Debate growing over Livermore charter

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Oct 8, 2006 | by Eric Louie, MEDIANEWS

When Livermore school district budget cuts closed two popular, high-performing elementary schools in 2004, parents created the Livermore Valley Charter School, joining a growing group of institutions that use public funds but operate independently of local school districts.

The recently released state Academic Performance Index, ranking schools based on standardized tests, shows that the Livermore charter school scored highly during its inaugural 2005-06 school year -- among Livermores 11 public elementary schools, the charter schools scores were second-highest in 2005-06.

Its the programs, said Principal Tina Morris. Theyre getting a private school-quality education in a public school.

But critics say the school tests well because it has attracted mostly high-performing students, and has a lower proportion of poor and minority students compared to some other Livermore schools.

The demographics debate reflects a larger community discussion about the nature of charter schools -- a discussion sure to grow as the Livermore Valley Charter School tries to gain approval for a high school expansion, which it hopes to open in fall 2008. Organizers are expected to submit their plans to the Livermore school district Tuesday.

Because the charter schools are paid for with public money that would otherwise go to regular schools, local school officials often oppose new charters. The Livermore district, already under county fiscal oversight due to budget problems, opposed the charter school, for several reasons, including finances, the openings timing and the large number of volunteers it would need.

Organizers appealed, and the state Board of Education later approved the charter school for three years.

Lon Goldstein, a parent and stockbroker who founded the Livermore school, said school funds dont belong not to the school district but to the people providing the education. He also said the charter school receives less money per student than the Livermore school district as a whole, and does not receive money from recent bond and parcel tax measures. The school makesup the difference through donations, suggesting that families give $1,000 per student and volunteer 60 hours a year.

Besides staples such as English, social studies, math and science, students also take courses in technology and Spanish. Except for kindergarten, students are in class seven hours and 15 minutes a day -- about an hour more than students at other Livermore elementary schools.

And the charter has more white students -- and fewer poor and Latino students and English learners -- than most other district schools.

Although charter schools have no specific demographic requirements, some critics say charter schools are supposed to help students struggling in traditional public schools, not those already succeeding.

Charter school mother Sandy Arnold, whose children would otherwise be at Sunset Elementary and Mendenhall Middle, liked the charter school's smaller class sizes and its science classes for elementary students, two programs the Livermore school district cut in recent years.

Livermore school board member Bill Morrison calls Livermore Valley "the elitist school."

"I would expect that a publicly funded school would be representative of the community," he said. "You would expect they would provide an opportunity for equality in the community so that everyone can benefit from what they offer."

Goldstein, who recently became the charter's executive director, is confident that the school's demographics won't negatively affect the charter's plans for a new high school or renewal of its current three-year charter.

Livermore Valley's lack of diversity had been anticipated even before it opened, as noted in both local and state reviews before it was ultimately approved by the state Board of Education.

Charter school organizers based those projections on students who had attended Almond Avenue and Arroyo Mocho elementary schools, the Livermore school district's two "open enrollment" schools. Students attended based on parents' requests, not according to where they lived.

Mark Kushner, a member of the state's Advisory Commission on Charter Schools, praised the Livermore charter school's high scores, but not its lack of diversity.

Goldstein said Livermore Valley admits anyone who applies, with a lottery when there are more applicants than spaces.

He said the Livermore charter school's organizers have tried to reach out to the community, passing out information at local businesses and churches frequented by Latinos, buying advertisements in Spanish-language newspapers, holding informational meetings about the school in Spanish, and leaving information at local libraries.

He said the school will do much of the same as it gets ready for the high school, and is open to new ideas.

But Rebecca Silva, executive director of the Livermore-based Community Association for Preschool Education, which runs the federal Head Start programs for needy children in the Tri-Valley, said those efforts have not been enough. She said believes language is also a barrier, and noted that the school's $1,000 suggested per- family donation discourages some families.