County Education Board To Consider Charter School's Request to Expand
The Lashon Academy’s request to expand to Temple Beth Hillel fails to include a Community Impact Assessment & raises 1st Amendment concerns.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”
– The First Amendment
The Lashon Academy is requesting that its authorizers on the Los Angeles Office of Education (LACOE) approve a Material Revision allowing it to expand to a third campus on the site of Temple Beth Hillel. I have provided the following to the Board for the public hearing on this matter:
The Lashon Academy is seeking approval to expand its operations through the Material Revision that the public is asked to comment on today, but the truth is they are treating this requirement as a mere formality. The school has already signed a lease for the new facility on the Temple Beth Hillel property and according to the terms of this lease has already paid a $25,000 security deposit. It is already running advertisements for the new campus seeking new students. Are they acting on the belief that the system is so corrupt that this Board will rubberstamp their request without performing the due diligence required by law? Maybe they are taking a page from the NVMI playbook and running out the clock so any decision less than full approval will cause chaos.
I would like to remind you that your responsibility is to the students of Los Angeles, not the convenience of the Charter School Industry. The revisions to the charter requested by Lashon are substantial and affect not only their students but also those in surrounding neighborhoods. The consequences of these changes must be carefully considered before they are approved even if that means that Lashon needs to delay implementation.
Even though the changes requested by Lashon would expand their reach into entirely new neighborhoods, a Community Impact Assessment is not included in the materials related to this agenda item. Does this mean that one was not completed?
The redlined version of the charter was also not amended to add newly affected schools to the “List of Schools Lashon Academy Students Would Otherwise Attend.” For example, Burbank Elementary, which is 5.9 miles from the existing campus, is on the list but Colfax Charter Elementary is not, even though it is only 1.1 miles from the proposed campus. How can this board assess the impact of this Material Revision on the local school community under AB-1505 without this information?
There are also financial considerations for the school itself. Last year alone the Lashon Academy paid $85,241 in over-allocation fees because it enrolled fewer students than specified in its PROP-39 application. Since 2015 Lashon has paid a total of $344,645 because they have been unable to accurately predict their enrollment. It is my understanding that next year they are taking one more room at Valerio Elementary. How is the school going to avoid paying again this year if it is going to divert students to another campus?
The “Multi-site budget narrative” included with the agenda documents also needs further vetting, particularly Item 3 which states:
“We understand that adding this site gives us a small net income in our budget for 24-25 but we feel that we have sufficient savings to allow for this small net income.”
If adding a new campus will produce “a small net income,” why would the school need “sufficient savings” to compensate? This “small net income” would just add to the amount saved.
Finally, housing the additional campus on the site of a house of worship also raises questions about violations of the First Amendment, particularly since this school already comes very close to crossing the line that is supposed to exist between church and state. It is hard to say that a school is not religiously based when it is basing its academic program on a language that is exclusively related to one religion. If Israel is the “Nation-State of the Jewish People,” does “the incorporation of the history of Israel and culture of Israel into enrichment areas,” as stated in the charter, cross the line into religious instruction?
According to the lease, Temple Beth Hillel “maintains the right to display any religious symbols, art or iconography in its sole and exclusive discretion anywhere on the Premises, including any Shared Premises, outside of Lessee’s Exclusive Premises.” This will subject students of all faiths to religious indoctrination when receiving mandated public education. How is this not the establishment of religion financed by the taxpayers?
According to AB1505, this Board must ensure that information is provided about the impacts to the community. It also has an obligation to taxpayers and students to ensure this expansion will not negatively affect operations. Concerns about First Amendment violations must also be addressed. If they are not, then you must not allow Lashon Academy to add a campus on the Temple Beth Hillel property.
_________
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who 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.
About the Creator
Carl J. Petersen
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with SpEd needs and public education. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Opinions are his own.
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