SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, the Paradise charter school community announced that just three weeks after the Camp Fire erupted, classes have resumed, and students are reunited with their teachers and peers. Charter schools will be located in interim facilities in Chico until they can return to Paradise.
"Starting school after the fire was a top priority for our charter schools so that we could restore a sense of normalcy for our students during this challenging time," said Casey Taylor, Executive Director, Achieve Charter Schools. "Meeting the challenge of reopening would not have been possible without the herculean efforts of a diverse coalition of local, state, and national partners who moved mountains for our students. While the road to rebuilding is long, we are grateful to have friends and partners to lean on."
The six Paradise charter schools displaced by the Camp Fire express their deep gratitude to the following individuals and organizations for their around-the-clock support:
- Margaret Fortune, President and CEO, Fortune School of Education and Board President, California Charter Schools Association
- Butte and Sacramento County Offices of Education
- Paradise and Chico Unified School Districts
- The City of Chico and Town of Paradise
- CORE Butte Charter School - Chico
- Chico Country Day Charter School
- Fortune School of Education
- Life Church
- Living Hope Fellowship
- Neighborhood Church
- Local facilities in Chico willing to host schools
- Young, Minney & Corr LLP
- North Valley Plaza
- Turner Impact Capital
- Cresa
- JBS Builders, Inc.
- CharterSAFE
- El Dorado and Butte County Office of Education SELPAs
- The Office of Emergency Services
- Governor Brown
- The California Department of Education
- The California Charter Schools Association
- The charter school community locally, statewide, and across the nation
Additionally, the charter school community thanks Governor Brown for signing an executive order that will help the area's public schools as they rebuild and restructure.
The Paradise charter school community will continue to hold regular meetings with the Butte County Office of Education, Paradise and Chico Unified School Districts, the City of Chico, third party vendors, and charter school champions from across the state as they continue to rebuild.
For a full list of Camp Fire supports, visit the Butte County Office of Education: https://www.bcoe.org/
To join relief efforts and help Paradise charter schools rebuild, visit: https://info.ccsa.org/paradise-butte
About California's Charter Schools
California's charter schools are public schools built to put the needs of students first. Public, free, and open to all, charter schools are a growing and valuable part of our public education system. They offer a different approach -- one that is as unique as the kids they serve, one that puts kids above bureaucracy, and one that gives passionate teachers the flexibility to create dynamic lesson plans tailored to kids' individual needs. As a result, charter schools send more kids to college and are preparing more kids for the jobs of tomorrow.
Media Contact
Caity Heim, California Charter Schools Association
cheim@ccsa.org
916-926-8234