Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Charter Schools topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Accelerated Charter's future uncertain; staff outline three options and call for community outreach
Summary
Teachers and staff pressed the committee to halt decisions about the Accelerated Charter until the community is consulted. Staff outlined three paths: move the program to an elementary campus, expand to grades 7–12 to stay in its current location, or not renew the charter in current form.
Teachers and parents asked the finance subcommittee to delay any decision about the Accelerated Charter until community outreach is completed, and district staff presented three options for the school's future during Oct. 6 committee discussion.
Catherine Howell, president of the Santa Rosa Teachers Association, told the committee she represented roughly 800 teachers and urged delay: “Please, please, please don't make any changes to the accelerated charter until you had a chance to speak to the community,” she said, asking for open forums with families and teachers before the board takes action.
District staff explained why the item was before the committee: the charter’s current site is not in the district’s elementary boundaries and, unless the charter offers all grades that fall in the secondary district, “it's not gonna be able to continue past June in its current location,” a district staff member said. Staff laid out three principal options: seek a move to an elementary campus that has capacity, expand the charter to cover grades 7–12 so it may legally remain where it is now, or not pursue renewal in the current configuration.
Staff said moving the Accelerated Charter into the district’s elementary boundaries would require space and possibly displacing small special‑education classrooms at sites such as Lincoln Court or construction at other campuses; comstock and Hidden Valley were mentioned as possible alternatives with caveats. Staff also said expanding the charter to serve 7–12 would be another route for keeping it at its present site, but that would require programmatic and operational changes.
The committee heard that community outreach and statutory renewal processes will be required. Staff noted that dependent charters in the district, including the Accelerated Charter and CCLA, are approaching charter‑renewal milestones over the next eight months and that the board must follow the statutory community engagement steps for petitions and renewals.
Next steps: staff will bring more detailed information to the board packet, including capacity assessments, projected operating costs, community‑engagement plans and examples of comparable programs for the committee and board to review before any renewal or relocation decision.
