On a brisk and blazing-bright Monday morning, school kids frolic on the playground of Redwood Preparatory Charter School in Fortuna. Fourth, fifth and sixth graders in sweatshirts scamper through the wood chips around the swing set, tromp across the giant tractor tires laid flat in the grass and lob basketballs in rainbow arcs toward the iron hoop. In the winter sun their elongated shadows dance across the asphalt and their breaths form steam plumes that evaporate in laughter.
Since opening in fall 2011, Redwood Prep school has been housed at Fortuna Church of the Nazarene, on a hill just south of town. With donations of time, money and labor from parents and staff, the chapel’s ancillary rooms have been converted to classrooms and the small playground at the back of the parking lot has been tricked out with handmade picnic tables, a drinking fountain and new equipment.
A few kids are distracted from their play by a reporter with a camera and a notebook.
“Are you the news?” asks a tall girl in jeans and a blue hoodie. In seconds a crowd has formed, more than a dozen confident and bright-eyed kids eager to explain why their school is so awesome.
“There aren’t as many people. … It’s smaller. … Our teachers are really nice. … You can eat whatever you want.”
They’re talking over each other, excited and hollering to be heard.
“Technology!” shouts another girl. (Was that Charlotte, the fifth grader? Or Katie from sixth?) “We have 40 laptops and 25 iPads,” she brags.
One of the boys (Jack? AJ? Trey?) makes eye contact and says, “We have a really good, like, relationship with our teachers.”
“But we have a lot of responsibilities,” explains another. “We have to earn our privileges.”
Those privileges are in demand — not just by students but by their parents, too. A smaller girl in a puffy pink jacket seems to appreciate this. “We have, like, a big waiting list,” she says proudly.
It’s true. Last fall, a lottery was held to determine which kids would get admitted to Redwood Prep and which would be sent instead to one of Fortuna Elementary School District’s four traditional public schools. There were 20 spots available in the incoming kindergarten class. Nine went automatically to kids who had siblings already enrolled at the school or parents on the staff or board of directors. (California’s education code allows this preferential treatment at charter schools.)
So 11 kids got in through the lottery. Roughly 40 others were turned away.
The school’s charter document and parent handbook lay out a high-minded educational philosophy, describing a school where college-bound kids are held to rigorous academic standards while learning the importance of social responsibility, emotional development and community involvement. The school day lasts nearly an hour longer than at traditional schools, and each family commits to 30 volunteer hours per year. According to the charter, students develop long-term relationships with teachers who tailor their approach to each child’s needs.
While Redwood Prep’s enterprising methods have proved popular, some in the community are less than happy with the impact the school has had on the rest of the district. The grumbling began even before Redwood Prep opened its doors.
The five women who founded the school all used to work at Ambrosini Elementary, a K-4 traditional public school in the same district. (Both schools were part of the Rohnerville School District until it was consolidated with the Fortuna Union Elementary School District last July.) As the women began developing the charter, one had been laid off — a result of funding cuts and deferrals, declining enrollment and her lack of seniority. Not long afterward, three of the other four were also given pink slips. Now they’ve started their own school, and some of the teachers who remain at Ambrosini feel bitter.
When parents started pulling their kids out of Ambrosini in favor of Redwood Prep, a lot of veteran teachers were laid off, according to Fortuna Elementary School District Superintendent Dr. Patti Hafner. With the charter school siphoning off students, Ambrosini lost scarce state funding, which is based on average daily attendance numbers. “They laid off eight or 10 people who had been teachers for a very long time. We’re talking years. That’s where a lot of the hard feelings came from originally.”
Lisa Jager, the director of Redwood Prep, disputes that account, saying staff cuts would have been made regardless of the charter school, and indeed some of the teachers were laid off well before planning had even begun for the school. “Lawyers were involved and the whole school atmosphere was very tense,” she said in an email.
Regardless, many in the community are now complaining that Redwood Prep is elitist, attracting mostly wealthy, well-educated families and exploiting their resources to buy iPads and take field trips while the traditional public schools are left to deal with the learning disabled kids, the poor kids, the English learners and other students who require more resources and tend to score lower on standardized tests.
Last school year those resentments mostly simmered in private conversations. But in the fall, that all changed. Administrators at Redwood Prep approached the district with a request. The school, they said, was growing. It began as a K-5, but this year it’s a K-6; the plan is to keep adding one grade level per year until 2014, when it will be K-8. Attendance is now up to 125. Teachers and students are running out of room at Fortuna Church of the Nazarene. It was time to invoke Prop. 39.
Introduced by ballot initiative in 2000, Proposition 39 requires every school district in the state to provide facilities for any charter school that has at least 80 full-time, district-resident students. The reasoning goes like this: Charter schools may be run privately, but they’re publicly funded and thus still considered public schools. And all public school students in a district should be entitled to reasonably equivalent classrooms and other facilities.
And so here was Redwood Prep, asking for space either at Ambrosini or one of the district’s three other traditional public schools. Ideally, administrators said, they could use 10 classrooms, an office and a large auditorium/multi-purpose room.
Prop 39 dictates that the request must be granted; Redwood Prep is entitled to space. The Fortuna Elementary School District Board has yet to determine exactly how to accommodate the request. A six-person committee has been formed — with an administrator, a teacher and a board member from both Redwood Prep and the traditional schools — to examine the possibilities.
But while these bureaucratic accommodations proceed in an orderly fashion, a number of parents and teachers in the district are positively livid about what’s happening. They’re outraged at the prospect of having to make room on their own campuses for the school that stole some of their brightest kids and caused some of their best teachers to be fired. They’re incensed at the idea that their kids will be forced to rub shoulders with the iPad-toting, field-trip-taking rich kids of Redwood Prep. They’ve shouted their displeasure at recent district board meetings, where the crowded gatherings have devolved into tears, accusations and ultimatums.
In a county where charter schools have proliferated — we now have 14 with a combined enrollment of 2,264 — parents and educators in Fortuna are struggling to figure out how to coexist with their first one. And that struggle is stirring up a host of issues ranging from class to race to privilege, all swimming around one core concern: the education of their children.
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When lawmakers passed the Charter Schools Act of 1992, California became just the second state in the country (after Minnesota) to embrace this model of publicly funded but privately operated education. The idea was that by allowing charters more autonomy over student curriculum, the state would encourage innovative teaching methods, expand options for parents and students and “provide vigorous competition” with traditional schools as a way to stimulate improvements across the board.
The law says special emphasis should be placed on expanding learning opportunities for kids identified as “academically low achieving.”
Another key component? Charter school teachers aren’t unionized, so they can be fired for poor performance, unlike at traditional schools where tenure makes dismissing bad teachers challenging. Charter school teachers are also cheaper.
“Our staff took huge pay cuts” to start the charter, Jager said.
Salaries at traditional schools in the county range from $28,400 (for a first-year teacher in Orick) to $73,300 (for a well-educated teacher with 30 years’ experience in the Northern Humboldt Union High School District). Salaries at Redwood Prep range from $30,000 to $42,000.
There are now 5,618 charters in the country, educating more than 2 million K-12 students. In California, one in 10 public schools is now a charter school (though their enrollment accounts for less than 4 percent of the state’s total). Here in Humboldt County, our 14 charters offer a wide variety of approaches — Spanish immersion at Fuente Nueva; creative freedom at Redwood Coast Montessori; an international baccalaureate program at North Coast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy, and more.
Jager is the director of the newest addition to the bunch, Redwood Prep. In a recent interview at the charter’s office she said that the five founding women, who began working on the charter in 2010, share a common philosophy. All five were trained in the RTI (response to intervention) model, which emphasizes identifying kids with challenges as early as possible to help them improve.
“We wanted to work in a collaborative manner with families and children and to really push a project-based learning philosophy,” Jager said. She believes traditional schools are being “strangled by politicians.” And even though she’s the only founding member who had enough seniority at Ambrosini to avoid being laid off, she still didn’t approve of the system.
“What’s happened throughout the state is there are a lot of passionate, young, enthusiastic, knowledgeable teachers who were let go because of budget cuts.”
Demand for Redwood Prep was high from the beginning. The founders expected to start the school with 75 students, but after months of recruitment efforts — including visits to preschools and sporting events, ads in the Times-Standard and Humboldt Beacon and fliers distributed around town — the families of 102 aspiring students were lining up.
With some logistical shuffling, Redwood Prep was able to accommodate all 102 students who applied to attend when the school opened in fall 2011, and the school’s popularity has continued to grow. With enrollment up to 125 this year and 76 kids on the waiting list, Jager said, “We’re kind of bursting at the seams at this point.”
The school added a portable classroom this year, but the electrical system at the church isn’t set up to accommodate another one. Plus, with so many students using laptops and iPads, they’re bumping up against the limits of the site’s bandwidth. There’s simply not enough room if the school hopes to add another grade level next school year.
Why are teachers and parents at the traditional schools so opposed to making room? The reasons are numerous, but most are tied to a central theme: inequality.
Sheri Rodriguez is a member of the parent-teacher organization at Ambrosini, where her two kids are enrolled, one in kindergarten and the other in second grade. She feels that Redwood Prep enjoys an unfair advantage over traditional public schools like Ambrosini.
“Our schools don’t have the option to limit enrollment to only those who can meet our ‘rigorous academic standards’ or our ‘high behavioral expectations,'” said Rodriguez, quoting the charter school’s website.
At a school board meeting last month, outspoken Redwood Prep critic Irene Werner, who coordinates the Gifted And Talented Education (GATE) program at the traditional Toddy Thomas Elementary, where her daughter is a student, stood up and described the charter system as “de-facto segregation” and “elitism,” calling Redwood Prep “a school not open to everyone.”
Like all public institutions, charter schools are legally prevented from discriminating. But critics of Redwood Prep and other charter schools say that the system is set up in a way that can’t help but breed inequality.
As Rodriguez pointed out, Redwood Prep advertises its “rigorous standards,” which is a pitch bound to appeal to parents with high expectations of their own.
“They advertise themselves as preparing kids for college,” Werner said in a phone interview. Parents and teachers at the traditional schools get sarcastic about it, she said. “The joke is, ‘Our school is preparing the future janitors of the world, or the McDonald’s workers.’ It’s almost funny in a way, but it’s just a very emotional issue.”
Then there’s the requirement for 30 hours of volunteer time from students’ families. Jager said the charter school depends on that help. “We have parents who come and clean our toilets. We have parents who do construction, parents who come and help in the classroom.” She said the collaboration fosters a strong sense of family, but does it also weed out blue-collar families?
Rodriguez thinks so. “A lot of our parents are working parents and can’t afford time off to be in the classroom,” she said.
There are more hurdles for poor families. For example, Redwood Prep doesn’t offer public transportation. Nor does it provide free or reduced-cost lunches to the socio-economically disadvantaged kids who qualify for them. This, according to critics, effectively disqualifies families who can’t drive their kids to and from school every day or who can’t always provide packed lunches.
Enrollment data seems to justify these complaints. As of October 2011 (the most recent figures available), more than 60 percent of students were considered socio-economically disadvantaged in the two districts that have since been unified as the Fortuna Elementary School District. The concentration among the four traditional public schools ranged from Toddy Thomas Elementary, where 44.5 percent of students qualified for free or reduced-cost lunches, to South Fortuna Elementary, where the figure was above 80 percent.
At Redwood Prep, meanwhile, just 28 percent of students fall below the income line.
Jager counters that her school receives $1,000 less per student in average daily attendance funding from the state. The estimated statewide average ADA funding for traditional K-6 students this year is $6,450, compared to charter school rates of $5,527 for K-3 and $5,603 for 4-6. Other funding comes from local fundraising efforts and grants, including a two-year federal start-up grant of $350,000 as well as a $10,000 matching grant for technology from the Mel and Grace McLean Foundation, a Fortuna-based philanthropic organization founded by the late owner and founder of Eel River Sawmills.
Critics such as Werner say other needy kids are effectively discouraged from attending, too, including special education students and children who are still learning English.
Again, the numbers seem to bear this out. Last year, more than 18 percent of students in the district were special ed. At Redwood Prep the figure is just 12 percent. The disparity among English learners is even larger. District-wide, 21.7 percent of students are considered “EL.” At Redwood Prep only four of the 125 students, or 3.2 percent, are English learners.
Critics say that Redwood Prep didn’t do enough outreach to Spanish speakers. Jager said that an interpreter was available for every enrollment meeting with parents. She added, “We purposely have a member of the Hispanic community on our school board as part of the outreach to that community.” But she acknowledged that the school’s website, the ads placed in local papers and the fliers posted around town were in English only. (The school is currently working on making the website bilingual, she said.)
The Hispanic community has been growing for years in and around Fortuna. In the 2010 Census, the 95540 zip code was 17 percent Hispanic/Latino, with the highest concentration in and around town. Last school year, the student body in the Fortuna Union Elementary School District was 45 percent Hispanic while the more rural Rohnerville Elementary School District south of town was 18 percent Hispanic. Now combined, the district is 31.3 percent Hispanic.
Again, Redwood Prep lags behind. Just 13.6 percent of its student body is Hispanic.
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These trends are not unique to Redwood Prep. In an extensive study published in 2010, the Civil Rights Project at UCLA found that charter schools isolate students by race and class.
Across the country, the report found, charter schools have tended to exacerbate race and class divides in their communities. In urban areas, the pattern is for charters to see high levels of minority segregation, especially among black students. Seventy percent of black charter school students in the country attend “intensely segregated minority charter schools,” where 90 percent to 100 percent of students are minorities.
In more racially diverse western states, including California, the pattern is different. Here, the report found, evidence suggests that “charters serve as havens for white flight from public schools.” Just like the student body at Redwood Prep, charter schools in the West tend to have higher concentrations of white students than the communities that surround them.
Humboldt County is no exception. Even before Redwood Prep arrived, the report found that our charter schools were 80 percent white, compared to just 69 percent in traditional public schools. Latinos made up just 6 percent of our county’s charter school enrollment. In traditional schools it was twice that.
The study also echoes Redwood Prep critics by pointing out that English learners and low-income students may not have the same access to charter schools as white and middle-class children, especially without providing transportation and subsidized lunches.
As for academic performance, Redwood Prep has excelled. Third graders at South Fortuna Elementary narrowly outscored Redwood Prep third graders in English-language arts on the 2012 STAR tests, and its second graders performed better than the charter’s second graders in math. But with those two exceptions, Redwood Prep students outscored students from other district schools in math, English and science at every grade level.
According to the UCLA report, extensive studies have revealed “no net academic gains for [charter school] students as indicated by test scores.” But for now, at least, Redwood Prep is an exception.
Rodriguez said the differences are just too stark. “I’m fine with them being a charter school, and if their demographics matched our district I would not even have a problem with them sharing our campus,” she said. “It’s just the fact that they’re so different and there’s so much tension there.”
Dianna Butcher, who teaches sixth grade at Toddy Thomas and whose kids are enrolled in Ambrosini, is similarly concerned. And she doesn’t see any justice in the way Prop 39 entitles the school to facilities. “I just can’t believe a group of people can come in and say, ‘OK, now we want this and we want this and we want this, and just get out of our way,’ basically, and take away things from kids who really need it the most. You know? I just am appalled.”
Margie Plant, a third grade teacher at Ambrosini, agreed. “I think we need to maybe review this Prop. 39,” she said. “It doesn’t seem fair or equal, and the facts are that it’s not.”
The thing that concerns Rodriguez the most is the prospect of students noticing the differences and feeling either jealous or self-conscious. “I just don’t think it’s good to teach children that they’re superior or inferior, and I just worry that if they share a campus that would happen. Let them be at their place; let us be at our place.”
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How have other local charter schools managed to coexist with the traditional schools in their districts? “I would have to say that we have a very good working relationship,” said Arcata School District Superintendent Pamela Jones, whose district now has four charter schools. “We’ve made a really big effort to bring them on board and be part of our team,” she said. “They’re here to stay, and we need to make the best of the situation.”
Jones attributes the harmony in part to combined staff-development efforts. “We’ll eat breakfast, we’ll eat lunch, and people have gotten to know one another. That’s made a big difference.”
When told of the strife in Fortuna, Freshwater Charter School Principal Thom McMahon said he wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a common reaction to any new charter school. “Anything new tends to have some humps you’ve got to get over,” he said. McMahon’s charter school (grades 7 and 8) was created in 1999 to serve students graduating from the traditional Freshwater Elementary (K-6). Those elementary students used to head to Eureka for middle school, but Freshwater residents liked their school so much they helped create a charter to effectively expand Freshwater into a K-8.
McMahon said the inherent differences between the charter and traditional school systems haven’t caused problems in Freshwater. “I can say this: Our schools actually benefit from that,” he said. As an example, he said that the traditional school provided equipment to the shared computer lab that every student now benefits from. “So I really think it’s about creating that relationship between the two.”
But even in the best situations, charter schools can be a dangerous topic of conversation. “It is a testy issue for people,” said Julie Giannini-Prevede. She’s director of student services at McKinleyville Middle School, a traditional public school, but for a variety of reasons including proximity, social circles and curriculum, she chose to enroll her kids at Fuente Nueva Charter School. “I don’t bring it up in mixed company.” It’s like circumcision, she said. “People have strong opinions about it.”
Giannini-Prevede sympathizes with parents in Fortuna but expects the tensions will settle down. “With anything new in education there’s going to be backlash — for at least three years, if not five,” she said. “Change is hard.”
She speculated that the low numbers of special ed and English learning students at Redwood Prep might not be the charter school’s fault, entirely. “Generally speaking [traditional] public schools have more resources for special needs kids,” she said. Families with disabled students who require individualized education programs (IEPs) often form relationships with resource teachers early in their child’s life and don’t want to sever that bond.
Garry Eagles, the county’s superintendent of schools, said there may be a similar dynamic at play with English learners. Yes, there are more of them at Fortuna Elementary School District’s traditional schools, he said, “but I don’t know if that’s necessarily by design of Redwood Prep as much as by the support system provided in the Fortuna program. I mean, they have a lot more resources devoted to [EL] students.”
Eagles also said that concerns about Redwood Prep siphoning off the best students should be put in perspective. “There is a perception that kids are being stolen away, and in some cases that might be true,” he said. “But that is the purpose of charter schools, is to provide competition and options for parents.”
Still, there remain questions about whether those options are available to all parents.
Last year, Redwood Prep was visited by a two-member inspection team from the Charter School Development Center, a nonprofit group that serves as an approved review board for the California Department of Education. The inspectors spent three days at the school, examining documents, visiting classrooms and generally “taking the temperature of the school” to make sure it was abiding by the guidelines laid out in its charter, said Eric Premack, the organization’s director and founder.
That charter, a 96-page document, lays out strategies for achieving a broad range of goals, including serving and recruiting English learners, low-achieving and economically disadvantaged students. How did the inspectors feel the school is doing?
“Their impressions for the school, particularly for one this new, was that they’ve made a ton of progress and they’re doing quite well,” Premack said. When it comes to demographics, he said, what’s important is making sure that charter schools are making “good faith efforts” that align with the promises laid out in the charter. And he said the situation in Fortuna is a common one.
“It’s not uncommon for folks in the traditional schools to get a little freaked out” when charters ask for facilities, he said, especially when resources are in such short supply. “In some localities these become brutal knock-down drag-em-outs” that wind up in court, he said.
Administrators in Fortuna are hoping it doesn’t come to that here.
“We want to collaborate in every aspect,” Jager said. “If there are things that we could possibly offer the other students, we will make every attempt to do that — and vice versa. It’s all how you approach it.”
Jeff Northern is principal of South Fortuna Elementary School, and he’s currently serving as chair of the committee that’s trying to figure out how to grant Redwood Prep’s facilities request. “We’re taking a look at everything. We’re brainstorming every option that we can conceive of,” he said. That includes looking at Fortuna Church of the Nazarene to see if Redwood Prep could possibly stay at its current site. The committee will present options for the district school board to consider. The board will then make an offer to the charter school, probably within the next month, Northern said.
“I think demographics will work themselves out,” said Redwood Prep School Board President Jeremy Stanfield, who works as a realtor locally and serves as another member of the facilities committee. “We haven’t had a chance to become a familiar part of the public education system.”
Critics remain upset about the inequities, and some wounds aren’t likely to heal anytime soon. “I’ve seen a lot of friendships destroyed,” said Butcher, one of the Ambrosini moms. She’s worried about her kids — that they’ll feel inferior, that they’ll lose space at their school, that they’ll be overlooked in classrooms packed full of kids.
But of course, don’t all parents worry about their children?
“I try to keep the focus on the kids, because the emotion is all coming from adults,” said Hafner, the district superintendent. “We need to realize that regardless of how we feel about charter schools, we are one community, and these are all our kids. So we’ve got to come to some solutions.”
This article appears in Charter School Rift.
Maybe you should have taken the time to ask Redwood Prep parents why they chose Redwood Prep over the other Fortuna Schools. You did a nice job throwing out statistics, but doesn’t it come down to a parents choice? We are not elitiest, we are parents who are passionate about our children’s education!
To assume the families at Redwood Prep are rich is a joke and that the parents there don’t work so they can volunteer wow from what I see it seems many of our families have both parents working. My husband works all day we run a farm/boarding business and have 5 children at home and we find time to volunteer as do the other families maybe its about priorities. Just like in “regular” schools its always the same people doing everything. So maybe part of the problem is that the families helping out at Redwood Prep were the sameone’s doing everything at the other schools and now their gone. I have a child at Redwood Prep who needs extra help and he has exceled there where as when we went to “regular” school’s in Fortuna I had to hire tutors. The teachers at our school are awsome and put in the extra effort to help our children and love them they are excited to teach them and our kids feel that. Parents choices for their children mean alot and any of these other parents could have attended planning meetings just as we did a lot of people were apprehensive and wanted to wait to see if the school could make it before commiting to sending their children there and now I feel they are jealous or resentful there isn’t enough room for them. If my children weren’t attending Redwood Prep they wouldn’t be going to Ambrosini or Toddy anyways so they aren’t missing out on any money from my children not going there. Bottom line you worry about your childs education and what you think is best and I will do the same for my family you don’t like Redwood Prep don’t send you child there.
Our child is a student at redwood prep and not because we are rich or white. We simply chose a school that was the best fit for our child’s learning needs. At his previous school he was kept in during recess to do reading as none of the other children were at that level and classroom time could not be lavished on him. Reluctance and boredom ensued and naturally so did behavioral problems as we watched our child who loves to learn become less and less engaged. Our modest annual household income is around $40,000, we certainly are not rich people, but we are still taxpayers who should be allowed a choice and say for our child’s education. While I can understand some of the community’s misgivings, I find this article to be hurtful and deeply biased. Traditional public schools need considerable reform and I think that while charters are not necessarily the entire answer they are certainly a cog in the machine of change.
We most certainly aren’t rich elitists. We want what is best for our children. When the school was being formed, I was going to still enroll my little ones at Ambrosini when they were ready for Kindergarten. I attended the information meeting last January and was blown away by what the kids are being taught, both academically and community/character wise. I had a tough time deciding that Redwood Prep would be best for my girls, especially since I have twins who I had planned on putting in different classes, had they gone to Ambro. In the end I couldn’t justify sending them to a school just because I happen to have a few favorite teachers that I couldn’t guarantee they’d have. And I was nervous at the lottery, because it was possible for one girl to get in, but not the other. I understand the hurt feelings in the community, but it seems there is a ton of misinformation floating around. Seri’s comment about us limiting enrollment due to our ‘standards’ is a perfect example of that. Those standards and expectations are a product of our environment, not a pre-requisite for enrollment. As for the technology, I wish every school could have as much as we do, but the parents and kids worked hard and fundraised and applied for grant money to get them. Regular public schools could do the same. And about the volunteer hours, all the families I know at Redwood have both parents working. I have gone on a couple field trips, and cleaned bathrooms once a week for the first semester and already have 19 hours (I also see grandparents pitching in as well). Working at a school function and vacuuming the halls once a week during the last semester will get me the rest of the way. As far as sharing a campus with one of the Fortuna school sites, I don’t think Fortuna is ready for that. I personally do not see any way we could share a campus without any tension. Even if the school district somehow benefitted from it, Redwood would still be the ‘bad guy.’ And don’t forget–my property taxes are still going to the district, not the charter school.
As stated in this article, it is a law that requires school districts to provide classroom space for those charter schools that exist within that district. The parents and teachers at the Fortuna/Rohnerville schools that are so upset about Redwood Prep fail to recognize one key component about this whole scenario; parents are tired of over-crowded classrooms, exhausted educators and a lack of resources. Parents, ultimately, are the ones responsible for their children’s education. If they choose to find the best education available for their child, it is their right and responsibility to do so. Competition for precious resources should be making those in the public school system try harder to help educate the children they are responsible for. As a side note, all of my children are grown and I have no connection to the schools located within Fortuna.
I agree with Allison, that the only thing missing from this article is some input from the RP parents about why they chose to give this new charter school a try. I would like to say, first and foremost, that nobody “stole” my daughter from anywhere and placed her somewhere else. My husband and I made a joint decision, with the input of our daughter, to send her to RP. My daughter previously attended Ambro, and my older children attended Ambro and Toddy. We didn’t leave because Ambro was “bad.” I didn’t even know there were so many other options for educators, until I attended the informational meeting for RP. I was just simply so impressed with what they wanted to do with the new school that I wanted to give it a try. And I can say that the school has turned out to be even better than I expected.
We were not “recruited” in any way, shape or form. One of the founders was a friend of mine and I was actually surprised at the time that she didn’t encourage me more to change schools. I was the one who asked her about it and she just told me to come to an informational meeting. No pressure at all.
I understand some of the points made in the article about perceived inequalities, some things I hadn’t thought about before. But this idea that we all got together because we think our kids are “better” than others and decided to separate is RIDICULOUS. It’s great that the kids were so enthusiastic with the reporter about their school and their iPads, etc. My daughter also loves her school. But believe me, RP is lacking MANY of the amenities of the local public schools. They aren’t a bunch of “rich” kids walking around with iPads. I’m sure they would like to have individual desks to sit at. I’m sure the middle schoolers will want to have lockers. I’m sure they would like to have a bus. I’m know they would like to have a GYM. I’m sure they would like to have more/better playground equipment. I KNOW the teachers would love to have some janitorial service. But we make do with what we have, or don’t have, because the trade-off is worth it. We have incredible teachers who work so, so hard every day for our kids. For less money, apparently. (Another thing I didn’t know.) It’s not easy, but it’s wonderful. Hopefully, the other things will come in time.
In talking about the teachers and the school with a friend of mine, my friend said, “Imagine what they could do if they had unlimited funds.” Imagine. They all came from Ambro apparently. Why weren’t they able to do the same things there? Isn’t that what people should REALLY be complaining about? I think so.
I used too many characters in my last post, so I had to continue in another post:
I guess there’s some controversy about whether teachers lost their jobs because of RP or would have lost their jobs anyway. I hate to hear about anyone losing their job, of course. But either way, shouldn’t it be about what’s best for the kids? I’m a member of a union, and I believe in unions. But this idea that teachers can’t be fired is crazy. Isn’t it? Who else has a job like that? I don’t.
The school is only in the middle of its second year. Maybe everyone should calm down and give time a chance. All those stats about EL’s, etc., can and I’m sure will be worked out in time. In the meantime, people should think about how their attitudes and beliefs are affecting their children and the attitudes and beliefs of their children. Our kids are all going to end up at Fortuna High together eventually, after all.
I am surprised your Politically-Correct Statistics spouting writer and editor failed to notice that Ms Rodriguez’s quote that “those redwood prep students” are just to “different” to be around and certainly shouldn’t share space with “our school” Is not that tantamount to racism? As usual the charge of racism is intended to divide differing groups, not to unite them. It is 2013 in California, not 1965 Alabama. Demographics will reflect the population, and so will our schools. The focus at RPC is education, and they are doing it successfully. To those who keep the bad blood boiling and wounds open, Heal thy self and just “let it be”
Why don’t we take another look at those numbers? 80% of South Fortuna’s student body is economically disadvantaged while only 44% Toddy Thomas students fall below that line? That’s nearly twice as many! And 45% of South Fortuna’s student body is Hispanic, compared to only 18% in the Rohnerville district? More than double? Well, these statistics must mean that the Rohnerville district is RACIST!….Or maybe it means that significant differences in student demographics have existed long before Redwood Prep came into the picture, and that these differences are due to a number of socioeconomic factors, not racism.
I understand that the other campuses in the district aren’t happy about Redwood Prep, but there has to be a better and more productive way to solve this problem. Slinging around terms like “racist” and “elitist” isn’t going to make this process any easier.
WOW! I’m just going to say a few words. Again, I am proud to be a parent who wants nothing but the most beneficial educational and social setting for my children. Without writing an article as long as the one recently published, which I could easily double in support of Redwood Preparatory Charter School….I will say the following….. I got involved on day one when I heard such a community school could possibly exist, knowing that my son’s special requirements to help him succeed were in no way shape or form being met at the school he was attending. A change in place of education was going to be made regardless. We are a 40 hour/week plus double working parent household, who work morning noon and night to support our family and still have daily struggles. Don’t look down on me because I chose to invest in an educating team who is willing to accept my son for who he is and the struggles he endures. Walking down school halls not being acknowledged by staff, and then walking into a classroom to volunteer having the teacher ask why you are there, and next time a call in the morning to forewarn I’d be coming would be appreciated….leaves a taste in my mouth as though I’d just eaten a lemon whole. No thank you~ I love the family that we have all built at Redwood Prep and I would wake in guilt everyday had I not taken the time to invest in the educational welfare of my child.
I also think it’s interesting that Irene Werner accuses our school of “de facto segregation” and “elitism” while she’s the coordinator of the GATE program. You mean the program that actually labels kids as “gifted” and “talented” and separates them from other kids and removes them from class to attend special field trips and activities that are NOT “open to everyone”???? Really, Ms. Werner??? But that’s ok?
Also, for the record, my husband and I also both work and most of the parents that I know from RP work. There are way too many misconceptions and misinformation going around.
Stop the insanity folks. I encourage each of you to stop pushing your own opinions and agendas about this and quit making it so personal. No one has done anything to you. Stop playing the victim. All that has happened is that a group of teachers and parents got together to form an alternative for our community. Charter schools are clearly going to be a part of many California communities and anyone who’s opposed to this movement should quit complaining and move on. Rude comments and hatefulness will likely have no impact on Redwood Prep’s success so you should just accept that they will continue to be a part of the Fortuna community. If you are doing a great job, you will all have the ability to attract new students to your schools and parents will fortunately have alternatives which is a good thing. Redwood Prep has a lot of community support despite what many of you are saying and the stakeholders are very committed to it being a successful school. In the end, the results will be the proof and it takes time to produce those results. Everyone should be focusing on making their schools the best learning environment for our children and producing their own results and quit worrying about what your competition is up to.
WOW who had to connection with Rohnerville School District that wrote this ONE SIDED story. Can you prove that teachers lost their jobs ONLY because of Redwood Prep – my son got pinked slipped in Southern California – is Redwood Prep responsible for his pink slip? I went to a private school and chose to send my children to one also. It was my choice to send them to where I wanted – I was not bullied by the staff of my “district” school. We also gave time each month at the school. It was a good thing!! Sounds to me like it is a personal fight with the teachers at Ambrosini – maybe a little resentment? These teachers are whining about only being left with the tough kids – must really make the parents of current Ambrosini students feel good about their attitudes. If they can’t handle the students they have, then they need to take a look at why they are there. Funny that McKinleyville, Arcata Loleta and Freshwater have made it work. WE, as parents, have a right to choose what is best for our children, and if it means changing schools, that is their choice. The temper tantrums by the staff is absolutely sickening!! Time to take a look at the current staff and the lack of respect they have for not only the teachers but the parents who made the choice to pull them out of Ambrosini School and put them in Redwood Prep, and the “I Pad toting” students attending . Stop the bullying, and do your job.The better job you do the more students will flock to your school.
Funny how the facts can be “skewed”. Journalism at its finest. We have a group of Amazingly, unselfish women who took cuts in pay, work longer hours, gave up their union status,clean bathrooms and kitchens all to do what what they are absoluetly passionate about: teaching children. All children. And they are attacked by hatred and lies at every turn. It is almost comical ,the things that are being said, if it wasnt tearing our community apart. If you visited our school you would see our playground if far inferior, our lunch room doubles as tech lab, we dont have a gym and you cant turn the heaters all on or you will blow a fuse. Funny we are the elistist? Have you seen the gym at south school. The new technology at Ambro. The playgrounds. Really ? Were is this article coming from? RPC is not for everyone. We make sacrifices and we are happy to Volunteer those 30 hours. We have no ill will toward any schools, students or teachers. We took a chance we “Wanted” something different. We went looking and trusted these women as we had seen what they were trying to do while at Ambrosini. We are not trying to take anything away from the other kids or hurt them or put them down. Weve ran out of space. Our tax dollars go to the district to provide space. The kids used to have a space there. This is out of necessity not meanness. Or to flaunt our Ipads. We are passionate about this ill informed article because We see these teachers everyday, we see what they are doing. They are dedicated to our children. They work hard and they are getting results. And if we had the room and resources we wouldnt have a waiting list. Its not about keeping people out. The law says lottery is the way it has to be to be fair. . Why can other citys work it out? . Fieldtrips? what the other schools are not doing these? Please think logically as you read this article. Read between the lines. Just because they put it in black and white does not mean its true.
After reading this article I had flashbacks of a very similar chain of events that occurred aprx. 8 years ago. Several teachers at Fortuna High School decided to explore and open a High School on College of the Redwoods campus. The first year was met with a lot of negative remarks from other parents and staff. The Academy of the Redwoods is an excellent school that offered our daughter many opportunities that Fortuna High could not. The families also had to apply and be accepted and there was a lot of family involvement. Rather than bashing these schools we need to look at them as one more positve way that our children can receive a good education in a country that seems to be putting less emphasis towards it.
I have a special needs son. He fits into no known acronym and never has. He is the EPITOME of a square peg. Guess what? RPC WELCOMES square pegs. The innuendo being hurled at this charter school regarding special ed kids, “trouble kids” is BEYOND laughable to me. So much so that I penned a letter to the school board trying to allay the fretful “fears” that RPC “only took the best kids in” by giving a brief history of my son and the laundry list of issues we’ve had with schools over the years. Again, the smear campaign on this school is laughable. They have no “screening process” unless of course you’re trying to enroll your dog or cat. Other than that though…Be my shadow one day and you’ll see. No really. I’d love it. Walk in our shoes just for an hour and your “fears” will be dispatched. But that’s not what this is about is it? Not really. What you have are a group of women who hit a wall where they were and thought they could do better outside that box. Good LORD! The heresy! The “elitism” of thinking that something different might, just might, be better. There were several quotes in this article worthy of attention, but this one really nails it for me: “’They advertise themselves as preparing kids for college,’ Werner said in a phone interview. Parents and teachers at the traditional schools get sarcastic about it, she said. ‘The joke is, ‘Our school is preparing the future janitors of the world, or the McDonald’s workers.’ It’s almost funny in a way, but it’s just a very emotional issue.’” Nice. Who perpetuates that attitude Ms. Werner, you? Perhaps rather than slinging arrows at another school’s mission statement, your time might be better spent examining your own mission and how you convey that to others.
My question is is it a bad thing to support yourself or your family being a janitor or by working at McDonald’s hmm interesting I try to teach my kids that no matter what you do do it to your best ability no job is to big or to small and that our garbage man is just as important as the mail man and as a matter of fact there are a few college educated people I know who work fast food. Also a thought to ponder is that if the parents of 125 children and more on a waiting list wanted change for there children then maybe the district should take a closer look at there own operations. I in no way think my children are better or more entitled I just made a choice that any of those other parents could have. Many people were apprehensive in sending their children because they wanted first to see if the school could make it and I feel they are now resentful that they are making it. In our society it is sad but true people like to see others fail and be the underdog. The last year my daughter went to Ambro no parents were welcome or allowed in the classroom ever not really the atmosphere I wanted to send my child to everyday and that’s my right as a parent. I just want whats best for my child and shouldn’t be made to feel bad for that or be called names and accused of being a certain type of person. I went through this with people for choosing to send my children to Montessori so I guess i’m a double education offender.
I am saddened the read what has been written here about such a wonderful school. I admit I was somewhat apprehensive about Redwood Prep in the beginning (mostly just because of it being so new) however, my husband and I went to the meetings and kept an open mind. What we saw were amazing teachers who were working their hardest to provide a wonderful school experience for ALL the children.
Our child is one of the 11 who were chosen in the lottery. We were not “recruited”. Our child’s abilities and learning level were not screened. Nobody asked about our annual income. It was by random chance of rhe lottery that our child secured a placement in the school.
The attitude and negative comments coming
from adults quoted in this article are quite concerning. Our children are friends with children who go to other schools and never once have they brought up any issue regarding a difference in their school experience. The adults appear to be the ones fostering the hurtful attitude in this matter and are basing it on misinformation. Putting these unfair labels on us and our children is more hurtful than helpful.
I am new to the RP family. I decided to send my son there because when I went to the information meeting I liked what I heard and I agreed with what they where saying. We where on the wait list and we got in. I am very happy we send my son here. The school is very open to helping my son who has some special needs. They bend over backwards to help him learn in school. I enjoy having to particiate in the school. The 30 hours that are required are not a hardship for my family. It makes us even more proud of being part of this school. I think change is hard for people and I hope that everyone can keep a open mind.
I am a student at redwood prep. I wasn’t recruited by ads in the newspaper or by sporting events my parents and I made the decision together to go to redwood prep. if i hadn’t wanted to go would I be there? NO! I wouldn’t. I think that this article is a disappointment. And about the volunteer thing my mom tought a art class on Mondays for the first year without pay but sadly shes not teaching this year because it became to hard with my high school older sister taking college classes, but if she could she would love to do it again. well back to the subject, last year my class invested in pizza and sold it to the rest of the school and that’s what has payed for a lot of the field trips like to wolf creek and Lassen volcanic national park. that is my point of view so you say what you say but redwood prep I think is the best school iv ever gone to and Its the best I ever will go to I think.
umm…… i disagree with the artilcal
HI im jo
@Caleb H: A big part of why your school succeeds is the enthusiasm factor. You and your fellow students show up every day ready and excited to learn. That enthusiastic environment was created by the school’s founders, but it maintains and grows each day because of you and your fellow classmates’ attitudes. Bravo and keep up the good work!
when i read the news article about our school my friends,and family were all very mad and upset about what the reporter had said! The thing that i found i thought was interesting was that the author didnt any of our parents from our school from our school in the news paper. Our parents have more than alot to say about this. There is alot of kids that haev disadvantages like me and my little brother. I have a disadvantage with my math and reading skills and my friend and she has speech problems my little brother zach needs reading and speech. I think that if Toddy Thomas and Ambrosini can have enough money to buy a new playground and Toddy has enough to buy new walls and classrooms then they could buy some new technology! I think that weird how the reporter was writting how people are against our charter schools and just a little bit how this will settle down and get better. It sounded to me and my family that he was against charter schools. I think our teachers have worked hard to get where they are now and we stand together when people talk about our school. Martan Luther King said said”Everything we see is a shadow cast by wich we do not see.” As the news reporter said how teachers from Toddy Thomas and other schools in the Fortuna/Rhonerville school disrtrict said that” they do not want there kids rubbing shoulders with the Ipad totting, field trip taking rich kids of redwoodprep.” I had thought about what they had said and I dont think our school should not let is get to us. There are kids at redwood prep that arent rich. I have a really good friend adn she goes to my school and her house burnt down and i have another friend that can barely even pay her house payments and eletricity bills. Please just rethink This news letter and how it made our school feels.I felt sad and mad about the joke about there children getting jobs at Mcdonalds and a job as a janitor I think all of the kids in humblot county and beyond is colledge bound students! If these teachers knew the kids at redwoodprep then maybe they would rethink what they said. The news also says that we had took all of the bright kids at there school. I think that they wanted to go to this school and when they said that i was thinking wow thats just like calling the students that they haev now dumb! Another thing that I thought was funny is that they choose to us there money for school busses instead of educational stuff. Redwoodprep thinks that we should make peice make peace not war its not a rivalry.
As a Rohnerville School District alumni and a former volunteer at both Ambrosini and Redwood Prep., I am absolutely appalled by this article. This article is a platform to bully the Redwood Prep community for this wonderful opportunity they have created. I want to take the time to address what Irene Werner commented about Redwood Prep and their “elitism.” First, Ms. Werner states that Redwood Prep is, “A school not open to everyone.” Redwood Prep, unfortunately due to the size of the Nazarene Church they rent out, cannot accommodate every child within the district. One of the reasons that Redwood Prep is trying to utilize Proposition 39 is due to the fact that they’re running out of space within the church. They want to welcome in the students on their waiting list, but without more room, it is impossible to do so. Secondly, Ms. Werner jokes that Redwood Prep “advertise themselves as preparing kids for college, [while] our school is preparing the future janitors of the world, or the McDonald’s workers.” Nobody has the right to put down anyone’s occupation, be it someone in the fast food industry or a school janitor. It is my understanding that it is the parents’ responsibility to help prepare and articulate to their children the importance of a college education. We shouldn’t bash a school for wanting to help fulfill this philosophy, especially when only 32% of Fortuna High graduates met the requirements for admission to the UC or CSU systems in 2010 (School Accountability Report Card, 2010). I could sit here all night commenting on this ignorant and poorly written spectacle, but I will end my spiel with this quote, “Envy shoots at others and wounds itself” (English Proverb).
I’m a student at Redwood Prep and I feel that in this article you do not know all of the information. “They’re incensed at the idea that their kids will be forced to rub shoulders with the iPad-toting, field-trip-taking rich kids of Redwood Prep.” First of all, we do not just go on field trips with school money. We work hard for our field trip money. The teacher tells us that there’s a field trip so we think flexibly, and come up with a way to make that money. We have found multiple ways to fundraise our field trips. We sell pizza, had a carnival, hold lemonade stands, and we spent hours doing these things. You can’t be mad that we took the “rich” kids because anyone is welcome. You are calling kids at those schools names by saying we took all of the bright kids. Just because we’re something different doesn’t make you something worse. You said we only accepted the smartest kids. Think about that your words may have made all the kids from other schools in our District feel dumb, which is not true. As you can see you didn’t know all the information and now you know more about what really is going on.
I am a student at redwood prep. I am in sixth grade and have been going to redwood prep from the beginning. This article infers that we are rich kids. We have less money than other schools. We get $1,000 less for each student that goes here. We just have to work extra hard to get our money. We have to spend it carefully. We have done lots of fundraisers for our school to make money. One of our biggest fundraisers we did was one where us kids made lots of things for an auction. Lots of people came; even people who their kids do not go to our school. That shows that our school has a lot of supporters. We are not just “iPad-toting, field-trip-taking rich kids of Redwood Prep” as the author of the article says. We take field trips for learning. We always learn a lot on our field trips. We take a long time to make sure we know a lot of background information before we go on the field trip. We raise money to go. We do not have enough money to buy busses. We make solutions to that problem by carpooling. Lots of people take other kids to school in the morning and then pick them up to take them home. We face lots of problems, but we think critically to make sure our problems have solutions. We do not have enough money to afford to have a different school. That is why we are renting the church we are in now. Many people say we are rich but that is clearly not true.
I am a student at Redwood Prep Charter School. I am in the 6th grade and we aren’t snotty and rich as the writer leads people to believe. We work for our money — like last year we sold pizza with salad on Friday for $3. We also had an auction; we even did a lemonade stand for cancer. We do not frolic through flowers on our awesome playground either, in fact are playground is probably the worst in Fortuna. If you want to see a school that has a decked out playground you should go to Ambrosini. They have everything from monkey bars to a small rock climbing wall. We also did not just take the smart kids. We had a lottery, and pulled names randomly. When the writer said that we took the smart kids that means he/she is saying that all the other kids aren’t as bright. The writer also said that we exploited our resources on field trips. We only go on educational fieldtrips; maybe other schools should do that to. A way we could make that better is fundraise with other schools and they come with us. So as you have seen we aren’t any snotty rich kids, and we work hard for special things like ipads.
Holy Crap Ryan, you are making the kids feel bad for being white and well off. There is nothing wrong with being either -Kids, in a capitalist society you are gearing up for, it is competitive and you may want to be rich one day, its good to have goals in life- it will be your choice. Remember however as you get your first taste, you will have to deal with haters who have less and whine about it. . . crikey Burns!
I am a student at redwood prep, and I feel that in this article the things you state are not true. First of all, you state that we are, “Ipad-toting, field-trip-taking rich kids of Redwood Prep.” We don’t just go on a field trip. We have to earn money with different tasks like: carnivals, lemonade stands, and we used to sell pizza to our classes. You also stated that we only took smart white people in our school. If you think about that you just called everyone in other schools stupid when they aren’t. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we are not an all-white school. We just have the people who signed up for the school first. Plus you make it sound like we waste our money by stating, “exploiting their resources to buy iPads” but you didn’t say that we use them to help us learn. At the start of the article you state that we frolic and rainbow arc our balls into the hoop. It makes it sound like we have the best playground ever. We have a muddy field that we can’t really use, a basketball hoop that we all have to share, and a set of four swings. Clearly we are not all of those things you said we were. I think you were being bias when you wrote this, and you definitely did not know much about this school.
Years ago, when teachers got paid what they were worth, and the classrooms were filled with paper, pencils and books, this article would never have been written. The schools have been whittled down to less and less money to spend on EDUCATION and the tools necessary. The Charter School was started so that the necessary tools, teachers and enthusiasm were brought back into the for-front by parents who want a good education for their children. The teachers are vehicles that teach our children, not raise them. If we as parents, can add to the hard work and hours that a teacher has to put in to OUR children, then that is a good thing. Charter Schools were made just for that. Parents and teachers coming together to make a stronger teaching unit. One that is a full and all around learning center. It doesn’t stop at the math book or writing an English paper. There is a world out there. When I was younger, we took bus trips to make sure that we got a well rounded education. Public Schools cannot do that anymore due to cut backs in funding but a Charter School can make it happen with every parent and teacher giving their complete and total dedication of time and effort. It has nothing to do with race, need, or who you know. It is just a few loving and devoted teachers and all of their students parents coming together to make as much as they can out of what they have to work with. Too bad the article was so one sided. I love the schools and teachers in this town, but if there is a better way to do it, I am all for it. Kudos to people who have the vision to make these things happen.
I am a student at Redwood prep I feel like Ryan is saying that the other kids at the other school are stupid and they are not.That’s just going to hurt there feelings and then make the other kids feel bad.We all have strengths and weaknesses just like Jackson said.We are not ipad toting field trip taking rich kids half of our playground is a parking lot.We also did not by our ipads we wrote a grant and if the other schools are feeling left out maybe they should write a grant and we did the same with the computers we use those electronics for learning most of the time. The times that we use them for games are when it is a rainy day and its inside recess and that’s only a couple times a month.Ryan also said that the other kids we be forced to rub shoulders with us and then we would have ipads but they wouldnt. No one said that we couldn’t share with the school. I think you obviously didn’t know much about redwood prep and I think that redwood prep is a really good school
Several years ago, before my husband and I were married, we had a conversation about what we would expect of our children and what our hopes and dreams would be for them. Being a transplant to the Fortuna area I didn’t really have a personal back round to help me make a decision about what schools would be best but the general perception I had was that Rohnerville School District was certainly and by far the better of the two choices. My husband being an alumni of both Ambrosini and Toddy Thomas agreed with this perception and it was decided then that we would strive to purchase our home within the district to ensure your children’s place there. I know, how dare we plan our families future with such “elitist” ideas in mind.
Fast forward four years, here we are expecting our first child in July and low and behold we are living in what used to be Rohnerville School District. It’s truly amazing how careful planning, hard work and diligence to one’s dreams will produce the desired results. Something that I can only hope to teach my children.
Now we are faced with a choice we did not expect. Before it was one school or the other, with one being the hands down choice. But wait, there is now a school that will tailor our child’s education to their own unique abilities and desires, giving them a well rounded education that, whether they attend college or not, will give them the tools to navigate this confusing, ever changing, fast paced and evolving world we live in today…oh and I have to help out 30 hours a year so that they can have this wonderful opportunity.
Seriously, where do we sign up? If wanting that for my kids and busting my back to give that to them makes me an elitist or a snob then so be it!
Thanks Ryan for engaging Fortuna. Public dialogue is always a good thing in a democracy. To set the record straight I firmly believe that I am no better or no worse than any other human being on this planet. My child attends the Toddy Thomas College Prep. Academy and she will most certainly attend college. I thank many of her teachers both young and old for preparing her for the challenges ahead. Some of her most inspirational teachers have had many years of experience and she has an awesome teacher who is still young. Is it competition or collabration we are after??? I am not your enemy.
Peace to You
A lot of the information in this article is true, but a lot of it is inaccurate. A lot of the word choice was kind of overdramatic and offensive. Words like “brags” make it seem like we think we are so better than everybody else. We really aren’t bragging, and we don’t think we are better than anyone. We are excited that we have this new technology, and it helps us learn better. It makes learning fun.
When you write about our playground using words like, “tricked out, new equipment, hand-made picnic tables” it misleads people to think we are snotty little rich kids. Our playground is not full of new equipment. We made a few changes when we came here. We added woodchips to make it safer to use the swings. The swings are as old as the building. Our soccer posts were donated from HSU. We would like to have a jungle gym like other schools have.
Words like “elitist, wealthy, more-educated families, exploiting their resources” make it seem like we are stealing parents’ money to buy our equipment. We hold fundraisers a lot, our parents help out, we plan our field trips so that we can learn lots without spending lots of money. For our Lassen field trip, my friends and I sold lemonade, cookies, and origami to raise the money we needed. We made about $50 a day and learned about responsibility. We don’t get stuff handed to us. We work hard for it.
At school we learn to treat people with respect. If we have a disagreement, we learn to have a discussion and not let it affect our learning time. We learn to get along and work cooperatively. We learn that words can make a small thing big. One day we did a project to represent friendship. squeezed toothpaste out of the tube and then had to try to put it back in. This lesson taught us about how it’s easy for us to say something bad, but it is not easy to take it back. In the article words like,” livid, outraged, stole the brightest kids, incensed at the idea that their kids will be forced to be rubbing shoulders with the iPad toting, field trip taking, rich kids of Redwood Prep” are like squeezing a lot of toothpaste out of the tube. Can you help us put it back in there?
You make it sound like it is a bad thing for schools to want “rigorous standards and college prepared students”. It is nice to have a challenge in my learning as long as I have a good teacher to help me figure it out. Our school would like this to happen for everyone. We don’t exclude people. It is sad that you say we are.
This article caused trouble. It has been more about the adults than the kids. If it was up to us kids, we would get over it. In PE we learn to take it out of the game and settle it with a fair agreement. Martin Luther King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” I think your article would be better without all the hate.
To all of our students at Redwood Prep. We are all so proud of you. You all never cease to amaze me.
Your Freind,
Arlene
I did not see one comment in defense of traditional government schools. Charter schools are clearly preferred by engaged parents. There will be some segregation here. The parents who aren’t aggressive about education will leave their kids in the traditional government schools. One last thing, please stop shooting the messenger.
Sure are a lot of comments that start out “I am a student at Redwood prep” and they were all posted around the same time. Did the RP teachers assign writing a comment on this article as homework or something? Is RP upset for being exposed? Very curious.
Any coward can anonymously post negative comments online.
To the Redwood Prep kids: I’m so proud of your comments. It’s clear you are upset about the misrepresentations being made about your wonderful school. There’s nothing wrong with speaking your mind. And when you tell the truth, you can’t go wrong.
Exposed for what? Doing a Great job educating students ? I predict RPC will have many more applicants for next year. I mean wow those kids can read and write AND think? Wow! Thank goodness for prop 39. With it, many more kids are going to have a chance at a great education. PS. It is a public school!
Dear “I am a student,” I think it’s refreshing to actually hear what kids think about what’s being said about them and their school, and (well-spokenly with names attached) it’s very clear that they do. They are a group of critical thinkers (thank God) and should be praised for weighing-in, not disparaged. “Exposed” huh? See my earlier comments.
First, I would like say I do not agree with many things in this article. Like the many upset Charter School proponents who have commented, I don’t like the charter students being labeled – “IPAD toting… rich kids”, the way quotes were taken out of context to spin the story, and the many times this article puts all FUSD teachers and parents on one side of a divided fence. There are teachers in the Fortuna School District who fully support the charter school. Some of the teachers at the charter taught my daughter and they are great teachers. I am not anti-parent choice, not anti-charter, but admittedly anti Prop 39.
Second, my 2 children may have dedicated, educated, and supportive parents who chose the diversity of public schools, which seems to put me on the opposite side of the fence in the eyes of RP, but I cannot personally, morally or ethically turn my back on the other children who may be less fortunate or capable, and side with the motion to give up 10 classrooms at the detriment of other public students. As a teacher in FUSD, I aware of the services that would suffer, I feel I need to advocate for those who have no one to advocate for them.
Proposition 39 allows classrooms being used for Special Needs students, Enrichment, English Learners (EL) to be taken and used by the Charter. Rooms being used by resource teachers, EL teachers, and counselors do not count as “occupied by children in a regular education classroom”, therefore, they can be given/taken by Redwood Prep. In addition, rooms being used for music, computer labs, perceptual motor, etc. are also up for grabs as non-occupied. So yes, I feel this is a bit unfair. I was hoping my points would be made in this article and would help inform the community about proposition 39, not cause more anger and pain. I hoped my comments would encourage people to read the proposition and recognize how amazingly unfair it is when implemented in districts lacking vacant facilities. Jefferson School in Eureka is a likely example of what people envisioned when they approved Prop 39.
Lastly, I don’t remember making any comment about my children feeling “inferior.” It may have been taken out of context. My husband and I try to promote humility and confidence, not teaching or condoning our children to feel superior or inferior to anyone. My faith in societies’ integrity has decreased over the years, I notice more and more “ME” centric behavior, “what do I get”, “I want what’s best for my kid”, failing to recognize the cost of putting their kids first. I believe in my heart that the majority of teachers out there care for all students no matter what school they attend, and there seems to be lots of blame and mud sling coming their way, but critics fail to think about all kids, all educations, all needs, and especially, those who are in jeopardy of loosing the most critical resources.
Our students are taught to be independent thinkers. The children were not only offended by what was said about RP students, but also offended by what was said about their friends in the public schools. They had the integrity and the courage to speak out about how they feel without hiding behind a fake name.
Dianna, admittedly I am not as well versed on prop 39 as you are, but given what you have quoted, all I can say is that knowing the RPC founders as well as they do, they wouldn’t want to displace ANYONE EVER. Moving on from there, you put yourself “on the other side of the fence” from RPC as far as the “diversity of public schools” is concerned. I don’t understand what you mean by that at all. The RPC founders have not, by mission or application, done anything remotely to give rise to that impression. Their only constraint is space and the only predjudice they confront are the opinions of those who have not bothered to truly investigate (without preconceived notions) who they are and what they’re doing.
First, thank you Mr. Ryan Burns!
Our society is nearly devoid of real journalism and it has made people intolerant of hearing or reading plain facts!
Charter school’s failure to provide free lunches and bus service are steps backwards to a darker, ignorant era in education.
Reading the comments above by “students and parents of charter schools”, reminds me of the comments by survivors of Donner Pass forced to cannibalize the dead…”for the sake of the children”
Who can blame parents desperate to escape a generation of divestment from our public schools, eager to pick at its bones if their family can benefit?
This issue has divided, and conquered American families, instead of uniting them to fight for the good public education that was once the envy of the world.
“I notice more and more “ME” centric behavior, “what do I get”, “I want what’s best for my kid”, failing to recognize the cost of putting their kids first.”
There is no cost too high when putting my children first. Putting down those who want what’s best for thier children is purely ignorant.
Charter school’s failure to provide free lunches and bus service are steps backwards to a darker, ignorant era in education.
The school is not failing at anything. Nobody is being forced to attend, and those of us who are part of the school are aware of these issues and obviously don’t find the lack of free lunches and bus service to be a deal breaker.
First, thank you Mr. Ryan Burns!
Our society is devoid of real journalism and it has made people intolerant of hearing or reading plain facts.
Charter school’s failure to provide free lunches and bus service are steps backwards to a darker, ignorant era in education.
Reading the comments above by “students and parents of charter schools”, reminds me of the comments by survivors of Donner Pass forced to cannibalize the dead…”for the sake of the children”
Who can blame parents desperate to escape a generation of divestment from our public schools, eager to pick at its bones if their family can benefit?
This issue has divided, and conquered American families, instead of uniting them to fight for the good public education that was once the envy of the world.
“The school is not failing at anything. Nobody is being forced to attend, and those of us who are part of the school are aware of these issues and obviously don’t find the lack of free lunches and bus service to be a deal breaker.”
OK…so take you little hands out of the public cookie jar!
“Charter school’s failure to provide free lunches and bus service are steps backwards to a darker, ignorant era in education.” If busing and provision of free lunches are your educational benchmarks, or lack thereof signs of a decay in the American public school system, then the problems of our public school sysytem are not simply funding (or, more accurately, tax dollars allocated for pub ed being gobbled away by beaurocratic bloat), but also the result of a stalwart refusal to ever consider that their failings might be the result of the gimme gimme gimme attitudes that have proliferated in this nation over the last several decades. This charter school is providing an amazing education to it’s students. It does so without bus service and without free lunches. They were up front about such things from the get-go and asked of it’s participating parents that they contribute not only positive and productive attitudes but also some of their positive and productive time–as it SHOULD be. So, in closing, if the charter school’s methodology is, as you say, stepping “backwards to a darker, ignorant era,” then I would seriously question your concepts of darkness and ignorance.
Fortuna is fortunate to have concerned parents and teachers on both sides of this issue. I haven’t read much that I disagree with here, except for blaming Ryan Burns for various quotations. (Quoting a statement doesn’t mean agreeing with it, as far as I know.)
I do disagree, though, with Samantha Lee’s dismissal of free lunches and bus service. It brings to mind the famous quote from Anatole France: “The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.”
Perhaps Samantha Lee or her children don’t find free lunches helpful. But educators have discovered that kids that have decent nutrition and aren’t hungry learn better. It’s not the kids fault if the parents don’t provide the prerequisites for learning.
Mitch, I didn’t mean to be dismissive of either, I was addressing the make or break weight those aspects of pub ed were being given by a previous poster. In fact, I am all for both as long as they’re applied wisely. My goodness, an entire article could be devoted to the horrid free lunches children are given across this nation get everyday. But those articles have already been penned.
This article was as fair and balanced as Fox news!!!
Last words, and I would like to thank Mitch for reminding me about Anatole France, a believer in reform:
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe.”
“Nine tenths of education is encouragement.”
“Stupidity is far more dangerous than evil, for evil takes a break from time to time, stupidity does not.”
🙂
First I would like to say way to go, to the RPC kids that came on to this article and posted their feelings. Imagine a world where kids are taught that they are not entitled to something but have to work for it and that if you want to see change step up and be the change! You kids are awesome and so is this whole Redwood Prep Community, don’t let anyone bring you guys down.
It is so upsetting the way words are twisted and wonderful things are turned into something that should be frowned upon. I believe that this article was not only bias but hurtful to all people involved in this!
Lets start with the “college bound” comment, “They advertise themselves as preparing kids for college,” Werner said in a phone interview. Parents and teachers at the traditional schools get sarcastic about it, she said. “The joke is, ‘Our school is preparing the future janitors of the world, or the McDonald’s workers.’ It’s almost funny in a way, but it’s just a very emotional issue.”
Umm wow! And they say that Redwood prep is asking the kids feel “jealous or self conscious? Maybe it is the parents and teachers that say comments like this that are making them feel this way! But that aside, shouldn’t all of us be teaching our kids to be college bound wether it is a four year, community college or tech school? Can someone please tell me what is so wrong with that? If my child was currently enrolled in this district you can bet I would be pulling him out just because of the hate and negativity delivered in this article and what lies have been spread around town. I want my child to be in an encouraging atmosphere not one that is so focused in on belittling another that they forget why we are having this issue in the first place… the kids.
Next they talk about how Redwood Prep caused them to let go of many veteran teachers but they forgot to include the statistics of the kids that chose to go to Ferndale, Hydseville, Carlotta, Rio Dell and other great surrounding schools outside the district, parents made these choices because they felt it was right for their children, but only Redwood Prep is mentioned in the cause of dropped enrollment. And as for them losing scarce funding they still receive funding for those kids because they are still in the district.
(to finish my comment, i ran out of characters)
Then to go on and to say the “solicited” the wealthiest and most well educated families, last time I checked my parents are not the wealthiest nor the most educated people in this community but they are hard working tax payers that deserve a choice.
As for Prop 39, I have not researched this prop throughly so I do not know all the facts, but I do know that Redwood Prep is not by any means saying ” ‘OK, now we want this and we want this and we want this, and just get out of our way,’ basically, and take away things from kids who really need it the most.”, they are not asking the brand new classrooms they other schools in the district are currently occupying or to steal it away from the less fortunate but they are a school in this district and they need more space. They are working with the district and trying to compromise, thats why to me it is so disappointing that the North Coast Journal had to come out and print something (with so much hate and so many false, negative comments) about an ongoing issue that people from all sides of the Fortuna Union School District are working very hard to come up with a resolution that works for everyone.A question I have though is, you had the room for these students two years ago and enrollment is down, how are they “stealing” the space? And then to say “forcing them to rub shoulders with Ipad toting field-trip-taking rich kids of Redwood Prep”. Talk about segregation!! And I don’t know the coordinator of GATE but I think it is very hypocritical to accuse Redwood prep of “de-facto segregation”, when the GATE program is used to choose only the “gifted and bright” to separate from the rest of the school.
As for no transportation and no free lunches, do people really think they do this because they don’t want the “poor” at their school? This seems crazy to me! They can’t afford a Custodian but they are expected to have a bus system? They don’t have the funding! They get $1000 less per child! That is why parent involvement it KEY! And the parents love being involved, just like the parents at the other schools that volunteer their time to be involved.
I do want to say there are so many good parents and some great teachers at the Fortuna Schools! I mean the reason we all are so upset about this, is because its our kids we going to mother and father bear mode and we end up hurting feelings or making enemies with the people that want similar or the same things we want. I have heard people saying oh they just took all the good parents away… NOT true at all! I have friends and family that are very much involved in the other schools and it is a great fit for them. I have nothing against that! I do not want to take away or judge their choice, but I feel the same respect should be given to me.
Last but not least:
One thing that i found great about this article is the examples of how all these other cities in this county have put down their own feelings and political agendas and make it work within their district. Change is hard, we are human, but in my personal opinion change is necessary! Our school system is flawed! That is something we should all be able to agree on.
But the fact is that isn’t Redwood Prep fault nor is it the other fortuna’s schools fault. It is the State of California that has made our school system unfair. So please write a letter to your congressman, get involved with your school, do what you can to make a change but don’t blame Redwood Prep and the hardworking group of people that have made it successful.
How, exactly, does a parent explain to their child that their school must give up music, a nurse, a librarian, and P.E. teacher, etc, etc, but must also provide educational resources to other schools that they cannot attend for lack of transportation and lunch?
The answer: “Get used to it kid”.
They’ll never be able to afford their “public” university and get a higher education on how to loot the U.S. Treasury for their bosses.
After reading the article in the Journal I was reminded of what a big risk it was to take my son out of Ambrosini, the only school he had known, and place him in Redwood Prep, an unproven charter school. It is not the kind of decision a parent takes lightly although I had faith in the teachers that were starting the school. I was also reminded why we took him out of Ambrosini. He was working at above grade level and was extremely bored, so much so that he told me he would finish his work in 5 minutes and spend the rest of the time dreaming that a team of special forces chipmunks flew into the classroom in a helicopter and blew up the classroom. His teacher at Ambrossini promised to allow him to attend math classes in grade 4 while being in the 3rd grade. Nothing eventuated because as she put it “It was too hard to organise”. By that time, I guess in weighing the pros and cons, I felt there was very little to lose. Grade 4 at Redwood Prep was the first time my son came home and told me about what he had learned. He was stimulated and excited by the program the teachers ran. I saw my son, who was shy and a little withdrawn, become a confident young man. Here’s a thought. How about Ambrosini hand over the entire school to Redwood Prep so they can show you how to run a school for every child, to work at the individuals level wether it be below grade or above grade.
The public system is a failing business model that needs revamping. Your a product that needs to change because you no longer appeal to the market. Get used to losing kids to charter schools unless you listen to the consumers and make adjustments. My son will always owe a debt to the teachers of Redwood Prep because it was there in grade four in a dinky little classroom, that he discovered his love for learning.
The charter school is awesome and toddy and ambro are complaining because they have to blame the smell on someone TODDY AND AMBRO SUCK BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The reason the charter school has smart kids is that instead of wasting time verbally abusing to the students the charter school teachers actually teach thier students in a good teaching inviroment
Mr. Burns, I am saddened and disappointed by your article. Not a single statement from a Redwood Prep parent, and the statements you DID use from the children have been used in against them. Any feelings RPC parents have on the matter have been relegated to the comments. Then, to see the picture on the front of The Journal to accompany your article (I originally read it online)…you give the impression of trying to stir the pot and continue to encourage the divisiveness rather than encouraging understanding. We all want what’s best for our children and we make our choices accordingly.
Disgusted, you really need to just call the districts in this county that have coexisted with their charter school neighbors and ask them how they’re doing.
This is the first-ever detail, headline coverage on this subject I’ve ever seen, exposing facts never published or debated locally. I don’t believe parents understand what’s at stake. OF COURSE parents love RPC, their family comes first, as the poster wrote above, “we’re just fine without school lunches and transportation”.
I’m OK with them too, as long as other parents are not subsidizing schools that their children are denied access to because of a lack of transportation, school lunches, or special needs and ESL programs.
From the wise mouths of babes…thank you Natalia, who stated, “No one said that we couldn’t share with the school.” That is what we teach our children. SHARE. Here are some points to ponder:
• If the charter school was on one of the district sites, would they be able to provide lunches and transportation through a deal with the district?
• If the charter school was on a district site, would more children be able to walk to their school?
• How much money does the traditional school get for transportation and lunch programs? How much does the charter school get?
• Do the charter school kids have separate rooms for PE, Music, Nursed, EL, and a library?
• Have the people who are so vehemently opposed to the charter school ever made decisions for in their own children’s best interests…maybe that involved asking for preferential placement in specific classrooms with certain teachers?
• How many of the teachers send their own kids to the district schools?
• How many parents ask for transfers from their neighborhood school to a school across town or in another town?
• The Redwood Prep kids want to share…do the district kids? If not, is it because they are “elitists” or is it because the adults tell them bad things about their friends at the charter school?
• What do the teachers in district schools say to the kids that have brothers and sisters at Redwood Prep? Do they make these kids feel bad, or do they respect the decisions of their parents?
• In response to the statement, “They’ll never be able to afford their “public” university and get a higher education on how to loot the U.S. Treasury for their bosses.” What type of school system costs taxpayers more traditional schools or charter schools?
It’s nice to share.
Clearly, there’s many more questions that are unanswered and that should have been addressed long before this cat was let out of the bag.
If privatization works for this charter school, it will be one of the few successes as this article points out.
How does a school, prison, military, library, hospital, utilities, police force, welfare dept, etc, that barely gets-by, suddenly have room for profiteering?
Lower salaries, lower standards, fewer benefits, fewer rights, higher fees, and poorer outcomes.
Welcome to Amerika.
The irony is the great public school system that charter school parents, and their parents, enjoyed for generations, suddenly easier to abandon rather than repair when times get tough.
Another symptom of consumerism; our throw-away, I want it all now, self-centered, short-cut culture?
And while we’re “sharing” lets make even more parents and children happy by giving public funding to the religious schools too…no conflicts there!
Or, are you anti-sharing and anti-children?
As a parent of a child attending Toddy Thomas & two children that attend Redwood Prep, I feel like this article does a disservice to both schools. This article contained a lot of information about financial statistics, racial demographics & feelings of inequality. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give a complete portrayal of the environment at Ambrosini prior to the Charter School being formed. This is simplified version of events.
My daughter began attending Ambrosini in 2005. It was a wonderful, nurturing environment for learning. By the time our youngest started kindergarten in 2010, it had devolved into a place where I felt teachers, parents & children were walking on eggshells. I could handle budget cuts, 3 principals in 5 years, teachers being laid off, reducing classroom aides, classroom sizes getting larger, school library closing & the music program being cut. What I couldn’t handle was an administrator that I felt yelled & belittled the children. The atmosphere at school began to feel like a “You’re either with me or you’re against me” attitude. Parents & teachers were having to choose sides. It became a toxic environment & parents concerns weren’t being addressed. I can only imagine what it was like to teach in that environment. I (along with other parents) went to numerous board meetings to voice these concerns. I came away with the impression that the administrator had a 3(?)year contract & it wasn’t financially feasible to buy it out.
The decision to leave Ambrosini was not taken lightly & was the most painful, gut-wrenching choice we have ever made. It’s hard to describe the feelings & concerns my husband & I wrestled with. It was a decision that brought with it a lot of heartache and tears.
It took a mass exodus of families leaving Ambrosini for the board to finally act on the behalf of the parents’ concerns. They hired a new principal who brought with her a love for children & an excitement about teaching. With her leadership & the involvement of a lot of wonderful parents, Ambrosini returned to the wonderful school it had always been. I have so much love, respect & admiration for the teachers of Ambrosini.
Would I have left Ambrosini if they had brought on the new principal sooner? No, probably not. Do I think they would have hired a new principal if so many families hadn’t left? No, probably not. The problems weren’t big enough for the board until it impacted the financial bottom line. I am thankful that Redwood Prep allowed me to have a voice in my child’s education when I felt like I had none.
This article only perpetuates the negative feelings that families at both schools were already well aware of. I was told once, “that if you don’t like the conversation, then change the subject”. It’s time to change the subject. Lets talk about how lucky our children are at Ambrosini, Redwood Prep & Toddy. They have so many great parents, teachers & staff that care deeply about their future.
“If privatization works for this charter school, it will be one of the few successes as this article points out.”
It did? Where? I know the article mentioned that the school outperformed its traditional model public school counterparts overall on the standardized testing with the exception of two grade level subject areas, but where was “privatized” mentioned? I noticed similar parlance at the last school board meeting I attended where some against the charter school were discussing the charter school in terms of public schools vs. the charter school as if the charter school wasn’t, in fact, public. It’s a public school. Nothing has been privatized. It’s not a private school.
Well said, Amy.
And thank you, Samantha. Redwood Prep IS a public school. The children of RP are entitled to the same education funding as children attending other schools in the district. I keep hearing this theme repeated that RP is private, asking for a handout, have our hand in the public cookie jar, etc. It’s a FACT that RP is a public school. The parents of Ambrosini/Toddy are not “subsidizing” students at a school their kids are “denied access to.” I think the point has already been made that RP is open to all, that their only limit is space. Our students at RP are receiving $1000 LESS per student per year from the district than they did when they were at Ambrosini. Why should my daughter receive $1,000 less now? I don’t agree with that at all. But it’s the law, so I have to accept it unless it changes. So as a matter of fact, at the present time, the parents of RP students are actually subsidizing the other students in the district, if you want to talk about subsidizing. Talk about ME-Centric, Mrs. Butcher. We are simply asking for resources that we are entitled to as tax-paying citizens of this community. Prop 39 is also the law. And RP has succeeded AND grown, and the law says we are entitled to facilities. It’s interesting to me how RP is criticized for not providing transportation and other programs, but at the same time people are fighting to deny them resources to facilitate those very programs. RP was started and continues to run on bare-bones funding. All of this talk about elitism and iPads is laughable if you, like myself, have witnessed what amenities RP has compared to Ambrosini. Just drive by on Ross Hill Road and check out our “tricked out” playground. Then make sure to go see the one at Ambrosini. My daughter attended Ambrosini. They have the new multi-purpose room/gym and several new classrooms. RP has 125 students and 76 on the waiting list. That is potentially a student body of 200 students for RP. I don’t know the exact figures, but a large majority of those students came from Ambrosini. So that means there would be a void left at Ambrosini of a large number of students. That means there is room. Things may have to be shuffled around, but a change in location of the existing music room DOES NOT equate to a loss of the music program. Same for the other programs. That’s silly, and it’s a scare tactic intended to scare parents and create drama.
Having said that, I personally do not want to share a site with another school. I really don’t want to cause any disruption at any other school. I’m hoping a solution can be worked out that provides an independent site for RP. I don’t know if that will be possible. But people need to accept the fact that the families of RP are entitled and deserving of public funding for their education as well as any other in the district. Not asking for a handout.
Dear NCJ, Please explain the message you intended to communicate by the cover photo for this article?
You really hit a sore spot with me. Every cent that goes to all this alternative education comes right out of the public schools funds and I heartily resent it. We now have 14 charter schools?!? And how much public money goes to St. Bernard schools, and other religion-based schools, by voucher or in any manner? And how much money goes to ‘home -schooler’s’? I don’t need the government to tell me who to love, or to dictate my reproductive rights. But I believe we should have a populace educated to a level where they can support themselves, and pay taxes to support the common good, and participate in our democracy with their informed vote. You can’t blame those entrepreneurs (teachers) who figured out a way to make themselves a job. How degrading to train for a profession where your job is threatened every year. Our education system is not working. Just ask CR how many of their incoming students can even read or write at a level to succeed in their classes. When will we take a new look at this outdated and broken system, and provide a modern education to all our children, not just the ones who already meet ‘rigorous academic standards’ and ‘high behavioral standards’, or who were lucky enough to be born connected to the elite of this county?
I noticed a comment that mentioned Academy of the Redwoods (AR) on the CR campus. I was part of the first class at AR, and I can remember clearly the negativity that was pushed our way, especially from Fortuna. Even after four years, we still got a lot of unpleasant remarks and vibes. We were not allowed to have our own graduation, but were told that because we were part of the Fortuna district that we had to go to theirs if we wanted to have a graduation. Some of us went, but we were not welcomed at all. There were many remarks that we were ‘elitist’ or thought we were better than the Fortuna students (which is not at all true).
I have to say that AR was one of the most positive experiences of my life. And even if I didn’t go there, I wouldn’t have gone to a public school. In middle school I attended a Eureka charter school. I was able to taking sewing, Italian, and horseback riding. All things my school wouldn’t have offered. It seems that alternative schools offer a lot of what traditional school are not (or cannot). There were some negatives to the charter school: less structure, no organized sports, my mom did a lot of the teaching, less homework help, etc. Perhaps this is a sign that there needs to be some changes. People should be more open/accepting of these changes! Don’t bash alternative schools, but keep pushing for better education at your school and all schools.
Neena, I’m not sure what you’re saying in your post. The president himself says we need to invest more in education. If a charter school–again, a public school–can meet the educational needs of an educationally hungry populace, shouldn’t that be ok? And as far as I know, we don’t have a voucher system in place so St. Bernard’s or any other parochial school is not getting public school funds. And as for home-schoolers, unlike charters and public vouchers, home schooling does create a transfer of public funds from an incumbent bureaucracy to another organization. And again, the charter school is not an elitist organization out to cherry pick only the “creme de la creme.” It’s an option for all parents. Options are great! If nothing else, RPC is doing what you said we need since they are implementing “a new look at this outdated and broken system.” Don’t recoil. Rejoice!
Error: “unlike charters and public vouchers, home schooling does create a transfer of public funds…”
CORRECTION:
“unlike charters and public vouchers, home schooling does NOT create a transfer of public funds…”
“Our children perform worse overall than they should because of one simple reason: economic inequality. Our rich country has too many poor kids whose educations suffer from their poor health and poor diet. They lack Head Start and are behind when they enter Kindergarten.
Families need reliable health care, adequate nutrition, access to free or inexpensive pre-school, affordable housing, and small-sized classes for their kids.
Instead, shrewd Americans and business leaders profiteer from the latest educational fad while demanding we blame teachers for the academic shortcomings of poor children.
To make it easier to blame teachers for circumstances beyond their control, our kids are now subjected to endless expansions of testing. If the results are poor, the teacher’s job is on the line.
Republicans try mightily to erase George W. Bush form voter’s consciousness but his “No Child Left Behind” cynical legacy endures in dividing parents and teachers by diverting public funds from key educational priorities.
Of course, it’s good for the testing industry boom, and the corporate education niche that includes 2 million children in charter schools.
Billed as a way to expand parental choice and administrative autonomy, charter schools siphon money out of the public school system.
Typically, charters are established on the basis of promises of necessity due to low test scores, then, once up-and-running, they implore everyone to ignore any tests that don’t improve, along with increases in segregation, drop outs, and teacher burnout.
Charters are all the rage with Bill and Melinda gates, Sam Walton’s heirs, and like-minded billionaires.
But, how could teachers be the cause of our kid’s mediocre achievement when rich American students are already among the highest achievers in the world? No real emergency is hindering their academic vitality, including states where teachers are free to organize real unions with teeth.
Schools with affluent student bodies outscore schools serving impoverished children on those international tests writes Valerie Strauss on her Washington Post “Answer Sheet Blog”. “That is true on all standardized tests. And that continues to be the real story in U.S. education”.
There are only 3 clear solutions: econoic equality, ending racial and class segregation, creating more parity in the funding enjoyed by all school systems regardless of the affluence of their student bodies.
Charter schools and high-stakes testing can’t possibly solve the real problems haunting our nation’s educational system.”
From:(“The Public School Business” by William A. Collins former mayor and state representative from Norwalk, Conn.).
“Our children perform worse overall than they should because of one simple reason: economic inequality. Our rich country has too many poor kids whose educations suffer from their poor health and poor diet. They lack Head Start and are behind when they enter Kindergarten.
Families need reliable health care, adequate nutrition, access to free or inexpensive pre-school, affordable housing, and small-sized classes for their kids.
Instead, shrewd Americans and business leaders profiteer from the latest educational fad while demanding we blame teachers for the academic shortcomings of poor children.
To make it easier to blame teachers for circumstances beyond their control, our kids are now subjected to endless expansions of testing. If the results are poor, the teacher’s job is on the line.
Republicans try mightily to erase George W. Bush form voter’s consciousness but his “No Child Left Behind” cynical legacy endures in dividing parents and teachers by diverting public funds from key educational priorities.
Of course, it’s good for the testing industry boom, and the corporate education niche that includes 2 million children in charter schools.
Billed as a way to expand parental choice and administrative autonomy, charter schools siphon money out of the public school system.
Typically, charters are established on the basis of promises of necessity due to low test scores, then, once up-and-running, they implore everyone to ignore any tests that don’t improve, along with increases in segregation, drop outs, and teacher burnout.
Charters are all the rage with Bill and Melinda gates, Sam Walton’s heirs, and like-minded billionaires.
But, how could teachers be the cause of our kid’s mediocre achievement when rich American students are already among the highest achievers in the world? No real emergency is hindering their academic vitality, including states where teachers are free to organize real unions with teeth.
Schools with affluent student bodies outscore schools serving impoverished children on those international tests writes Valerie Strauss on her Washington Post “Answer Sheet Blog”. “That is true on all standardized tests. And that continues to be the real story in U.S. education”.
There are only 3 clear solutions: econoic equality, ending racial and class segregation, creating more parity in the funding enjoyed by all school systems regardless of the affluence of their student bodies.
Charter schools and high-stakes testing can’t possibly solve the real problems haunting our nation’s educational system.”
From:(“The Public School Business” by William A. Collins former mayor and state representative from Norwalk, Conn.).
When the law allows teachers and parents to chose sides, that’s exactly what they do.
Private schools have always been legal, why do they need public assistance when the public sector is facing unprecedented divestment?
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“Private schools have always been legal, why do they need public assistance when the public sector is facing unprecedented divestment?” Has there been a meme meeting or something–? What private school are you talking about? This article is about the charter school in Fortuna which is a public school. It’s a public school. One more time for those in the back row: It’s a public school.
“Public Schools” have transportation, meals, and special needs services, but go ahead and keep repeating the lies…
Charter schools are not public schools they’re CHARTER SCHOOLS under no obligation to accept any student or provide salaries and benefits comparable to public schools.
Information from the CDE (California Department of Education):
What is a Charter School?
A charter school is a public school, and it may provide instruction in any of grades K-12. A charter school is usually created or organized by a group of teachers, parents and community leaders or a community-based organization, and it is usually sponsored by an existing local public school board or county board of education. Specific goals and operating procedures for the charter school are detailed in an agreement (or “charter”) between the sponsoring board and charter organizers.
California public charter schools are required to participate in the statewide assessment test, called the STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) program. The law also requires that a public charter school be nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations and prohibits the conversion of a private school to a charter school. Public charter schools may not charge tuition and may not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability.
“A lot of our parents are working parents and can’t afford time off to be in the classroom,”
WTF? You can’t afford 30 hours a year to make your children’s school better, even if it’s just cleaning or minor construction (and isn’t that ‘blue collar’?). Is there no way to work out a way to do some of that on a weekend? Over the course of twelve MONTHS?
This, according to critics, effectively disqualifies families who can’t drive their kids to and from school every day or who can’t always provide packed lunches.
And aren’t the folks who tend to be go-getters, like the kind that get up and pack lunches the night before or a bit earlier in the morning, or find a way to donate a few hours a year to the school despite their harsh work schedules, the kind that tend to (though not always) end up a bit higher in whatever socio-economic statistics are used to rank people?
Judging by the first twenty comments it seems we have found a community of people who are reasonable, open-minded, caring, hard-working, solution-oriented and deeply devoted to their children as well as the folks paid to educate them. But the Usual Suspects that sadly make up so much of modern Humboldt will do their best to denigrate and demean them for daring to not follow the Party line; call them names and insinuate. Go RP! And good luck to all Fortuna area parents, teachers and administrators as you try work this out with hope and optimism. I sent three children to public schools in Eureka, K-college, and they had great educational opportunities. But it was only as good as it was because of the people who cooperated and gave so much, not because of the endless bickering naysayers.
Very interesting group of comments. Ryan’s article hit a nerve (and probably many guilty consciences). In my view the charter school movement is a place holder for the voucher system that aims to destroy public education, i. e., private schools financed by public money. In some cases astounding results are produced (e.g., Northcoast prep in Arcata that ranks tenth of all US high schools while educating a suspiciously small number of students); on a nationwide basis charter schools perform about the same as the normal public schools. Parenthetically, what is Fortuna Prep prepping their students for?
In the specific case of Fortuna Prep, 4 of the 5 self-described brilliant and innovative founders were attempting to save (and successful) their jobs under threat of layoff. Forget about the brilliant and innovative faculty who got laid off in their stead. As a retired teacher I am familiar with the inflated rhetoric schools use to justify their existences.
And thanks Ryan for the excellent expose – I’ve long wanted the Journal to examine the local excess of charter schools.
Excellent post Bill.
“A charter school is a public school…”
…like a restaurant is a public restaurant .
Dear Bilbo,
If you are going to say that certain schools “suck”, use your real name please.
“OK…so take you little hands out of the public cookie jar!”
Don’t forget that parents at Redwood Prep are putting “cookies” into that jar. And if you believe this article we are putting in a lot more cookies. Because we’re the rich people right?
I would like to start out by saying: My children attend South Fortuna School, and I DON’T resent Redwood Prep Charter. WHOA! I embrace the fact that these teachers and parents have joined together to provide the best education and environment that they can for their children. More power to them. I do however resent the fact that RP can effectively come into the public school that they previously shunned and do a hostile takeover of space that the children and administrators at South Fortuna School clearly don’t have to give – because it’s their right to demand it. South Fortuna worked hard to come up with an offer and was met with “that’s not enough”. “Redwood Prep MUST have more space.” “Redwood Prep children MUST have their own bathroom.” Really? South Fortuna doesn’t have the space to give!!
I’m not complaining about Redwood Prep. But I absolutely will complain about the resources that my children will lose because RP has the “Right to Demand”: special education classrooms, art/music classrooms, technology labs, and indoor fitness space, also non-teaching space such as administrative offices, multipurpose room, gym space, staff lounge, cafeteria, nurse’s office, copy room, parking, play fields, library and kitchen, with a copy room and a teacher/lunch space, too. All of this will negatively impact my children.
I won’t claim to be an expert on either side of this debate, but I did take the time to read all 12 pages of the online article. I even took the time to read all 80+ comments. I have yet to see one post or fact or even a suggestion of how this ‘sharing of space’ will benefit the children currently at South Fortuna School. All I saw in the comments were supporters of RP vehemently defending insults they thought they saw in the article. One supporter after another restating the same great things that RP has to offer- over and over again. But still nothing talking about the benefits to ALL of the children in Fortuna’s School Districts.
Redwood Prep could end much of the conflict regarding the merger of space, which will surely happen whether we like it or not, by stop pointing out that they are just trying to do what’s best for “their” children; and by starting to cite facts about how ALL Fortuna District children will benefit.