Open Letter to LAUSD Board regarding Citizens of the World Charter School Corporation

A copy of this letter was sent to each individual member via email

March 11, 2020

Dear Members of the Board of Education:

I am an educational rights attorney and law professor here in Los Angeles. I am writing you regarding the Citizens of the World Charter School Corporation (“CWC Corp.”), an alleged non-profit benefit corporation that operates a number of privately managed charter schools authorized by the Los Angeles Unified School District (“LAUSD”).

CWC Corp. is currently trying to occupy a portion of a public school, Shirley Avenue Elementary School, under the provisions of Proposition 39. I will not discuss the myriad flaws, inequities, and attendant problems associated with Proposition 39 in this communication. I do, however, want to ask you to put off any consideration of allowing CWC Corp. to move forward with its hostile occupation of a public school while they have seemingly repeatedly refused to pay their legally obligated bills to LAUSD.

As you know, charter school corporations utilizing Proposition 39 to force their hostile occupations of public schools are obligated to pay over-allocation fees in certain circumstances. CWC Corp. currently owes LAUSD hundreds of thousands of dollars in over-allocation fees. Before allowing them any further opportunities to continue operating in bad faith, LAUSD should collect all payments past due and obtain written assurances from CWC Corp. that they will pay their obligations in the future.

Children in Los Angeles public schools are starved for resources. Our students go without school librarians, full-time health-care professionals, adequate access to services, etc. Meanwhile, just three years ago, CWC Corp.’s Executive Director Mark Kleger-Heine received a staggering salary of over $231,000.00 USD (see CWC Corp.’s 2017 Form 990 Part VII). This disparity of resources is by design, and underlies the purpose of the charter school industry. Public school students go without, while charter school executives collect fat checks.

As a member of the LAUSD Board of Education, I hope you will turn your attention to resolving this matter not only with CWC Corp., but with all of the charter school corporations that are in arrears in their over-allocation fee payments with LAUSD.

-rds

---

Help Stop Charter Co-Location at North Hollywood High School

A concerned student at NHHS, Anna Winikow, contacted Schools Matter asking for help.  

Please sign her petition and share it widely everywhere.  Thank you.

Stop Charter Co-Location at North Hollywood HS

1,501 SIGNATURES (as of 1:08PM)
ASK FAMILY, FRIENDS, ALUMNI TO SIGN: bit.ly/SaveNoHoTo:
LAUSD School Board Members
LAUSD Superintendent, Local District Superintendent
Los Angeles Mayor, City Council Member, Neighborhood Council, CA Senator, CA Assembly Member
School Construction Bond Oversight Committee
CC:
LAUSD Charter Division
We strongly oppose the addition of VIP charter school to the campus of North Hollywood High School. LAUSD offering this campus for co-location is unrealistic, short-sighted, and wasteful of public funds.
NOT ENOUGH ROOM
NHHS facilities, which have already been determined outdated and unsafe enough to necessitate a $200+ million construction modernization project, do NOT have appropriate space for 330+ additional students. This would cause innumerable problems with safety, security, traffic, cleanliness, instruction, and much more. Many tiny classrooms were built 100 years ago when classes had 25 students, not 40. Many rooms cannot even fit 40 desks and chairs, so they are used for other purposes.
ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS, NOT “AVAILABLE” SPACES
To give up 14 classrooms to a charter, North Hollywood would need to eliminate or reduce spaces and programs that are at the heart of our students' success, such as: College and Careers Center, computer labs, Parent Center, music room, weight room, workshops needed by Robotics teams, Student Government, Science Olympiad, Cyber Patriots, and other award-winning extracurricular programs.
SHORTSIGHTED PLAN
Because major construction is scheduled to begin at NHHS in 2 years, this charter co-location offer is limited to 1 year, even though the charter application was for 5 years. This causes unnecessary chaos for both North Hollywood HS and the charter, which would need to move again to another co-location campus. Why not choose a long-term campus now?
WASTE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS
Every new charter co-location requires construction work to create separate entrances, offices, technology, infrastructure, possibly disabled access, paid for with school bond funds. At schools slated for major construction, these adjustments would be demolished in 1-2 years and the charter would be re-located to another campus, where new construction would again be required. Why would LAUSD waste limited school bond funds this way?
Please join us in challenging this co-location proposal.
For more info: wernoho@gmail.com