Chino Valley charter supporters ask board to approve their school

Way to go!

I'm going to send an email to all the board members to say what I didn't get to say at the board meeting last night because I was sooooo bored of the other topics, fell asleep and had to leave!

BOARD MEMBERS..please do not approve this item. let them fund and find their own school. they claim that it will be open to anyone but WE all know they are going to hand pick their students.

jpy wrote:

BOARD MEMBERS..please do not approve this item. let them fund and find their own school. they claim that it will be open to anyone but WE all know they are going to hand pick their students.

JPY - It seems as if you are misinformed on this topic. Who and/or what are your sources of information? I have done my research on this topic and would like to share some resources for you to do the same.

I highly encourage you to view the California Department of Education's Charter School Frequently Asked Questions website (www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cs/re/csqatoc.asp ).

Additionally, spend some time reviewing information on Oxford Preparatory Academy at www.oxfordchampions.com . There, you can review additional information on charter schools in general as well as read more detailed information about the open enrollment process at Oxford Preparatory Academy.

Should these two websites fail to provide you with the information you are seeking and clarify the misinformation you previously received, I invite you to contact Oxford Preparatory Academy at: opachampions@gmail.com.

Brian, please understand where the concern is...schools of choice have been closed. Hundreds of kids (poor) have been displaced. Parents/voters/citizens were mislead regarding the proposed savings via these school closures. CAl Aero parents had do go through a lawsuit to get their school opened.

I have read a lot about charters - you are right in that citizens who are opposed to the opening do not have many rights to do so. You are also right about open enrollment. However, once the school is located in Chino Hills, many displaced Chino students will not have access (no busing). Also, in most communitities, charters are developed because of poor academic acheivement. In this case, the founders of OPA are coming from one of the highest ranked schools in the county. This is what frustrates many. Really though, it should be a call to others to become politically engaged and stop waiting for others (school board/administrators) to help create great schools. I believe more charters will open as parents become frustrated in the lack of attention to the concerns of all students (Chino in particular).

The anger/frustration generated by the OPA opening is probably not fair to the good parents of Rhodes who want a great education for their children. It probably isn't fair to Sue Roche and the other OPA leaders - but it is important for our school board and other communitity members to understand why not everyone in the community is gung ho about this new school.

Lastly, there are many studies that do show a fiscal impact on districts when charters open up. This is tough to swallow in such a time of cut backs to current schools.

A little sensitivity is in order IMO.

Concerned Parent-

I too am a concerned parent and understand and sympathize with your frustrations, however I do not embrace the "poor me" attitude and feel that it is MY parental obligation to discover and embrace what is best for my children and their education. If the CVUSD isn't cutting it as is, I'd rather not complain about how it isn't working to no avail and rather focus my energies on proven strategies regardless of personal sacrifice, i.e. finding a way to drive them many miles to school because it IS just that important. Our kids are our responsibility and not the "system's."

I agree that the El Ranch site would be better. They want the Los Serranos site so it would be easier to just open to Chino Hills students rather than Chino students. I also agree that the lottery will not be a lottery at all. The students will be hand-picked. There are too many parents from Rhodes supporting this. Do you think those parents would do this if their child was not guaranteed a spot? I have mixed feelings on this. I think it would lead to CVUSD just having less students and therefore more teachers losing their jobs. The teachers for this school site have also been preselected.

I drive by the closed El Rancho elementary school almost every morning and I think it would be a great idea to re open it again.

I am neutral on the issue whether it's going to be a public, private or charter school.... I just miss watching children studying/playing in that school campus.

I believe recently Mr.Obama has been pushing for more charter schools around the country with enticed financial gravy to the participating school districts. Finally, I can trust our new Chino Valley District leadership to make a right judgment considering all of our kids and parents in mind.

Concerned parent, you need to be relaxed a bit and do not bring selfish/contaminated union terminology here "politically engaged..". A garbage!

No one can satisfy your daunting 24/7 frustration and unhappiness in this world. Look at the mirror and you will see where this frustration is actually coming from. A food for thought.

Worried, if they have pre selected teachers from the Rhodes (most likely), how our district teachers are going to lose their jobs?.

Don't we get a decent rental fees on these schools once they are leased to the private/ charter schools?

One experimental charter school won't sink our other schools.... who knows? This charter school might even bring some educational innovations to the district. However it's crucial that this charter school must be willing to work closely with our district in serving same vision for our children.

The bottom line would a financial impact to the district balanced by the greater need for alternate Chino Valley community educational needs/choices.

Support for Oxford Preparatory Academy (OPA) and the administration's proven track record of success has spread roots all the way to Mission Viejo in South Orange County.

Community leaders, citizens, parents and educators alike are elated about opening a "sister school" to OPA Chino Valley. You can read the article in today's Orange County Register at:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/school-oxf...

Interestingly, almost all comments regarding this article are supportive of OPA and its leaders in contrast to some of those posted on this board.

Let's rally around this amazing charter school proposal and do something to provide a CHOICE in education for our future leaders and their families!

El Rey wrote:

Worried, if they have pre selected teachers from the Rhodes (most likely), how our district teachers are going to lose their jobs?.
Don't we get a decent rental fees on these schools once they are leased to the private/ charter schools?
One experimental charter school won't sink our other schools.... who knows? This charter school might even bring some educational innovations to the district. However it's crucial that this charter school must be willing to work closely with our district in serving same vision for our children.
The bottom line would a financial impact to the district balanced by the greater need for alternate Chino Valley community educational needs/choices.

Thank you for your positive comments. There is a lot to address in these blogs. Frustration is understandable, as schools have closed, teachers have lost jobs, and class size ratios will be increasing.

First, our Board, Superintendent Joseph, and the District cabinet have brought a renewed vision and empathy to our community's challenges, which include finding any way to continue and enhance District-wide instructional programs.

That being said, they cannot control the system, which has an unavoidlable, built-in bureaucracy. They cannot control the state budget and the necessity to potentially layoff more teachers next year. You get the idea.

Please do not say students will be hand-picked. You must first understand Education Code and laws prior to making such inflammatory statements. Too many people do not know the population of Rhodes. They have a phenomenal, unique, and diverse group of students and families. Nearly half of the students are Hispanic, and a significant percentage are considered low socio-economic. Mrs. Roche and I love kids...period! I am part Hispanic myself. Not that my own ethnicity matters, but I am attempting to drive home a point.

It doesn't matter what you look like, what language you speak, how much money you make, or what college your parents did or did not attend. What matters is that as school administrators and educators, we have an obligation to meet the needs of ALL children.

I am fortunate to have an opportunity to work with the great families at Chaparral Elementary. Their population is diverse as well. I learn something new everyday. In fact, I am always seeking to learn new ways to address the challenges of students and families, and I know that will provide a great benefit to OPA.

I will be happy to answer any questions that I can. Just keep one thing in mind. If we do nothing for our children, we should expect nothing in return. As one parent stated very eloquently, you deserve a "choice" when it comes to your child's education. If OPA is not your choice, CVUSD has great schools to choose from. OPA simply wants to provide another option that CVUSD can work with, promote, and support, and OPA will do the same in return. This can be a great partnership.

Concerned Parent,
First of all, the school site was not chosen based on it's Chino Hills zip code. It was chosen because of the space for growth and its more recent modernization. Second of all, charter schools don't have to provide busing. Period. You could make the same argument about the Chino Hills kids not being able to get busing if the school were opened at the El Rancho location.

JPY,
The district is not funding this school. Lead petitioners are just asking that they approve the opening of this school in the Chino Valley USD. If it isn't approved by the district, the county or state will approve it.

I am a product of the CVUSD and I taught in this district for 7 years before taking time off to stay at home with my little ones. I have never worked for Sue Roche, although she was my principal as a child. I have seen first hand that they way things are being done at the majority of the schools in Chino are not working. A charter school gives the staff the autonomy to make choices about curriculum that being part of a district doesn't. The ability to seek private funding makes the threat of budget cuts a little less frightening. I love this district and my colleagues who work in it, but as a teacher/parent, the thought of being able to send my child to school with other children whose parents have a genuine concern for their education has erased any questions from my mind about what school to send my child to. Not to mention the fact that the teachers at a charter school have a vested interest in making the school succeed, as the charter (and their job) depends on it. Personally, I am also pleased knowing that teachers who do not meet the schools professional expectations will not be protected by their tenure and just transferred to another school, they will be let go and a more effective teacher will be hired in their place.

Sigh...El Rey, it seems that you may feel that only some people get to be "frustrated" and develop other opportunities for their children..but if others do, it seems, at least to you, that they are "selfish" and are using "union terminology." Interesting. What is wrong with becoming politically active? I hope our parents who had their schools closed so quickly become very involved and vote for candidates who respond to their needs.

Realistic parent: As long as I am paying taxes, I will certainly expect the "system" to help my children and will continue to vote for those candidates who support all students. However, I did say that parents need to get involved and not wait for the system to be fair/equitable.

El Rey: our school district will need to provide staff/adminstration to oversee the charter school. This is another cost to the district. I'm not sure of the cost, but this is cited in various research documents.

Kristi: appreciate your point of view both as a parent and an educator. However, I don't agree that what the majority of CVUSD schools are doing is not working. High test scores, involved parents, active sports and music programs, high rates of college acceptances say otherwise :) Can it be better? Absolutely...this is why more parents (especially in the older Chino schools) need to get involved and vote for the right candidates!

Lastly, I actually am not opposed to the charter. In fact, I stated earlier that more charters will probably open. I want to express why there are many concerns in our community and would hope that the OPA supporters understand why some community members are not fully supportive of this project.

Has OPA considered the El Rancho site?

It is correct that Los Serranos was recently modernized using Measure M money. When voters approved the $150 million bond measure, it was to build new schools and renovate/modernize CVUSD schools - for the benefit of CVUSD students.

There are a number of uses being considered for Los Serranos to benefit CVUSD students. I believe the board/public will be addressing Los Serranos potential uses at the beginning of the year for fall 2010.

El Rancho is closer to Rhodes and more centrally located, not to mention a beautiful campus. I believe OPA is planning to start out with 500 students. Los Serranos is a much larger campus and much of it would not be utilized even with moderate growth by OPA. El Rancho is still large enough to provide for growth but not so large as to largely go underutilized.

Would OPA object to the use of El Rancho?

Concerned parent wrote:

El Rey: our school district will need to provide staff/adminstration to oversee the charter school. This is another cost to the district. I'm not sure of the cost, but this is cited in various research documents.
Kristi: appreciate your point of view both as a parent and an educator. However, I don't agree that what the majority of CVUSD schools are doing is not working. High test scores, involved parents, active sports and music programs, high rates of college acceptances say otherwise :) Can it be better? Absolutely...this is why more parents (especially in the older Chino schools) need to get involved and vote for the right candidates!

You bring up good points. True, the District has great schools with great programs and strong leaders. The conversations should be less about CVUSD schools and more focused on what OPA has to offer. Keep in mind that the program that has been so successful at Rhodes, leading six consecutive years of improved test scores and two consecutive years with the top API score in the county (at 965), will be the core instructional program and educational philosophy at OPA. Therefore, I would hope parents would ask questions about how those scores were achieved and how OPA plans to be successful with potentially a new population of students.

You are incorrect about the District having to supply administrators for the charter. The charter will be independent of the District. The OPA administrators will be paid by the ADA generated by the charter school's enrollment. In fact, CVUSD would be releaved of the burden of two administrative salaries, so from a fiscal impact stance, it is a good thing.

When OPA says that we want to "partner" with the District, it is simply asking for CVUSD approval. As the Chartering Agency, CVUSD would receive oversight costs, may receive funds if they lease a facility to OPA, and would monitor, on a yearly basis, an audit process to ensure the charter school is performing and remaining solvent.

Parents from outside the district are also very interested. CVUSD families should consider themselves lucky that this opportunity may soon be
available. I know several OMSD families who are thrilled with the prospect. Education has been
hijacked by bureaucracy long enough. Life is all
about choices, don't limit mine.

I'm curious to know how all of these parents would be feeling if they didn't know for sure that their child would be attending this "wonderful" new Charter School. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that it will be the best in the area. All of the teachers from Rhodes will be teaching or will be the administrators there, including the Principa Sue Roche, and former Vice Principal Jason Watts.

The people who are so "gung-ho" over this whole thing, must be the educators that get to have their children GUARANTEED a spot in the school, or the "founders" who also have a GUARANTEED spot in the school.

If I knew for a fact my child would be admitted, via lottery as they say, then you would have another supporter on your side. However, to know that my child will be left at Rhodes, with the educators who made it what it is today now over at the Charter School, you wont gain my support. Sorry.

Another Concerned Parent wrote:

I'm curious to know how all of these parents would be feeling if they didn't know for sure that their child would be attending this "wonderful" new Charter School. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that it will be the best in the area. All of the teachers from Rhodes will be teaching or will be the administrators there, including the Principa Sue Roche, and former Vice Principal Jason Watts.
The people who are so "gung-**** " over this whole thing, must be the educators that get to have their children GUARANTEED a spot in the school, or the "founders" who also have a GUARANTEED spot in the school.
If I knew for a fact my child would be admitted, via lottery as they say, then you would have another supporter on your side. However, to know that my child will be left at Rhodes, with the educators who made it what it is today now over at the Charter School, you wont gain my support. Sorry.

It should not be assumed that every teacher who has accumulated several years towards retirement, district seniority, etc. is willing to just pick up and leave their district. That being said, there are many, many, many, qualified, dedicated teachers in the CVUSD who are not at Rhodes. No doubt, Rhodes has a remarkable staff however, they are not the only educators in your school system that share the OPA vision of education. The goal here is not to have any "child left at Rhodes" or any other school. Your parent involvement and support of your child's education is what first and foremost makes a successful educational system...not a location. The Rhodes program works because the parents believe and support it. It doesn't work because of hand-picked children or educators. It works because that particular team of administrators, teachers, parents and students have refused to let the State and District bureaucracy get in the way of our most priceless commodity...our children and their futures. Perhaps you should help to spread the vision throughout education as a whole. Furthermore....there is probably nothing that can be said to convince you that the lottery enrollment will be fair and equitable. Therefore time is probably better spent by not trying! Districts up and down the State need to stand up, pay attention, and work to return education to what it is supposed to be...EDUCATION!

OC Educator wrote:

<quoted text>
It should not be assumed that every teacher who has accumulated several years towards retirement, district seniority, etc. is willing to just pick up and leave their district. That being said, there are many, many, many, qualified, dedicated teachers in the CVUSD who are not at Rhodes. No doubt, Rhodes has a remarkable staff however, they are not the only educators in your school system that share the OPA vision of education. The goal here is not to have any "child left at Rhodes" or any other school. Your parent involvement and support of your child's education is what first and foremost makes a successful educational system...not a location. The Rhodes program works because the parents believe and support it. It doesn't work because of hand-picked children or educators. It works because that particular team of administrators, teachers, parents and students have refused to let the State and District bureaucracy get in the way of our most priceless commodity...our children and their futures. Perhaps you should help to spread the vision throughout education as a whole. Furthermore....there is probably nothing that can be said to convince you that the lottery enrollment will be fair and equitable. Therefore time is probably better spent by not trying! Districts up and down the State need to stand up, pay attention, and work to return education to what it is supposed to be...EDUCATION!

I would have to agree with you. Thank you for your opinion.

I am thrilled to have a charter school open in the Chino District. Two years ago, I pulled my oldest child from Ayala, to attend a charter school. This child was receiving B's & C's. This semester she is getting all A's!! As a parent, I must ask myself what is the difference. What I see is they are teaching her in a fashion she understands and can retain. She is being taught through music (auditory) and the use of lots of visuals. The school also is project based and uses high thinking skills, instead of memorization.

Please, as parents, educate yourself before you decide. There are several positives I see from this school coming to our district and partnering with CVSD. If my children does not make it in the school, I will still support it being opened in the district.

Concerned Parent: Yes, there are quite a few schools that are fantastic schools in CVUSD, I don't disagree. Many schools have high API's. But have you looked at AYPs? The state does. Check and see how many of our junior high and high schools didn't meet their AYP criteria. Children in all subgroups should show progress to progress on the AYP scale, not just certain subgroups. This failure to meet AYP criteria shows that the needs of all students are not being met. The pedagogy that OPA is founded on addresses the needs of all students and all types of learners. Another factor to consider is how well-equipped your child's classroom/school is. Ask your child's teacher if he/she has all of their teacher's manuals and workbooks. Do they have working computers? If they sent a broken computer out to be repaired, how long would it take to get fixed? How long does it take to get new/necessary materials? All of these things are necessary items in a classroom today. Taking the bureaucracy out of teaching makes it much easier for students to learn :o)