Albert Einstein Academy announces intention to close charter school

Albert Einstein Academy of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Dan Watson/The Signal
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Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences’ charter school serving students in grades 7 to 12 will be closing its doors this year, according to an announcement from the William S. Hart Union High School District.

Hart District officials said they met with Albert Einstein CEO Maggie Ford Wednesday morning to confirm that the Hart-Einstein charter in Santa Clarita will be closing after seven years of operation.

Ford told Hart District officials that the charter school will not pursue any additional appeals through the court or through the State Department of Education.

The Hart District said it will be working with Einstein officials to transfer students into its district schools for the 2017-18 schoolyear.

“As has always been the case, every Einstein student is guaranteed enrollment at their school of residence,” said Mike Kuhlman, assistant superintendent of the Hart School District in a statement. “With today’s news, we have once again reached out to our site principals and have asked them to take special care to assist those families coming from Einstein.”

To ease the transfer process, former Albert Einstein students are being encouraged to contact the office of their Hart District school of residence to speak with the registrar.  Student records will also be automatically transferred to Hart District schools, according to officials.

Since the Hart District Governing Board unanimously denied the charter school’s five-year renewal petition March 1, Albert Einstein officials turned to several different avenues to keep the school open to students, families and staff.

On March 8, Ford announced that Albert Einstein would appeal the district’s decision with the Los Angeles County Board of Education.

“The board is doing anything we can to keep this school open,” Ford told The Signal in March.

However, two months later the County Board of Education voted 4-3 to deny the school’s charter renewal petition appeal following staff recommendation.

Albert Einstein officials also turned to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in an attempt to block the district’s decision to deny the petition for charter renewal.

The court filing—the writ of mandate—would have allowed the charter school to continue its operations as it worked through the appeals process at both the county and state level.

However, the school’s first court filing was denied by the Los Angeles County Superior Court May 22.  Albert Einstein’s second court filing and preliminary injunction hearing to keep the school open was also denied by the county July 13.

Additional questions about the Hart District transfer process should be directed to Kathy Hunter at [email protected].  Students attending schools outside of the Hart District should contact Ruth West at 661-702-0755 to ensure that they obtain all necessary records.

Those wishing to continue their education with Einstein in Acton-Agua Dulce are encouraged to attend an informational Open House for students in grades 7 to 12 at the Agua Dulce Partnership Academy on July 27 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

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