The William S. Hart Union High School District Governing Board is expected to review two revisions to charter school petitions presented by Mission View Public Charter School and Opportunities for Learning Charter School at its meeting today.
Both are non-classroom based independent study charter school programs, with resources center to support students face-to-face.
The governing board is also expected to provide a ruling on the renewal petition submitted by Mission View Charter School on May 3.
Both charter school petition revisions describe each school’s operation of resource centers outside of the Hart District’s boundaries but within Los Angeles County.
Before an October 2016 ruling by the Third District Court of Appeals, the operation of these resource centers was allowed under the Charter Schools Acts.
However, after the court’s ruling in Anderson Union High School District v. Shasta Secondary, charter schools are no longer allowed to operate a resource center outside of their chartering district’s boundaries within the same county as the district.
In response to this ruling, the State Board of Education created a waiver policy to allow charter schools to continue their resource center locations until June 30, 2018. This Education Code waiver will give them time to come into compliance with the new Charter Schools Act location requirement.
Both Mission View and Opportunities for Learning are attempting to receive waivers from the state to continue operating their resource centers until mid-2018.
Mission View Public Charter School
At Wednesday’s meeting, Hart Governing Board members are expected to approve Mission View Charter School’s five-year charter renewal request, but with provisions regarding the school’s resource center operations.
Mission View has operated within the Hart District since 2007 as a non-classroom based independent study charter school program offering personalized education programs to high-risk students and drop-outs.
It serves students 1,900 students annually in grades 9 to 12 who are, on average, more than a year behind in school credits.
On May 3, the Hart District held a public hearing on the charter school where Bill Toomey, executive vice president of Mission View, discussed the charter petition and the school’s need to apply for a one-year waiver from the state.
Staff from the Hart District suggested the board should consider two options when approving the petition from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2022: renew the petition without the resource centers or renew the petition with resource centers and a waiver from the state.
“District staff reviewed the petition and have determined that Petitioner has met one or more of the criteria under Education Code… and is eligible for renewal,” the staff report from the Hart District read.
The governing board is also expected to hold a public hearing about the waiver of geographic locations of resource centers under the Hart District charter.
Currently Mission View operates four resource centers out of the district’s boundaries in Pacoima, Panorama City and San Fernando that were opened at various times from 2010 to 2015.
The waiver requested discusses the need to continue to resource centers to protect the operations, finances and services of the charter school.
Opportunities for Learning
The governing board is also expected to conduct similar public hearings for a revision to Opportunities for Learning’s approved charter petition and its out-of-district resource centers.
At an April 19 meeting, the Hart Board approved the school’s five-year charter petition, from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2022. The school has operated within the district since 1999 and serves students in grades 7 to 12 who are drop-out recovery students or at risk of dropping out.
However, the school’s charter petition did not include information about its four resource centers located in the Antelope Valley, with two in Lancaster and two in Palmdale.
The amendment to the charter details the location and function of these four resource centers and states that the school is seeking a waiver to continue their operations until June 30, 2018. If the waiver is denied, the school will close the centers immediately.
According to the school, the four centers serve 1,465 students and employ 62 staff members while provided education in “areas of greatest need in gang-neutral zones.”
If approved, the waiver will allow the resource centers to continue until 2018 without causing disruption for students.
Additional Agenda Items
- Appointment of junior high and high school principal
- Approve resolution on approving school facilities needs analysis and adopting alternative school facility needs
- Approve site-based decision for the final implementation of late start Wednesdays at Canyon High School
- Approve bid to Byrom-Davey, Inc. for general construction for the Golden Valley High School and West Ranch High School Athletic Field Improvement Project
- Award prime contractor bids to Triangle Enterprises, Inc. and Bravo Concrete Services for Hart High School Infrastructure Phase 1 and Demolition Project
- Approve proposal for DSA inspection services for the Hart High School Infrastructure Project to RT Project Solutions, LLC
- Approve proposal for DSA special testing and lab services for the Hart High School Infrastructure Project to Ninyo & Moore
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