Charter Schools on the Chopping Block

Two charter schools run by a company called Aspire serve more than 770 students in southeast Los Angeles. More than 90% of the kids are poor enough to qualify for lunch programs; about half are not fluent in English, often a formula for low performance. But the Academic Index Performance scores of these schools is above 800, the statewide target for proficiency. Despite that, the elected LA Unified School Board voted four to two to close them down.