HomeMy Public PortalAbout19-086 - Supporting the Parents, Teachers and Students of Catskill Elementary SchoolRESOLUTION NO. 19-086
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARSON,
CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING THE PARENTS, TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS OF CATSKILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THEIR
OPPOSITION TO THE APPROVAL BY THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED
SCHOOL DISTRICT APPROVING THE CO -LOCATION OF A PRIVATE
CHARTER SCHOOL ON THEIR CAMPUS
WHEREAS, Proposition 39, The Smaller Classes, Safer Schools and Financial
Accountability Act of 2000 ("Prop. 39") is a state law passed by California voters in 2000,
which requires school districts to make facilities (including both classroom and non -
classroom spaces) available to public charter schools serving students who reside in the
district; and
WHEREAS, Prop. 39 amended Section 47614 of the California Education Code, which
declared the intent of the people that public school facilities should be shared fairly among
all public school pupils, including those in charter schools; and
WHEREAS, after the passage of Prop. 39, each school district must make available, to
each eligible charter school operating in the district, facilities sufficient for the charter
school to accommodate all of its in -district students in conditions reasonably equivalent to
those in which the students would be accommodated if they were attending other public
schools of the district; and
WHEREAS, in 2003 the Los Angeles Unified School District ("LAUSD") determined that
Prop. 39 established that charter school students that live within LAUSD boundaries are
entitled to space at the LAUSD district schools they would have otherwise attended; and,
that all Los Angeles County residents, including parents of charter school students, pay
rent/property taxes that go towards LAUSD facilities; and, therefore, charter schools' in—
district students are legally entitled to space on LAUSD campuses; and
WHEREAS, each year LAUSD must undergo a space identification process to meet
Proposition 39 facilities requests submitted by charter schools; and
WHEREAS, in 2018 LAUSD received a proposal from GANAS Academy to co -locate on the
campus of Catskill Elementary School in the City of Carson, and teachers at Catskill Elementary
School were notified of the request on December 13, 2018 under the provisions of Prop. 39; and
WHEREAS, Catskill Elementary School has served students in Carson for 71 years as a
public school; and
WHEREAS, under Section 47614 and its own policies LAUSD offered GANAS Academy
the Catskill Elementary School site on February 26; and
WHEREAS, Catskill Elementary School currently has 522 students, 30'0 of whom are English
Language Learners and 90'0 of whom qualify for Federal Title 1 funding, and the parents and
RESOLUTION NO. 19-086
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teachers at Catskill Elementary School believe the co -location of a private Charter School will
destabilize the learning environment of a demographically challenged but improving school; and
WHEREAS, the parents and teachers at Catskill Elementary School believe the facilities
analysis of the school conducted by LAUSD, which determined sufficient unutilized or
underutilized classrooms, is flawed, as these rooms contribute to the enrichment of the school as
computer or science labs, are used for mental health services or interventions, and as art spaces,
and the co -location of a private Charter School will contribute to loss or diminishment of these
services and denigrate the resources and facilities, and produce a negative effect on the quality of
education of Catskill Elementary School students, and ultimately a decline in enrollment; and
WHEREAS, a decline in enrollment at Catskill Elementary School could result in the
further loss of teachers, Federal Title 1 funding, and other LAUSD resources; and
WHEREAS, LAUSD has received thousands of signatures from the Carson community opposing
this action, and parents and teachers have petitioned the City on behalf of students at Catskill
Elementary School for support of their position prior to the May 1, 2019 deadline for GANAS
Academy to accept the LAUSD offer of the facility and entering into an agreement for the
space.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Carson, California
supports the parents, teachers and students of Catskill Elementary School in their opposition to
LAUSD's decision to co -locate GANAS Academy, a private charter school, on their campus.
PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED this 26'x' day of April, 2019.
[Signatures on Following Page]
RESOLUTION NO. 19-086
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APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Ch ' topher Neumey r, ity Attorney
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES } ss.
CITY OF CARSON )
CITY OF CARSON:
edric Hicks, Mayor Pro Tem
ATTEST:
Donesia Gause-Aldana, MMC, City Clerk
I, Donesia Gause-Aldana, City Clerk of the City of Carson, California, hereby attest to and certify that the
foregoing resolution, being Resolution No. 19-086, adopted by the City of Carson City Council at its
meeting held on April 26, 2019, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Hicks, Davis -Holmes, Dear
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Robles, Hilton
Donesia Gause-Aldana, MMC, City Clerk