Story Created:
Aug 12, 2010 at 12:33 PM PST
Story Updated:
Aug 12, 2010 at 12:33 PM PST
EAST LOS ANGELES — Four potential applicants have expressed interest in operating the new East Los Angeles Star High School Academy, which was completed a year ahead of schedule. The campus is part of the second round of the Public School Choice reform and is scheduled to open next year.
Under the Los Angeles Unified School District Public School Choice program, teams of teachers, local district staff, charter operators and nonprofit organizations may submit instructional and operational plans to improve student achievement at the district’s persistently low-achieving schools and design new programs for the district’s newly constructed campuses.
The first 30 Public School Choice schools will begin to open as early as next week for the 2010-11 school year.
“The successes of our Public School Choice schools will inform instruction at other LAUSD schools, especially those that have struggled to meet the needs of some of our students year after year,” Superintendent Ramon Cortines said.
Interested parties for East L.A. Star High School Academy include a team of LAUSD educators from Local District 5, the administrative region in which the new campus is located. In addition, two charter operators — Alliance College-Ready Public Schools and Mattie Academy School of Change — have applied as well as the nonprofit Youth Policy Institute.
Built to relieve overcrowding at Garfield and Wilson high schools, the East L.A. Star High School Academy has 22 classrooms and a capacity for 702 students. It is the 10th new campus identified in the second round of the Public School Choice initiative.
Eight existing, low-performing “focus schools” are also participating in this round. All campuses, old and new, are scheduled to open in August or September 2011.
Final applications for all Public School Choice schools are due on Dec. 1. As part of the next step, applicants will detail their visions and lay out the specifics they believe can improve student achievement and outline their plans to get a new school off to an impressive academic start and maintain high achievement.
The district will again partner with community and parent organizations to host informational meetings in areas where the schools under consideration are located.
Superintendent Cortines is expected to make recommendations to the Los Angeles Board of Education after each application is reviewed by two separate committees. The school board is expected to vote on their selections in February 2011.
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