Awardees recognized for their commitment to developing great public school communities that help all students achieve success in academics and life
LOS ANGELES, CA – The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) is proud to recognize the work and achievements of exceptional charter public schools, leaders and advocates with the prestigious Hart Vision Award at the 2021 California Charter Schools Virtual Conference. The awards are given annually to individuals and organizations with outstanding records of leadership and excellence in furthering California's charter public school movement.
“This year’s Hart Vision Award recipients have made an indelible impact on California’s charter public schools and the students they serve. Their vision and leadership exemplify the best in education,” said CCSA President and CEO Myrna Castrejón. “I am proud to recognize their work with this prestigious award.”
CCSA produced a special video series featuring the exemplary charter school leaders who received the 2021 Hart Vision Award and the Rachel Willis-Henry Award for Volunteer of the Year. Please click on the links to learn about those award winners.
The recipients of the 2021 Hart Vision Awards are:
School Leader of the Year (North)
Sue Park, Head of School, Yu Ming Charter School, Oakland
School Leader of the Year (South)
Marcia Aaron, Founder and CEO, KIPP SoCal Public Schools
Authorizer of the Year
Sacramento County Board and Office of Education
Rachel Willis-Henry Award Volunteer of the Year
Admiral Len Hering, Altus Schools, San Diego
Charter School of the Year (North)
Capitol Collegiate Academy, Sacramento
Charter School of the Year (South)
Ednovate, Los Angeles & Santa Ana
Supporter of the Year
Lynda Resnick, co-owner of the Wonderful Company, is a philanthropist and entrepreneur. Resnick made education a priority in her philanthropic ventures. She established Wonderful Education which operates under a mission “to enable a lifetime of career opportunities by significantly increasing the number of college graduates in the Central Valley.” Wonderful Education operates two charter public schools in the Central Valley and supports thousands of Central Valley students through education programs, grants and scholarships.
Political Official of the Year
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) has led on the most pressing issues facing California public education with an approach that puts kids first. When he cast a vote against an early version of AB 1505 that would have eliminated basic due process rights for charter school families, he put kids first. In withholding his support for SB 86 on grounds that it treated growing school districts and charter schools inequitably, he put kids first. As a former member of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, Asm. Muratsuchi stood with charter families in high poverty neighborhoods to provide greater access to quality facilities through full funding of the Charter School Facilities Grant Program. Asm. Muratsuchi has demonstrated that he is a champion for education equity and California’s public schools, including charter public schools.
The awards were established in 1995 in honor of Gary K. Hart, retired California State Senator, former California Secretary of Education and author of California’s landmark charter public school legislation