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Statement from Patrick Gemma, Ed.D., Superintendent
Sequoia Union High School District
State Board of Education Decision on the Everest Petition
On March 11, 2009, the California Board of Education heard the appeal of the Everest charter school petition - a petition that was twice denied at the local level. We are disappointed that the State became involved in what is clearly a local issue and that the State chose to grant the appeal.
Certainly, one can reasonably argue that the addition of another school in the Sequoia district is not needed. Along with the Sequoia district's four distinguished, award-winning comprehensive high schools and Middle College (in collaboration with Cañada College), the District has three charter schools, including two with capacity.
The District's four exemplary comprehensive high schools, which serve more than 8,000 students annually, offer college-going cultures, personalized small-learning communities, a robust portfolio of student enrichment offerings, and specialized programs for students across the academic and socioeconomic spectrums. The Middle College and three charter schools offer quality educational programs as well.
After careful, thorough and thoughtful review, the Sequoia district Board of Trustees and the San Mateo County Board of Education both denied the Everest charter petition. The findings of fact were accepted and the voices of the local community were heard. Locally, it was decided that the Everest charter school should not advance.
Unfortunately, the Everest petition was then taken out of the hands of elected officials here in our own community and the local decisions were overturned by officials who are neither elected or members of the local community. It was a daunting task to try to ensure appointed officials 150 miles away understood our local interests and needs.
In our advocacy these past many months for the best interests of all 8,200 of our students, and those who will follow, we confronted serious flaws in the charter school legislation. The legislation intended that new charter schools would be designed to meet the needs of all students, and particularly the needs of low-performing students; yet no new charter school proposal is required to fulfill this legislative intent. This is clearly a flaw in the current law.
Another serious flaw relates to accountability. Under the existing charter school law, taxpayer dollars leave the authorizing school district, which is overseen by an elected board of trustees, and are transferred to charter schools run by private organizations without elected board oversight.
A third flaw with current law is the fact that the financial impact to the authorizing school district cannot be considered. That's the law. The District argued before the State board that we currently face unprecedented economic challenges. The nation's economic downturn is the worst in our lifetime. The Lehman Brothers bankruptcy took a $6.1 million toll on the Sequoia district - one of the highest county investment pool penalties in the state. The new state budget exacts steep cuts to schools. As a basic aid district, Sequoia also faces a decline in property tax revenue. We're disappointed the State board chose not to support the Sequoia district community in these troubling times and chose instead to overturn the local decisions.
We now turn our attention to preparing facilities to house the Everest students in the fall. We're under way with clearing the land and preparing for the new school facilities on a neighborhood site in East Palo Alto. Along with spacious classrooms to accommodate the expected incoming class of 100 freshmen, the District has plans to develop the site with new fencing, lighting, parking and landscaping. As planning progresses, the District is working collaboratively with local residents and city officials in East Palo Alto. The District is on course to have the site ready before the first day of school in August. More than one-fifth of Sequoia district students reside in East Palo Alto but it is hoped that students in nearby communities in the District will also choose to round out the student body at the new school.
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