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SOAR Charter Academy presents renewal petition and community support at SBCUSD public hearing
Summary
SOAR Charter Academy presented evidence of student outcomes, partnerships and community support at a public hearing; board members were asked to consider the renewal petition and staff will return with a January recommendation.
Trisha Lancaster, SOAR Charter Academy executive director and co-founder, spoke to the San Bernardino City Unified School District board during a public hearing on the school's renewal petition, describing 17 years of operation, a current enrollment of roughly 435 TK—6th-grade students and a staff of about 68. Lancaster framed SOAR's emphasis on leadership, character education and community service as central to its case for renewal.
SOAR presented school-level data and firsthand testimony to demonstrate student progress over time. Toby Walker, SOAR data and assessment coordinator, summarized the school's longitudinal measures and told the board the data show improved attendance and academic meeting-of-standards the longer a student remains enrolled: "students who stay at SOAR learn to fly," Walker said, citing higher success rates for cohorts with multi-year enrollment. Tamika Thomas, SOAR community schools coordinator, outlined on-campus services and community partnerships (including telehealth and local health partners) intended to reduce barriers to attendance and keep students in class.
The hearing included multiple testimonials from parents, alumni and students who credited the school for leadership development and community ties. Board oversight director Ernestine Hopwood and district staff explained the hearing is a fact-gathering step; staff will prepare a formal recommendation with findings (educational, fiscal and operational) for the board to consider at a January meeting. No vote on the petition took place at this session.
The public hearing closed after testimony and presentations; board members and district staff thanked SOAR representatives and community supporters for their attendance and the district noted it would return with written staff findings and a recommendation prior to any board action.
