Support Our Schools: Stop Charter Co-Locations in Alameda

By Jenya Cassidy

My family has been lucky to be part of the Henry Haight Elementary School community since my twin daughters started kindergarten. One of my twins had a rough start in school. She had teachers who were firm with her yet very encouraging and I credit them with the love of learning and self-confidence she has in herself today.

Haight parents and teachers take pride in our award-winning Title 1 public school. Henry Haight serves a diverse student body and provides excellent special education services as well as meeting the educational needs of new English speakers. It is important to support public schools like Henry Haight – schools that serve all families are the key to healthy, thriving communities.

This is why I oppose the AUSD plan to place a new charter - Academy of Alameda (AOA) elementary on the Henry Haight campus. The current AOA Middle School is expanding to become an elementary school and the Alameda Unified School District is proposing Henry Haight Elementary as a potential site for the new school. This plan would negatively impact Henry Haight students. Henry Haight Elementary is at capacity with our current enrollment and this plan would displace important programs to our school community including ELD (classes for new English learners) and Special Education classes.

California’s Prop 39 mandates that school districts find space for new charters. But it seems like bad policy, unjustly implemented, to displace thriving public schools in favor of charter start-ups. Charter schools – publicly funded but privately run – do not have all of the same legal requirements public schools have to serve every student. To co-locate, and displace public school programs, forces our public schools to do the same with less space and less resources. This is patently unfair and negatively impacts the public school population.

Since I’ve been an AUSD parent, I’ve only seen Title 1 schools, serving low income communities, as the target for co-locations. Two years ago, Wood Middle School went through costly renovations to accommodate ACLC charter school. The Wood Community, including many elementary school parents of future Wood students, vehemently opposed this co-location as it displaced special education classes and was disruptive to the school’s work on improving instruction for Wood students. In fact, this co-location was found to be so disruptive that it was swiftly cancelled.

I am sure that AOA parents and AUSD administrators do not want to displace Henry Haight students or, for that matter, disrupt programs at any other elementary school. Instead, the District and AOA should support schools like Henry Haight and build a relationship with this vibrant community. It would be better to hold back on the AOA expansion until we identify both the real need for a new school and an appropriate location that doesn’t negatively impact others.

Please join with Henry Haight parents and community members at the School Board meeting this Tuesday, January 27 as we speak in opposition to this co-location and other co-locations that would impact our AUSD public schools.

Stand with us as we stand up for our schools.

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