Will LA Unified Make Room for Charter Schools?
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From South LA to the San Fernando Valley, parents and teachers are battling with the LA Unified School District over where to locate charter schools. A law passed by the voters says charters are entitled to equal treatment with traditional schools—but a plan to share campus space has created an angry backlash. On Reporter’s Notebook, an East LA High School where every student graduates and goes on to college.
Main Topic
Charter Schools Chart a Course onto LAUSD Campuses ()
Eight years ago, California voters approved Proposition 39 which lowered the majority needed to pass bonds for school construction. It also required that public school districts accommodate charter schools—and treat them equally with traditional schools. Since then, the charter movement has exploded and thousands of students need more space. In April, LA Unified agreed that 39 charter schools could share space on existing campuses. But that created a backlash—from South Los Angeles to Echo Park to the San Fernando Valley. The District then withdrew its offer to 7 of those 39 charter schools.
Guests:
- Howard Blume: Reporter, Los Angeles Times, @howardblume
- Ray Cortines: Los Angeles’ Deputy Mayor for Schools
- Caprice Young: President of the California Charter School Association
Reporter's Notebook
A Mentoring Program Helps East LA Kids Shoot for the Stars ()
LA Unified has an extraordinary drop-out rate, especially among black and Latino students. Fewer than half get past the 9th grade. But the Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School in East LA is an exception. Although 75% of the students’ families fall below the poverty line—100% make it through high school, and go on to college.
Guests:
- Roberta Brinton: Professor of molecular pharmacology and toxicology at USC
Underwriters
Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.
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