A public charter school targeted by the Santa Clara County Department of Education is fighting to keep it open.
Bliss Charter School in the Los Altos School District faces discrimination charges from the county school board for under-enrolling Hispanic English language learners, students with disabilities and socio-economically disadvantaged students. facing. Maureen Israel, superintendent and principal of Bliss Charter Schools, said these claims are baseless and that the county education department is ignoring recent data. Students will be selected by lottery.
Approximately 1,026 students attend TK-8 public charter schools and 32 languages are spoken. Israel says Bliss does not discriminate against students in the lottery process and revised its charter two years ago to include preferential treatment for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch on and off campus. . Information provided to prospective students will be in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The school also employs staff who speak multiple languages.
Israel said last year the socio-economically disadvantaged population in Buris increased by 95% and the population of English learners increased by 47%. She said the demographics the county education department tracks are within 5 percent of the local school district's demographics.
“There continues to be false reporting that we don’t represent our local district,” she told San Jose Spotlight. “But when you look at the data for county-chartered schools, we are actually one of the most comparable schools in these key subpopulations.”
Israel cannot enroll out-of-district students beyond 8% of its current total enrollment due to facilities agreements between charter schools and local school districts, but the school board does not include out-of-district students in its calculations. He said that Bliss, a high-performing charter school that has been in the district for 20 years, is “far from being in the zone where it may not be renewed” simply because its student population does not accurately reflect that of the Los Altos School District. There’s no way we can be apart,” she said.
“It feels terrible that stories like that go on forever,” she said. “It's harmful to our families and communities.”
Santa Clara County Schools Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan told San Jose Spotlight that it is a long-standing concern that several historically underserved groups are underrepresented in Bliss. He said that. He said in response to the charter school law, the county school board sent a notice to Bliss in May 2021 to give him time to address and improve the situation.
Dewan said that in response to a notice sent to Bliss about enrollment demographics, the school took the necessary steps to enroll students from historically underserved groups.
“Once (Bliss) submits a charter renewal request (scheduled for the 2024-25 school year), the county school board will process that renewal request in accordance with all requirements of the law,” she said. Renewal decisions will be based on all the facts and applicable legal standards. ”
For parent Jolie Crosson, whose second-grader enrolled at Bliss from kindergarten, the charter school is the perfect choice. In addition to being the closest to neighborhood schools within walking distance, her son loves the theater program, one of her many specialty programs.
“He's definitely growing up,” she told San Jose Spotlight. “He just loves his school. He's happy.”
Israel said the school's student population is well above district and state averages, including English language learners and students with disabilities. Bliss is a National Blue Ribbon School and a prestigious school in California.
“We’re really proud to have this recognition, and it’s really frustrating that we don’t get credit for that,” she said.
Crosson said he wants the school board to focus on the school's current data and that closing Bliss would have a devastating impact on families and children.
“You create your community,” she said. “She has 1,000 kids between the two campuses. There's a lot of people who have to leave. Let's think about the kids.”
Crosson said schools and parent associations are working to disseminate information in different languages as one way to make the community feel welcome.
“We continue to change and adjust,” she said, adding that she wants the county to work collaboratively with schools instead of repeating what appears to be a false and outdated narrative. “We all want to move forward.”
Contact Lorraine Gabbert: [email protected].
