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Board hears public presentation for Alta Schools Coachella Valley petition; decision set for Feb. 18
Summary
A public hearing was held on a charter petition to continue operation of the Palm Desert Resource Center as Alta Schools Coachella Valley; petitioners presented enrollment, finances and academic outcomes and the board opened a 20-minute public comment period before scheduling final action for Feb. 18, 2025.
The Desert Sands Unified Board held a public hearing Jan. 21 on a charter petition filed by Alta Schools Coachella Valley to operate a non-classroom-based charter school in district boundaries.
Wade Ashbrenner, lead petitioner, presented the petition and described the Palm Desert Resource Center's history (opened 2013), its current enrollment of about 150 students, and the petition's financial assumptions including a beginning cash balance of approximately $1.4 million. Ashbrenner said the petition aligns with Education Code Section 47605(b) and Assembly Bill 1507 requirements for continuing charter operations and that Alta Schools Coachella Valley projects enrollment of about 200 students, conducts annual external audits with no recent findings, and serves a high-need student population.
The petition presentation included cited student-demographic figures: roughly 66.9% of pupils identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged, 16% receiving special education services and 2.5% experiencing some level of homelessness. Ashbrenner also described prior academic performance at the petitioning operator's associated sites, saying those sites exceeded county and state alternative-dashboard averages on CAASPP English language arts and math measures and reported a graduation rate of 92.9% in the most recent period referenced.
The board opened public comment per board bylaw 9223 and Education Code Section 47605(b). Trina Gonzales Alessi, president of the Desert Sands Teachers Association, spoke during the public-comment period and said Desert Sands Unified already provides non-classroom-based education options within district-run programs and argued students in the district should attend district schools when appropriate. The public comment portion was limited by board rules and closed after the scheduled time.
Board members did not vote on the petition at the Jan. 21 hearing; the board president announced that the board will take action to grant or deny the charter petition at the board meeting scheduled for Feb. 18, 2025. The hearing record will inform the board's later decision.
