Mitchell says the LACOE Board should ignore these results because the school is serving a high percentage of unhoused students, but as with his presentation to the LAUSD Board, the exact percentage served by the school is constantly changing. In his letter to the LACOE Board, he claimed that it is 35%, but his presentation stated that it is 30%. The renewal petition claims the number is 15.2%. The SARC report submitted by the school has been updated since the LAUSD hearing but the number of students classified as "Homeless" remained at 21.%.
While the inability to cite an accurate percentage speaks to the poor management of the school, there is no doubt that no matter what number is used, the school serves a large percentage of students who are burdened with homelessness. Since this skews the school's test results, they can participate in the Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) program. However, since they did not apply to be a part of this program, this was not included in the consideration of their charter renewal.
Unbelievably, Mitchell blamed the LAUSD for his failure to participate in DASS. Not understanding that the CSD is a regulator, not a consultant, he stated in his presentation that the District should have told him to apply. He has said that he deserves his $148K salary because he holds two degrees in law. Then why was he unable to understand the regulations that cover the charter school he founded? The school's law firm, Young, Minney & Corr, LLP, says they "are passionate about the mission of school choice" with many of its clients operating "in low-income areas," but did not recognize this opportunity? Doesn't the California Charter School Association (CCSA), the Charter School Industry's trade group, assist with charter applications?
Public figures like Mitchell lie because it works. The Los Angeles affiliate of NBC covered the hearing but did not bother to question any of the information provided to them by the charter school. They blindly reported the school's assertion that it has "20 mental health specialists on site every day" without noticing that the renewal paperwork states that the school has no psychologists or social workers on staff. Hopefully, the LACOE Board will do a better job when they consider the renewal on May 13, 2025.
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, and serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.
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