Danette Goulet
COSTA MESA -- With less than two weeks to go before a crucial public
hearing on a charter school proposal submitted by parents, Newport-Mesa
Unified School District officials are carefully scrutinizing the
document.
And unless they find major problems, state law requires that they
approve the charter.
The requirements are vague enough, however, that proponents are
staying on their toes.
"If the thing is legally sound, they are bound by law to approve it,
but if they find loopholes that may cause them legal liability, they are
still the ones that could be held responsible," said John Daffron,
principal author of the proposal and principal of the proposed charter
school.
School board members have until Dec. 27 to approve or reject a
petition submitted last month that calls for the creation of Mesa
Leadership Academy. The deadline may be extended if petitioners ask for
extra time to rework the document after the public hearing Dec. 5.
Proponents hope to open the academy in September, with about 320
students in kindergarten through third grade. Fourth and fifth grades are
planned to be added over the next two years.
Charter schools are public institutions that usually are organized by
local groups of parents, teachers or community leaders.
The specific goals and operating procedures are detailed in an
agreement, or "charter," with the local school board.
In Newport-Mesa, the district's close scrutiny of Mesa Leadership
Academy's charter is more than officials just covering their bases, said
Supt. Robert Barbot.
"If we have a charter school, we want a top-notch charter school," he
said.
That is why Barbot and his staff have taken the 42-page proposal and
are examining it to make sure it meets the 14 required elements of a
charter petition, which also are dictated by state law.
At the public hearing, Barbot will give a full report on how sound the
district staff found the charter to be. Those findings then will dictate
the next course of action.
"One of three things could happen," he said. "It could be the perfect
proposal and it could pass right there. They could shoot it down, but
that is not our intention. Or, what I see happening is we will offer
feedback that they will be able to address and make corrections. We will
tell them exactly what they need to do."
Charter school advocates said they are open to all discussions with
district officials.
"We want to create a school that is sound in all respects," said Kara
Chitjian Handy, president of the charter's executive board.
