Charter School Battle Heats Up in Los Angeles

[Valin]

The Feed:

April 16, 2014

 

One of the nation’s most intense battles over the future of charter schools has been waged in Los Angeles, where public unions have been fending off a group of national reformers, including Michelle Rhee and Michael Bloomberg, to maintain majority control of the city’s school board.

 

Two months ago, the board voted not to renew the charters for two schools run by the “Aspire” group. At no point was it claimed that these schools were underperforming: as the WSJ notes, they consistently performed at least 100 points better than their public school counterparts on California’s Academic Performance Index. Nor was it claimed that they were cherry-picking students: More than 90 percent of their students are low-income Latinos. Instead, the complaint was that the school was going its own way regarding special education services:

 

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Not everyone in the city supports the board’s decision. The district superintendent has spoken out in favor of the two schools, and some board members are supporters of charters in general. The Aspire schools, for their part, have appealed the decision, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education will issue a decision this week.

 

Whatever the outcome, the clash in LA signals that charter schools will remain a flashpoint in both local and national election campaigns. The debate between pro- and anti-charter groups has produced a significant rift within the Democratic Party, and the battles in blue cities like Los Angeles and New York will give us a clear sense of which side is winning.

 

 

 

[Valin]

Teacher Tenure on Trial

Teachers’ unions consumed with the fight against charter schools now have another challenge to face: defending tenure and firing policies. In California, a group of students has brought a lawsuit against the state, arguing that rules that inhibit the dismissal of bad teachers are undermining their right to a quality education. A decision is expected in early July. If the judge rules in favor of the students, California could become the fourth state to eliminate these rules. Other states may then follow suit.

 

The second challenge is coming from the other side, with school boards in North Carolina suing the state to have the tenure provisions reinstated. After Republicans took over the state legislature, the state passed a bill that would eliminate tenure for all teachers by 2018. A judge is now debating whether the school boards have standing to sue. If he rules that they do, then the stage will be set for a higher profile court battle later this year.

 

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