LAUSD Charter School Community Vows to Fight Back After LAUSD Board Asks State to Ban New Charter Public Schools
Los Angeles, CA - The Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) charter school students, parents, teachers, leaders and advocates today announced that they will fight back after the Board of Education put politics before kids and approved a resolution encouraging Sacramento politicians to ban charter public schools in Los Angeles.
"My child attends a charter school, and I know for a fact our neighborhoods need more great public schools like mine, not less! Until every family that looks like ours is getting the education they deserve, we need charter schools," said Fenton Avenue Charter School Parent Roxann Nazario. "How can the school board bargain away our futures by making backroom deals that put politics before my kids? My charter school is my family."
Today, thousands of charter public school students and families attended a rally in front of LAUSD headquarters urging board members to vote "no" on the charter ban. Recently, the voice of LAUSD charter public school students and families was completely disregarded during recent contract negotiations between LAUSD and the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA). Under state law, California's charter schools cannot be bargained, but this didn't stop a backroom deal that threatens to compromise high-quality public school options throughout the Los Angeles area.
"This resolution to ban charter schools is a solution in search of a problem. The real problem facing Los Angeles public schools is the persistent achievement gap," said Myrna Castrejón, president and CEO, CCSA. "For parents, the issue isn't about politics, it is about what their child needs and what learning environment will help them thrive. Without a doubt, this charter school ban will unfairly target the most vulnerable students in Los Angeles."
LAUSD's independent charter public schools provide a stable, high-quality learning environment:
- 118,820 students are being served at 249 charter schools throughout LAUSD. An estimated 19,000 students are on waitlists.
- Charter schools are concentrated in the city's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, are helping to close the achievement gap and serve a student population that mirrors LAUSD traditional schools. For example: More than 80 percent of the students attending Los Angeles charter schools are low income and are students of color, 12 percent are students with disabilities.
- Charter schools graduate more students and send more kids to college than other types of public schools.
To learn more about Los Angeles charter schools, and visit our press kit and download this fact sheet.
Media Contact:
Brittany Parmley, CCSA
916-221-8588
bparmley@ccsa.org