WATSONVILLE — The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees will hear a proposal for a new charter school during its April 25 meeting.
Officials from Hollister-based Navigator Schools submitted a charter petition on March 28 to open Watsonville Prep School.
The officials were joined later that day by more than a dozen parents and students who asked the board to support the charter, a number Director of Community Outreach Kirsten Carr said is a “small portion” of those who hope to attend the school.
According to Carr, more than 200 families have signed intent to enroll forms.
Watsonville Prep would start with two classes each of kindergarten, first and second grade, for a total of 180 students. It would add another grade every year until it had an eighth-grade class.
The organization hopes to open the school in time for the 2019-20 school year.
After the meeting, PVUSD officials will have 60 days to review the charter and make a recommendation to the trustees for the May 23 meeting.
If the trustees reject the petition, Navigator plans to appeal to the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Carr said.
The organization would then have 180 days to submit the unmodified petition, said SCCOE Deputy Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah.
Staff would then review the petition and the district’s reasons for denial, and then determine whether the charter adheres to 16 elements in California education code.
The County Board of Education would then hold a public hearing within 30 calendar days after receiving the petition. The County Board must make a decision on the appeal within 60 calendar days.
If the County Board upholds the appeal, the charter school will be authorized by the County Board of Education. If denied, the petitioners could take their appeal to the California Department of Education.
Navigator already runs 5-year-old Hollister Prep and 7-year-old Gilroy Prep in those cities. Organization officials say that students at both schools outpace their peers on math and science tests. Both were recently unanimously approved for renewal charter by their respective districts, Carr said.
“We are looking forward to being able to share the Navigator model with the district to show them what the model looks like and, most importantly, how we are able to impact the entire district,” she said.
Navigator does not yet have a location for the Watsonville school.
Carr said the school will try to use Proposition 39, a 2000 law that requires school districts to share its facilities with charter schools.
Charter school supporters say they differ from public schools in that they give flexibility to administrators and teachers to customize curriculum and lessons. Parents say the schools give them more choices in their children’s education.
Public school officials say charters recruit students who otherwise would attend public schools, thus drawing away average daily attendance (ADA) funds.
According to the California Department of Education, statewide ADA is $11,614 per pupil.
When considering the applications, school districts have a narrow band of criteria that governs their decisions, PVUSD Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez said.
The district is home to Linscott Charter School and Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, both “dependent” charter schools whose finances and educational requirements are more tied to the district.
Independent charter schools such as the proposed Watsonville Prep, on the other hand, don’t allow oversight that allows PVUSD officials to govern the district’s schools, Rodriguez said.
