Conejo Valley school may become a charter
Karen Quincy Loberg / Star staff First-graders Jennifer Trephan, left, Katherine Zucker and Peyton Ellis watch a stage production at Meadows School. Parents began planning a charter shortly after the school board decided in March to close Meadows and University schools in 2009.
While the Conejo Valley Unified School District moves forward with plans to close two schools by fall 2009, parents at one of the campuses have mobilized to establish a charter school.The Meadows School parents are developing a charter application and curriculum. They began planning their Meadows Arts & Technology Elementary School shortly after the school board decided in March to close Meadows and University schools in 2009.
The parents have since created a governing board and several committees and raised more than $22,000 for legal fees and other expenses. The group also recently secured status as a nonprofit organization.
The charter board and committee members - made up of educators, scientists, former principals, lawyers and entrepreneurs - said one of their main goals is to provide an "institution that welcomes innovation, honors the past and transforms the future."
"In creating the best charter school, we know it will take months of planning," said Marlo Hartsuyker, a founding member and board president. "We realize this is a big undertaking, and we want to make sure we are fully prepared to be successful when we open our doors."
With declining enrollment and an estimated $8.1 million shortfall if the governor's proposed education cuts are approved, district officials said they had to make the tough decision to close two schools, saving an estimated $1.3 million. District officials said they are working with Meadows and University parents to ease their children's transition to new schools.
Under current plans, University's 330 students will go to Madrona, Weathersfield and Wildwood schools. Meadows' 282 students will be transferred to Glenwood, Park Oaks and Conejo schools.
Superintendent Mario Contini said district officials met with Meadows parents last month to offer the option of creating a performing arts magnet school at Glenwood.
Most of the parents were not receptive to the idea, Contini said.
"We are caught in a hard place," he said.
"We value the parents and the kids, and we want them to be here. If they leave, it will exacerbate our financial problem, but we can't say to them that we will keep the schools open. We want to, but we just can't do that."
The district also sent a survey last month to Meadows parents of kindergartners through third-graders, asking if they would be interested in receiving "the highest priority" to attend a school of their choice within the district.
Some Meadows parents said that choice would only cause more divisiveness in the community.
"The process is a little bit like throwing chum into the water for sharks to go fight over," said parent John Hollister. "This would literally be more chum in the ocean, to have people fight over schools and then disappoint them again."
The charter school could provide a K-5 program with an arts and technology focus that draws students from surrounding private schools, plus those who are home-schooled, supporters said.
They hope to open the charter school at Meadows, leasing the campus after it closes in fall 2009.
To establish a charter, applicants must submit a petition to their local school district. If the district denies the petition, the applicants can go to the county Board of Education. If that is also denied, the last step is to apply to the state Board of Education.
Gary Page, a charter school consultant with the state Department of Education, said finding students, developing a system, hiring staff, finding a facility and managing fiscal issues are just some of the challenges that charters face during their first year. He said most successful schools have at least 100 students in their first year, and many have closed because of financial reasons.
"There are a lot of successful charters out there, but it takes a lot of work," Page said. "It takes a lot of commitment and community involvement. We have 687 charters in the state, and there are more that are opening than closing."
The Meadows parents said they are ready to take on the challenge. They are planning fundraisers and have launched a Web site, http://www.meadowscharter.org.
"We want to teach our children that you have a choice in life," said parent Craig Hartsuyker, Marlo's husband. "The right thing to do is to create a better option, a better choice, for students and parents."
