LACOE Charter School Oversight Is Broken—And It's About to Get Worse

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

– George Santayana

The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) has repeatedly prioritized the political ideology of charter school expansion over the academic success and physical safety of students, as evidenced by its mishandling of the North Valley Military Institute (NVMI). This charter school had been slated for closure by the LAUSD because of its overwhelming failures during its first charter term and had appealed to the county in an attempt to remain open. Upholding the elected LAUSD board would send a clear message that charter schools need to show superior results if they want to continue receiving funds diverted from the public education system.

Making the job easier for the LACOE Board, the County staff’s evaluation of NVMI’s appeal determined that the LAUSD’s assessment was correct. This school was not fulfilling its obligations to the students it served and should not continue to receive public funding.

Instead of protecting the students and the taxpayers, LACOE voted to ignore both the LAUSD and the experts on its staff and renewed the failing charter school. In doing so, it ignored a pending lawsuit alleging a cover-up of sexual assault on students by a member of the administration and a failure to provide a required audit of its financials. Promoting the charter school industry was more important to the LACOE Board than closing a school that was not only failing academically and operationally, but also putting its students in physical danger.

Having taken responsibility for overseeing the troubled charter school, LACOE once again failed to serve the students they were sworn to protect. Taxpayers continued to fund the privately operated school despite ongoing operational deficiencies, academic failures, and students put in harm’s way. As predicted by the LAUSD, the house of cards eventually collapsed, and the school was forced to close when it tried to start the school year without having obtained a campus to hold classes on. Even the closure was botched as parents were left scrambling to find new schools for their students after all other local schools had begun their school years.

Central to LACOE’s failures was Board Member Yvonne Chan, who consistently advocated for NVMI even as its operation was visibly collapsing. She and her allies on the Board prevented definitive action that would have forced the charter school to wind down operations in a way that would have allowed families to transition to new schools with less disruption. Instead, the school was allowed to hold a week of orientation for new students, even as it was apparent it was never going to open.

At a recent Board meeting, Chan expressed her displeasure with a state law that requires her to reject low-performing charter schools unless they can present data showing they are making progress. She then ignored that law and voted to keep a failing school open despite its lack of the required data.

Chan never paid a price for these failures. She still retains her appointed seat on the Board despite her unwillingness to hold charter schools accountable for the public funding they receive.

Rubbing salt in the wound of LACOE’s failures is continued evidence that the unelected board did not learn any lessons from the NVMI debacle. In April, the County board ignored its staff and the LAUSD to renew the charter of KIPP Sol Academy. LACOE also overturned the LAUSD’s decision to close the Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a charter school that failed to meet benchmarks set in its previous renewal. Crete Academy may be one of the worst-ranked schools in California, but the County could not bring itself to close the charter school. Instead, it sent the decision back to the LAUSD, depriving parents of a clear understanding about the future of the school.

During the public hearings for these schools, Betty Forrester was a member of the minority on the LACOE Board who was willing to hold charter schools accountable. Unfortunately, due to redistricting, Forrester was dependent on her reappointment by County Supervisor Janice Hahn. Despite claiming to be a Democrat, Hahn supports privatizing education through charter schools. She previously appointed James Cross, who at the public hearing to decide the fate of Crete Academy, called the 12 resident schools that outperformed the charter school, “crummy” LAUSD schools.

Unsurprisingly, Hahn did not reappoint Forrester, depriving the LACOE Board of an important pro-public education voice. Hopefully, unchained from the diplomacy required of a Board Member, Forrester can provide insight into the decisions being made by this governing body. Most importantly, this would include what was said when the LACOE Board violated California’s open meeting laws to discuss the future of the Crete Academy behind closed doors.

Carl Petersen is a proud father of five adult children, including two daughters on the severe end of the Autism spectrum. A passionate advocate for special education, he ran as a Green Party candidate for the LAUSD School Board. Renowned education advocate Dr. Diane Ravitch has praised him as “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” Recently, Carl relocated to the State of Washington, where he is embracing his role as “Poppy” to two grandsons. You can explore his insights and perspectives through his blogs at www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com.