The Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Education voted 4 to 2 to move forward with a controversial policy to prevent charter schools from leasing space on almost 350 district sites in an effort to protect vulnerable Black, Latino and low-income students from the negative impacts of sharing a campus.
The policy represents the latest chapter in a longstanding battle between charter and district-run schools, which have historically clashed over access to classroom space and other resources. Following Tuesday’s vote, staff will return in 45 days with a finalized policy for the board to vote on.
The rules were proposed by Board President Jackie Goldberg and Boardmember Rocío Rivas who say the district’s most vulnerable students must be protected from the risk of losing space used for special education services, arts programming, after school enrichment and supportive family services, arguing that this could happen as a result of sharing a campus with a charter school.
“All we’re really trying to do is to say that there should be a sensible and reasonable way of looking at co-locations that makes it much less likely that schools that are struggling to raise student achievement will be interfered with,” said Goldberg.
This policy has been met with outrage from charter school advocates who say the proposed rules unlawfully favor the needs of students in district-run schools.
“We reject the belief that students should be treated differently based on which public school they attend,” said Adrián Sandoval, senior director of policy and advocacy at GPSN, a nonprofit organization focused on improving L.A.’s public schools.
“We challenge the adults who lead our public school system to find solutions that provide equitable access without dividing communities or assuming that one group of students is more deserving than another,” Sandoval said.
Board members Nick Melvoin and Tanya Ortiz Franklin voted against the resolution. Melvoin said…
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