District denies charter school request
Nov. 15, 2012
Misty Volaski, editor@ojaivalleynews.com
At least for now, it does not appear as though new charter schools will be coming to Ojai.
Tuesday night, the Ojai Unified School District Board voted unanimously to deny petitions to add two new charter schools to its public school offerings.
The board and district administrators ultimately found that the two schools — dubbed SelfDesign Youth Entrepreneurs Soar Learning Community (Y.E.S.) and SelfDesign Learning Community at Central California (LCCC) — presented an unsound educational program for District students.
“We are saddened that children in Ojai and the surrounding communities might be denied the opportunity to succeed in the innovative SelfDesign model of learning,” explained Ojai parent and SelfDesign charter school petitioner Caprice Pitcher.
“’Unsound’ — it’s shocking to say that about this program,” said Susanne Coie, development service manager with the Charts Schools Development Center. Coie has advised Pitcher through the petition process. “SelfDesign obtains its impressive academic results through a process rather than a set curriculum,” Coie continued, “and that proved to be too wide a gap for those whose knowledge centers on traditional classroom methods.”
The Ojai model of SelfDesign is based on an established program in British Columbia, Canada, which, according to Pitcher and Coie, has a solid track record of success. “Yes, SelfDesign is outside of the box of traditional schooling,” Pitcher noted, “yet our stellar results in other locations and 30-year track record demonstrate the validity of the SelfDesign model of learning. ”
That model aims to motivate children to become life-long learners through student-motivated and project-based learning, rather than a set curriculum — “leading with interests,” as SelfDesign documents phrase it.
But a lack of distinct curriculum was worrisome to the OUSD Board and administrators. Despite inches-thick binders of documents, dozens of emails and phone conversations and multiple public meetings, the Board still felt uncertain that the SelfDesign programs were sound.
“There are some elements of the programs that are very exciting,” acknowledged OUSD Superintendent Hank Bangser. However, because charter schools are funded by tax dollars, they must be able to prove that they have systems through which all children have the opportunity to succeed — including such subgroups as special education students and English language learners.
“If someone said to me, ‘Well OUSD doesn’t work for every student,’ I would say ‘You’re absolutely correct!’ And even if your school has API (standardized test) scores of 940, that is still not working for every student,” Bangser said. “But the fact remains that (in the OUSD) there are systems in place to provide opportunity for every student to succeed — it doesn’t mean they will, it just means the system’s in place … they (the SelfDesign petitioners) believe they have those systems. We just do not.”
There were many other board concerns, as well.
“I think a project-based program could be great,” said Board member Linda Taylor, “but I don’t think this is it. I don’t think they (the SelfDesign petitioners) realize just how much work this really is … (To have) one teacher with 25 kids doing project-based learning, I don’t think that’s realistic.” Later, Taylor added, “I felt strongly that the amount of work each teacher would be asked to do was not possible, considering the nature of project-based learning.”
Board member Kathi Smith said Tuesday she felt frustrated with the programs. “I feel that my questions are answerable,” she stated. “I asked, ‘How do they learn to read?’ I’ve never gotten an answer to that … I’ve heard ‘Trust me,’ and ‘We have a proven track record,’ but I’m looking for pedagogy (the science of education) … at this time it sounds like chaos to me, and chaos is unsound.”
Board member Rikki Horne reminded those in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting for whom the Board is working. “We’re accountable to the community, to students, to parents.”
Board member Thayne Whipple echoed Horne’s concerns. “As trustees of public education in the Ojai Valley we have a responsibility to do what we feel is in the best interest of our schools, our community, and is consistent with the legal requirements of the State of California.”
Pauline Mercado, current board president, added, “I was really optimistic when I first read the petition … but there’s certain standards that we have to follow … I welcome innovation but I didn’t see the level of soundness that needs to be present in this.”
While the Board was unanimous in its doubt, several locals spoke Tuesday in support of the SelfDesign method.
“We’re not advocating for a change, we’re advocating for choice,” said Matt Pitcher, a parent and Caprice’s husband.
Shane Rilling, a father and tutor, said, “A lot of the reason why I have a job is that students aren’t interested, or (the system) doesn’t work for them. But we’re always able to make progress really quickly when you start looking at the whole student.”
Pitcher and Coie said they would be moving forward and plan to file an appeal of the OUSD’s decision with the Ventura County Board of Education (VCBE). Should VCBE overturn the decision, it would become the governing body of the SelfDesign programs, not OUSD. However, if VCBE denies the appeal, Pitcher could take the petition to the California State Board of Education; if the state approves it, then OUSD would be the oversight agency, Coie said.
These former educators are not from Ojai, so I wonder what experience they have with our community. I would discount their comments as having been recruited by those who propose the charter programs. There are many creative options in the public schools already
“Mary”, you must be right as children in Ojai are obviously very very different from children in Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Canada etc etc. (hope you get the sarcasm).
Please enlighten us to what “creative options” exist in our public schools?
Anonymous “concerned citizen” and others, Valley Oak is an independent home schooling support resource not a full time traditional school that you might be thinking of. Also, the SelfDesign charter schools also include a virtual learning path (there were 2 charter petitions: 1 for virtual learning home schools and another is a traditional brick and mortar site). These charter schools are NON profits . . . owned by a CA non-profit.
Good try, though. Keep supporting an unsustainable model and protect your turf and kids lose. Again.
As a former educator and administrator, with certifications that include Superintendent, Director of Special Education/Pupil Services, Principal, and Educator 1-9, I am horrified and saddened by this school system’s continual immersion into archaic practices. Our school system is based primarily on left brain thinking–logical, sequential–that excludes the talents of so many students. The charter schools proposed would have provided a basis to move beyond educational practices that limit the child’s potential to grow in a direction that is healthy for a 21st century learner. Ojai citizens should be very concerned with the decisions of their educational leaders–the children of this community deserve so much more.
For profit charter schools will only rip off Ojai and force the other schools to cut teachers and performance. Anything charter schools can do, public schools can do cheaper and better.
What about ‘Home School’? – or schooling via the Internet? Seems to be working for those who have chosen to go that route.
It clearly appears that some people posting here are sour grapes for not getting the rubber stamp. Ojai USD already has a charter school (Valley Oak), so clearly it is not opposed to the concept. I have also talked to a school board member who said she had read hundreds of pages of documents in reviewing the petition. Certainly I don’t get the impression that the board’s decision was uninformed.
As a former teacher, district office administrator, K-6 & K-8 school principal in traditional school settings of 17 years and a K-12 independent study program charter school principal and director for the last 7 years, I have never been so disappointed by the actions of a group of elected officials as I was a couple nights ago.
I attended the Ojai Unified School District board meeting Tuesday night to support the YES and Self-Design LCCC Charter petitions, and I must say that I was appalled by the behavior and comments made the board of Education and superintendent. In my opinion the board and superintendent held a very close-minded position with the inability and/or refusal to authentically consider the proposed innovative practices proposed by the petitioner, while at the same time disregarding 2 important and relevant tenets from the California’s Charter Schools Act of 1992
1) To encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods
2) To provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system.
I was also very concerned by:
Petitioner information requested by a board member that was delivered to the district, but never forward on to the board member preventing her from making a well informed decision.
A disregard for the he Self Design high academic achievement data.
Holding the Self Design and YES petitions to a much greater standard than a previously granted charter school.
Holding on to instructional practices of the past.
As a veteran administrator of traditional, charter and Independent Study programs, I was shocked at how entrenched the mentality was. It was as though they were incapable of imagining anything really innovative. Sadly and ultimately kids lose on this one!
The traditional school system is failing. It’s advocates aren’t open to change and are hostile to any competition.
Parents everywhere should fight for school choice.
Some of the comments of ths OUSD are such a joke. I had to take my child out of public schools because the teacher was speaking in spanish most of the time. You see of the 30 kids in the class 8 spoke english. Yea thats best for the kids Figure it out. These schools might not have been the best idea but the valley needs something
The Bottom line is that the OUSD needs to come into the 21st Century. The system they are supporting is simply unsustainable. The superintendent [comment deleted] was provided the materials Kathi Smith wanted – over TEN documents worth – but the superintendent withheld that information from getting to them, [comment deleted]
It’s a shame that this is the kind of representation Ojai is getting from its school board not to mention its arrogant superintendent. Our kids deserve better.
Look at what Kentucky is doing. This is what true innovation looks like. Our current OUSD board and superintendent are stuck in the 1970s.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/10/26/560170kykentuckyeducation_ap.html?tkn=PVYFKBhzgCXtQS7FR5JMBluqCSCozssTzvxJ&intc=es
I appreciate some of the board members’ service and dedication to our public schools, but they simply don’t get it.
It’s time to get way outside of the box. Something has GOT to change.
For, as Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”.