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Vallejo parents, educators urge district to let Elite Public Schools apply for Prop 2 facilities funds
Summary
Dozens of parents, teachers and Elite Public Schools leaders told the Vallejo 2x2 that the district is blocking a Proposition 2 facilities application that they say could bring up to $30 million in state funding for school modernization; speakers called the decision inequitable and inconsistent with other charter lease terms.
Dozens of parents, teachers and charter leaders urged Vallejo elected officials to press the school district to allow Elite Public Schools to submit a Proposition 2 facilities application that speakers said could bring up to $30,000,000 in state funding.
Dolores Johnson, speaking for Elite, said the district has refused to permit the application and has labeled Elite "low performing," a claim she called false. "Our CAST results clearly show that Elite scholars are performing above or at the same level of many schools in Solano County," Johnson said.
Several other speakers, including Assistant CEO Armani Santos and teacher Jasmine Taylor, described academic gains and individual student results they said contradict the district's characterization. Armani Santos urged consistent standards: "If your stance is we're underachieving, stand on that. Don't keep moving the goalpost."
Vanessa Oden, an Elite parent and administrator, framed Proposition 2 as state funding for Vallejo children, not a local favor: "Prop 2 funding is not a favor. It's a moral obligation," she said, and asked the city to "tear down the red tape."
Dr. Ramona Bishop, CEO of Elite Public Schools, cited county-level performance rankings for Black students and English learners and pointed to lease-term discrepancies she said show a double standard: "We don't want a lease, but we have a 97 year lease with MIT," she said, contrasting Elite's requested 40-year term with longer leases she noted elsewhere.
Online commenter Jeremy Geronimo urged officials to allow Elite to submit an application by the October 30 deadline so the state may evaluate it on its merits; he said the funds could be used to modernize facilities or purchase a district site designated for closure and that proceeds could be reinvested in other district schools.
The caller who closed public comment repeated the plea to reconsider and emphasized that the money would be state-provided rather than city- or district-paid. No formal district response or vote on the matter occurred at the 2x2 meeting.
The 2x2 chair reiterated time limits for public comment and did not take immediate action at the meeting; speakers said they would continue to press the issue with the school board and city.
