A divided Los Angeles Unified School District board adopted a controversial policy on Tuesday, Feb. 13, limiting where charter schools can operate within the school district and further inflaming long-held tensions between advocates of traditional public schools and those who support charter schools.
In a 4-3 vote, the board approved a policy that will prevent charter schools from “co-locating” with, or sharing the same campus as, LAUSD sites that serve some of its most vulnerable students. They include campuses that are the lowest performing or that have the highest concentration of Black students, or “community schools” that serve many low-income families.
The policy will take effect starting with the 2025-26 school year and apply to new charter schools requesting space.
Under the policy, L.A. Unified will still have to offer district space to charter schools, as required by state law, but, according to the district, roughly 200 of the district’s 770 school buildings are now off limits. Earlier this school year, the district reported that there were 52 co-locations, 39 of which are on high-need campuses.
Existing charter schools already co-located on these campuses won’t automatically be kicked out, but the policy will apply if there’s a change to their current situation — including if a charter school requests additional space to accommodate more students or grade levels.
School board member Rocío Rivas, who, along with board President Jackie Goldberg, sponsored a resolution calling for the policy, said during Tuesday’s meeting that co-locations have resulted in schools losing space for computer labs, assessing special-needs students, counseling, art rooms, parent centers or other uses, and has led to tension between administrators, parents or students of the two schools that share campuses.
“This policy uplifts our values of protecting the safety and welfare of district students and charter school students, including the most…
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