Westside Charter School Says Writer Kaplan has It Wrong … Not ‘Encroachment’, It’s Survival

TALKBACK--(This article was provided CityWatch in response to Erin Aubrey Kaplan’s KCET article, “School Daze: LAUSD Adult School Pushes Back at Encroaching Charter School.”)  We are happy that KCET is discussing this important issue. We agree that the current situation regarding school facilities in the Westchester, Playa Vista, and Playa del Rey neighborhoods "illustrates the political complexity" of the relationship between traditional public and charter schools, as observed by Ms. Kaplan.   

However, the situation is even more complex than described in Ms. Kaplan’s piece. In fact, a more accurate title for Ms. Kaplan’s piece would be, “LAUSD Adult School and Charter School Displaced Due to Underestimated Growth at Playa Vista.”  Because WISH was not consulted before publication of Ms. Kaplan’s piece, this letter provides additional context. 

WISH is an independent charter school that was founded by parents looking for inclusive educational options.    

They wanted a social justice model where children could be raised in classroom communities that reflect society. A place where highly gifted children, students with various strengths and needs, and children with disabilities could be educated together in natural proportions to what would typically be found in society.  A school where siblings and neighbors could learn together and be raised to value differences. A learning environment where kids would in turn grow up to build businesses and communities that include and value all people.    

WISH is the only inclusive educational option on the Westside of Los Angeles.  Nearly 15% of WISH students have moderate or severe disabilities and 18% of our students are identified as gifted.  WISH is a racially diverse school, with approximately 41% white, 22% black, 25% Latino, 3% Asian/Pacific-Islander, and 9% other/two or more races enrollment. 

As a small, independent charter school focused on inclusive education, WISH has demonstrated how the District can partner with a charter school to serve diverse students with unique needs, and to develop and disseminate innovative practices throughout the District. Indeed, the Board of Education unanimously approved renewal of WISH's charter for a five-year term last spring. 

The assertion that WISH has sought a "takeover" of Emerson Adult Learning Center is false. WISH Elementary School has been co-located with the Wright Middle School STEAM Magnet on the under-enrolled Orville Wright Middle School campus for the past two years, pursuant to prop 39. 

Approximately 90% of WISH’s students hail from the 90045 zip code, where Orville Wright Middle School is situated. 

This fall, the District approached WISH leadership to inform them that WISH would be losing its space at Orville Wright Middle School to accommodate the massive growth of Playa Vista, where both developers and city officials failed to account for how the vast expansion would impact the schools in the surrounding areas.  The District also intends to use space at Orville Wright Middle School for a second neighborhood middle school, to accommodate matriculants of Playa Vista Elementary School and other neighboring schools. 

{module [1177]}

Because the District’s plan would completely dislocate WISH’s elementary school students and leave them with nowhere to go, the District has told WISH that it intends to relocate WISH to Emerson Adult Learning Center, provided that space is viable for use as an elementary school.   

As many WISH community members stated when the District announced its plan at a community meeting on November 16, WISH would be happy to continue its co-location with the Wright Middle School STEAM Magnet, and shares concerns raised by the Emerson Adult Learning Center community and other stakeholders about whether the District's plan provides short- and long-term stability for all students and families in the area.   

It is not the desire of the WISH community to displace the Emerson Adult Learning Center or to fight political battles over the role of charter schools.  However, given a choice of relocating to Emerson Adult Learning Center, or having no space for WISH’s 618 students, many of whom simply cannot be accommodated by other local schools, WISH will accept a solution that allows WISH to continue to serve its students and the Westchester community.

 

(This piece was provided CityWatch by Ivey Van Allen-Steinberg on behalf of the WISH Charter School leadership.)

-cw

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 13 Issue 95

Pub: Nov 24, 2015