, nationwide charter school operator Rocketship Education is appealing to the state in hopes of reviving the proposal.
The charter school network, which operates a number of schools in San Jose, submitted the appeal this week to the California State Board of Education, said David Kuizenga, vice president of Rocketship in the Bay Area.
"The reason we appealed was the same reason we decided to file the petition in the first place, there's still a lot of demand by parents for the school," he said, adding that just over 1,100 parents in the district signed a petition requesting that the charter school be built. "The need and demand is there, so we will continue to pursue the school."
Rocketship's bid to open a charter school in time for the 2016/17 school year was rejected by Mt. Diablo Unified School District in August. Rocketship filed an appeal with the Contra Costa County Board of Education, which also denied the petition in a 4-1 vote in October. The county board cited concerns about adequate staffing to educate its English language learners, its use of non-credentialed teachers and a lack of clarity surrounding its finances and its board representation. In particular, the board had questions about adequacy of local representation, since the school's board meetings are held in San Jose.
Kuizenga said that much of its appeal is based on the fact that Contra Costa County education staff evaluated the petition and it actually recommended approval, albeit with a
Rocketship appeals to state board to build school in Concord - ContraCostaTimes.com:
Big Education Ape: Glendale Unified board denies charter school plans; petitioners say they will appeal to county -... http://bit.ly/1P9tvbD
