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August 28, 2013· santaclarita.com · SantaClarita.com (SCVTalk 5.0) · Wayback capture

Einstein T.O. Charter Denied Home, Plus Possible SIte for SCV'ers

By Mike Devlin

With their SCV K-6 location in limbo, the Albert Einstein Academy has been in a similar fight in Ventura County over their new 6-12 charter school that they hoped to open on Sept. 3 in Thousand Oaks. The city claimed that their site wasn't zoned for a school and the Einstein people appealed to the Ventura County Board of Education for a zoning waiver, which the board denied on Monday night.

The Ventura County Star has the story, but thanks to their new paywall1, so we don't have a link, but the Star's reporter, Wendy Leung, was live-tweeting the meeting, so yeah for Twitter.

The City of Thousand Oaks was there to assert that they, and not the county BoE, are the zoning authority (so even if Einstein had prevailed, they might have had another fight on their hands). And the city attorney suggested the school may have been breaking the law by constructing classrooms without a permit. The board voted 4-1 to deny (Einstein needed 4 votes to approve), sending the Einstein crew back to the drawing board with the city.

So while this may leave the new TO Einstein Charter without a home, I'm reading scattered reports via Facebook that their new SCV K-6 charter may have worked out a facilities sharing arrangement with the Acton-Agula Dulce School District for (at least) the upcoming semester. 

1I'm hearing more and more about how tight paywalls are working well for local newspapers. It's probably a matter of time before The Signal does the same, and while I think it's a good thing for the survival of the local daily, we're losing something in the process. Of course, readers of SCVTalk won't pay for a login to Ventura County Star or the AV Press, so in a sense, we're back to 1993.


Comments (111)

  1. VickiThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 8:29 am
    Yes, AEA will be at Agua Dulce Elementary School at the invitation of Agua Dulce. They are opening on September 9. Transportation will be available for those who need it. I have heard that this is a temporary arrangement, while they get the Rye Canyon facility permitted and built out.
  2. VickiThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 8:32 am
    On the Thousand Oaks issue, the Thousand Oaks Acorn has the story this morning. http://www.toacorn.com/news/2013-08-29/Fro
  3. Timothy Myers, Sr.Thursday, August 29th, 2013 at 8:47 am
    The family that purchased our home was planning on sending their children to AEA Elementary. I wonder how they feel about now having to truck them all the way up to Aqua Dulce (or send them to and from on a bus) when their is (at least from our children's experience) a perfectly good elementary school in the neighborhood.
  4. SmithThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 1:09 pm
    AEA was granted the Acton Agua Dulce charter petition with option to locate a site in the SCV only on the premise that there was no suitable facility available in that district. So, how is there now suddenly space available for AEA in Acton? Local families who are choosing AEA as an option would be wise to investigate why a stop work order was put in place for the Rye Canyon site.
  5. Rita GoThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
    A stop work order was put in place because they were doing work without getting permits or going through the planning process. Pretty simple.
  6. Rita GoThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 2:24 pm
    Illegal construction to be frank.
  7. VickiFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 9:45 am
    Legally, AEA had to show that there was no appropriate space within the Agua Dulce district boundaries in order to open a school in a neighboring district (which they thought was Saugus but ended up being Castaic). The petition to Agua Dulce mentions that a realtor had done a search in Agua Dulce and came up without an adequate location, although that attachment/letter was not attached to the online copy of the petition. My understanding is that, according to the petition, they were looking to lease a space, so perhaps the Agua Dulce Elementary School wasn't considered as available space because it was already being used for Agua Dulce students and wouldn't be a typical "lease" situation. That is my giving them the benefit of the doubt. However when you look at the reporting on the issue in KHTS, it is clear that this was a deal that Agua Dulce made with AEA -- they would let them open their school in Saugus District (oops, Castaic!) only if, in return, AEA opened dependent charters within Agua Dulce over the coming years. It was a compromise, with each party getting what they wanted. Unfortunately for AEA, their plans didn't quite work out on their Saugus/Castaic location (those pesky rules always get in the way), but, fortunately for Agua Dulce, they have a year's head-start on getting an AEA-style education into their Elementary School. Maybe this will give their community a little sneak peek at what AEA is like (it would be hard to miss all those 650 uniform-clad kids getting off the bus at their little school and staying at after-care till 7:00 p.m. every night). So then, next year, when AEA is supposed to open a dependent charter at Agua Dulce Elementary, all the parents will be on board and excited, and it will keep families in the district (which is the school district's end goal). Maybe Agua Dulce is the winner in the end.
  8. ValerieThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 4:00 pm
    There is an empty elementary school site in Acton (it was replaced by Meadowlark Elementary). I'm not sure why they just don't use that.
  9. Timothy Myers, Sr.Thursday, August 29th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
    Acton/Aqua Dulce named a school after a Harlem Globetrotter?
  10. csmithThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 4:22 pm
    Exactly, that site has been available all this time. Yet, AEA sought and was granted the option to locate a site in the SCV only based on the legal requirement that no site was available in the chartering district. It was not until the City of Santa Clarita stopped work on their Rye Canyon site and AEA found their backs against the wall did they come clean about available space in Acton. The City stopped work at the Rye Canyon site citing numerous safety concerns on a building meant to house small children. AEA is facing challenges every where it tries to locate- see this story about the same tactics they used in Ventura County- http://www.toacorn.com/news/2013-08-29/Fro If three local school districts and the City find reasons why these folks should not be operating a school in this community then there is cause for concern. It's also important to remember that charters are public schools supported by public tax dollars. Those tax dollars are being drained from our local schools to support this chaos. Shameful! So sad for local families who are being dragged along in this mess.
  11. ValerieThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 4:44 pm
    Well, I have two siblings who are planning to attend AEA. I appreciate that they tried to find an SCV location as that is the location we signed up for. They were trying to honor the agreement they made to parents. The Acton site has been out of use for... what? 15 years? Possibly more?... it's probably cheaper to renovate a new space that meets current codes than renovate that site. All the AEA hate is great and all, but remember that the children attempting to attend that school aren't all able to attend SCV schools. Most of them -- MOST OF THEM -- are being bussed in from other ****ty districts. They don't have other options. Their options are go to a ****ty school in a ****ty district or AEA, because they sure as hell can't afford a private school. The kids who won the lottery are counting on this.
  12. Phil EllisThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 4:53 pm
    I am not aware of any****ty schools or ****ty districts in the Santa Clarita Valley.
  13. Castaic ResidentSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 2:32 pm
    I agree, really all 800 schools or above. I don't find that worthy of ****ty schools. I understand that the kids are counting on this but for god sake, at what point in time do you pay attention to safety and honesty? I would rather home school then send my children to be in a school that AEA is proposing, if the get a waiver, REALLY!
  14. VickiFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 9:57 am
    My understanding is that there was no "agreement" to honor when people signed up for AEA. The location at Rye Canyon wasn't announced until long after the lottery and the enrollment forms were due, and the "announcement" came by way of some sleuthing by the local media. So, when parents signed up for this school, they were basing their decisions solely on the verbal promises given by AEA leadership. And we can see how well those promises are working out for people, both here in SCV and in Thousand Oaks! My dad always taught me that nothing is real until it's in writing. So...Agua Dulce it is! And, as far as AEA kids being bussed in from ****ty districts, what are you talking about? SCVNews.com reported that "The site has received 303 requests for Saugus Union School District students; 41 students for Sulphur Springs School District students; 70 students from Newhall; and 32 students from CUSD." And we know that the Acton Agua Dulce District got 10 spots. Which of these districts are ****ty?
  15. LocalGrlFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:20 pm
    Has anyone noticed that those numbers don't even come close to adding up to 650 with a waiting list?
  16. VickiSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:06 am
    Yes, I noticed that. I'm not sure what the "requests" are that SCVNews.com is reporting. The point is that commenter Valerie said that most of the AEA kids were being bussed in from ****ty districts, but the information from SCVNews.com wouldn't support that claim, unless she meant that Saugus, Sulphur Springs, Newhall, Castaic, and Agua Dulce are ****ty districts.
  17. csmithThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 4:51 pm
    I don't think that's accurate. No child would be denied access to our local public schools. Since all local school districts exceed state standards for strong academics by every measure- what sub standard districts are these kids being busses from?
  18. nficThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 6:26 pm
    Article in the Thousand Oaks Acorn about the Einstein Academy. Go to their website to find it.
  19. Castaic ResidentFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 12:36 am
    Charter Schools can be a great thing when they follow the rules and look out for the safety of the children. The problem with AEA is the fact that they do not do things the right was which concerns me when we are entrusting our children to them during the day. A stop work order was issued by the City of Santa Clarita came up with a 8 page document that issued concerns like "the safety of the structure of the site". Look into it people...there are plenty of other Charters Schools or Public Schools that can offer a great education to our children and keep them safe and out of harms way.
  20. VickiFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 9:34 am
    Yesterday on their Facebook page, AEA said that construction at Rye Canyon will take 3 weeks, and then the rest of the timeline to open there depends on the city's permitting process. (This question and response has since been removed from the page.) Given the reports from others on this blog about the safety issues raised by the city, I'm guessing that it could be a while before they can open at Rye Canyon, if at all. We have seen in Thousand Oaks that safety and process can still trump a mismanaged organization's promises. I hope that Santa Clarita City takes its time to make sure the process is followed (including a public meeting as part of the permitting process) because, in the end, it really IS about the safety of the kids and staff. Given the traffic issues alone, I can't imagine the place getting an easy approval, but we shall see. In the meantime, parents are being told by AEA that the Agua Dulce location is temporary -- "just a couple of weeks" or "a month" (what I've been told by friends). A quick call to Agua Dulce Elementary School on Frascati Street confirms that the AEA students will be attending there, along with the 150 or so kids who already go there, and that they are planning for them to be there for a couple of months. Probing and "unsupportive" questions and comments on the AEA Facebook page are being left unanswered, or are being answered only to be taken down by the page administrators soon thereafter, I imagine so as not to prompt a mass exodus if parents really knew the whole story, or if they started sensing that they are not the only ones questioning their decision. Honestly, I have friends whose kids are enrolled for the AEA elementary school, and I support their quest for whatever type of education and environment they want for their kids. It's the dishonesty, the lack of transparency, and lack of integrity on the part of the AEA leadership that is most concerning to me, as well as the half-a**'ed nature with which they approach everything, and their apparent disregard for safety and process. Please keep covering this issue here on SantaClarita.com because it's important that parents make informed decisions about what they're getting into, and the information is sometimes hard to come by.
  21. VickiSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:09 am
    Update - the AEA SCV K-6 Facebook page no longer allows people to post questions or comments to their page except in response to an AEA-generated post. No blame placed - it's a smart move.
  22. Don't AskFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 1:21 pm
    I know 3 people who pulled their kids out of SUSD for this AEA thing. All they would do is talk about how great it is going to be. Now, you can hardly get a word out of them because they are too embarrassed. One of them is on the AEA board also and all of a sudden she doesn't speak of the school or answer any questions.
  23. JackieSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 3:35 pm
    I'll assume you're talking about me and have never avoided one question. Funny how I use my real name and you don't.
  24. JackieSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 3:38 pm
    By the way, I'm just as supportive and excited as I've ever been. You clearly know me and don't have the common decency to come directly to me to ask your questions.
  25. LocalGrlSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 11:12 pm
    I don't see anyone named Jackie listed on the AEA website as being on their board.
  26. LilaFortFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 5:22 pm
    [Beyond the facade of well-mannicured lawns, lies Tyranny that pervades Santa Clarita] Most of the commentators against AEA have some vested interest in the School Districts or Teachers Union (they probably work for the Districts or Union, or benefit from the Districts somehow. I'm really amazed at how the Santa Clarita's "powers that be" work hand in hand to bring down their opponents). Otherwise, why would some bystander not part of the fray go to the lengths of "investigating" AEA? From the beginning, the Districts were against AEA because they didn't want competition taking away their students (or more to put it more aptly, $$$) and the Teachers Union were against AEA because they are a grassroots charter school that won't employ unionized teachers. Whatever may or may not be the faults of AEA (and don't believe everything you hear or read), the faults of the School Districts & Teacher's Union are many: 1) Class sizes have become too large for 1 teacher with no aide to appropriately manage 2) Art, Music, PE etc, taken away 3) Emphasis on teaching to the test 4) No focus on creativity, inspiring minds & intellect 5) No tailoring education to the individual child, a one-size-fits all approach 6) No emphasis on educating the student to compete with the rest of the world 7) If you want to talk about lack of transparency, the local Districts are far from being transparent & full of problems & issues 8) Districts & Teachers Union protecting teachers that have personality issues, conduct issues, lack of performance. There are many parents & students who complain about the way that they were treated by teachers and despite complaints, nothing was done about them (in fact the District & Union circled their wagons around them). Regarding the Districts test scores, if the school spends the majority of time teaching to the test, then I guess the end result would be what they want. However, are the children really learning critical thinking skills, creativity & performance to compete in today's international global market? Let's not sit on our laurels and congratulate ourselves on our scores (good scores compared to what, the rest of California? California is educationally behind the rest of the country and USA is behind the rest of the modernized countries). Also, the Districts blame the sub-groups (like the English language Learners, the low socio-economic demographic & special needs demographic) for the lower scores. Instead of blaming them, how about appropriately addressing their needs so that they can score higher on the tests. AEA is a grassroots organization that tried to change all that. They have a proven positive track record with the SCV AEA Jr High/ High & SCV San Diego Schools (Why doesn't anyone on this board mention that?) Think hard about why despite all the roadblocks that the local Districts & Teacher's Union put in the way of AEA, AEA SCV Elementary came to even exist? It seems like a miracle that it even made it this far. Let's ask ourselves the following: Why did thousands of students apply to AEA despite the fact that AEA never advertised? Why did so many enroll despite not even knowing where exactly the campus would be? Why are so many still enrolled despite now knowing that they will have to commute to the school? Why would SCV students pack up & commute for AEA when so many good schools are here? Ask yourself that.
  27. MikeFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 5:45 pm
    Oddly conspiratorial.
  28. Son of WinklerFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 7:26 pm
    How come no one talks about Einstein missing a payroll?
  29. VickiSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:11 am
    Please elaborate.
  30. LocalGrlFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 9:41 pm
    Much of what is on your list of "faults" of the school districts is outright lies at worst, misinformation at best. So, do you figure, LilaFort, that the City of Santa Clarita has somehow conspired with the City of Thousand Oaks, the Ventura Counta Board of Education, and the Los Angeles Board of Education as well? Oh, and the Unions and School Districts here also? Here's a little quote that just might be applicable: "If one man calls you an ass, ignore him. If two men call you an ass, start looking for tracks. If three men call you an ass, put on a harness." Chinese proverb
  31. LilaFortFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 10:11 pm
    Much of the list of "faults" is true, especially regarding parents & students complaints. It's quite true that the Districts (whether its SCV or Thousand Oaks) do not want charters to take away its students. By the way, as I've stated below, during AEA's appeal of Saugus Union School District's denial, even the Superintendent of LACOE was in approval of allowing the AEA SCV elementary charter. Even the board voted 3-2 in favor of AEA. If not for a board vacancy & absence, AEA's appeal may have succeeded. I think especially this board is full of commentators who are part of the District and/or Union and/or benefit from the Districts.
  32. LocalGrlFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:15 pm
    1) Yes, class sizes are too big. Draining more $$ from our local districts will not help with that problem. 2) Art, music, and P.E. are going strong. The state not only requires elementary schools to teach P.E., it requires that it be taught by credentialed teachers and audits compliance. Music is still taught, and in most local elementary schools is taught by specialized music teachers. West Creek has a great partnership with Cal Arts, and several other schools work with the L.A. Music Center. Art is taught in all local schools as well. Perhaps you are not aware that the Kennedy Center has an entire cohort of teachers from every district in the SCV that has been working specifically on arts integration. 3) A certain amount of that does exist, and it will exist at AEA by necessity as well. If schools don't do well in testing, the government will pull funding or shut schools down. Charter schools operate under the same conditions. If this is a concern to you, you should be active in petitioning your government representatives to stop high-stakes testing. 4) See #2. Also consider SUSD's new STEM school, Emblem Academy, award-winning arts, media, and science programs at Castaic Middle School and Hart District Schools, and partnerships with organizations such as the Mary Pickford Institute. 5) See #2 and #4. Consider that all of the local districts have Special Ed students with IEPs, ELL students with language needs, students in GATE programs, students with 504's, and students who move from other districts who come in low and struggling. Einstein's demographics have almost zero representation from these subgroups. 6) They're competing pretty damned well with the rest of the world on their test scores. 7) I don't know if the local districts are transparent, but I know I can find financial statements, board agendas, and minutes on the internet. It also appears that they at least attempt to comply with local regulations. Einstein, not so much. Not here, not in Thousand Oaks. 8) While there are imperfect people, including teachers, everywhere, you make it sound as if the local districts are full of horrible teachers. This is simply not true. Our schools are great. They can and do hire the cream of the crop. Einstein elementary has hired almost entirely brand-new teachers or staff who have been out of teaching for many years. Of course the local districts don't want to lose students. Why should they have to shut down fabulous, high-performing neighborhood schools so that a minority (not thousands) of elitists can move their children to a quasi-private/public school just because it has the word "charter" in the name?
  33. WalkerSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 8:58 am
    I suppose it depends on the school and district, but I have to disagree that music and art are being taught in he local schools. Our experience was that the only music was whatever yearly production the kids put on. They didn't learn about music at all, only the silly song that went along w/the theme for their production (Thanksgiving in K, Animals in 1, Plants in 2, SCV in 3rd, etc). There was absolutely no music curriculum outside of those performances. No composers, no music and it's cultural context, no introduction to instruments or writing, no analysis of lyrics. Nothing. The art program was Meet the Masters, which was implemented by parent volunteers (I was one of them). It was better than nothing, but really it was simply an introduction to the artist, a video, a scripted 'art' project. You're right. We do now have some educational diversity in the form of West Creek and Emblem. Each was a SUSD reaction to families leaving for something different (charters). I'm glad they district is listening, I hope they continue to listen. It's important to point out though that this wasn't some epiphany of the district or benevolent effort to provide parents what they were looking for. I'm glad the charters forced them to rethink what local families valued for their children's education and provide their own programs that attracted those families back to SUSD schools. If only they were willing to reassess their programs on a broader scale. AEA wouldn't be 'stealing' the districts precious ADA if they offered a program parents felt was equal to or better than the AEA experience.
  34. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 1:49 am
    Walker: I agree with your statement!
  35. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 1:38 am
    LocalGirl: I'm responding to your above points: 1) You state that AEA will drain $$ from the local districts. This is America. Competition is the essence of Democracy. Since when should local public schools have monopoly over the students? A student should be able to attend whatever school that will meet their individual needs. It's use of phrases like "draining more $$ from local districts" that clearly show how the Districts think that students equate to dollars, not individual children who have to be appropriately educated. 2) You state that Art, Music, PE is going strong in the local districts. Your statement is false. On the whole, in the local districts, Art, Music, and PE are NOT being taught by teachers specifically educated, trained, & credentialed to teach in those subjects. Most often PE is being taught by the classroom teachers, Art & Music is often done by volunteer parents. Music theory, art appreciation, etc. are not being taught (let alone foreign language, etc.). Only a few schools like West Creek or Emblem get extra attention in such matters. It's a real shame, because the younger a child is, the more effective the programs are. For example: It makes no sense that foreign language is not taught until high school, when it's a clear scientific fact that the younger a child is the easier a child will grasp foreign language. 3) You state that some teaching to the test has to occur because testing is tied to funding. However to spend the majority of time teaching to the test and leaving little or no time to inspiring intellect, critical thinking, creativity, empirical knowledge, and a love of learning is not appropriately educating the students because it leaves students bored, disliking school, and ill-prepared for real life and in competing with the rest of the modern countries. 4) You state examples of districts' schools like Emblem & West Creek. It's not appropriate that only a few schools (like Emblem & West Creek) in the District are receiving art, music, foreign language, etc. The rest of the students deserve access to such education also. 5) You state that SCV AEA Elementary does not have at risk sub demographics like ESL, lower income, special needs students. This is NOT true. The students were admitted via lottery, therefore any child of such demographic had equal chance of getting in and have gotten in. All of those sub groups are at SCV AEA Elementary. Really, I'm sick of these false allegations. 6) You state that the local Districts are competing well with the rest of the nation & the world. The latest educational data about how California is trailing the nation and how the nation is trailing behind the rest of the world beg to differ. Just google it. Investigate into all that the rest of world is teaching their children and you will be amazed. When our children graduate and have to compete with the rest of the world in this modern technologically advanced global world that we currently live in, we will get a shock to our system. 7) Actually, I don't know of any local school districts that allowed parents to bold-face ask myriad of questions during their public Q & A sessions and on their facebook sites like AEA have done. 8) You question the experience of the AEA teachers because they're either new or out-of-experience. AEA teachers were handpicked by AEA staff & AEA parents for their great qualities. Note I said "parents": This really shows how AEA considers its parents as equal partners and shows great respect to parents & students' needs. I deeply resent your statement that AEA parents are "elitist", which is far from the truth. So are you then saying that only the elite deserve an appropriate education which includes art, music, PE, foreign language, enrichment programs, etc.? Exactly what does that say about how Districts feel that the "average" student should be educated? Are public school students not deserving of such "elitist" programs?
  36. LocalGrlMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 12:18 pm
    Lila, 1) Public schools are a PUBLIC service, set up for the PUBLIC good, not businesses. because in a democracy, we believe it's beneficial to have a well-educated populace. That a district would be concerned about losing money and having to close neighborhood schools shows that they know they need resources and facilities to provide a quality education to their children, not that they don't care about them. You can only spread the money so thin. 2) Apparently you don't understand what a multiple subject credential, the type K-6 educators hold, is. Classroom teachers are certified to teach those subjects. And some districts, such as Castaic, hire specially certified teachers to teach music and art. 3) Schools in the SCV absolutely do NOT spend "the majority" of time teaching to the test. 4) I didn't mention any school receiving foreign language. However, the examples of a few focus school does not mean that these things are not being offered anywhere. They just happen to be a few schools I am familiar with. I am very familiar with many of our local schools. The ones I know of all offer music, P.E., and art. 5) AEA does not have those demographics. Not sure how many times you can ignore people telling you that the statistics are readily available on the internet, but you just keep on keeping on. I'd venture that students from the wider demographics represented in our area schools are likely not applying to AEA. Likely they can't get to a location that is not walking distance from their home, as many of the lower socioeconomic groups are working and can't drive their children to school or don't own cars at all. That problem will be exacerbated with the new location, as they won't be able to afford gas or bus faire. AEA has intentionally opened in areas served by high-performing schools in upper middle class area. It's pretty clear that they are excluding certain demographics purely by location. That's called segregation. 6) The high-scoring countries in the world are testing very low poverty students. If you look at schools in middle-class America, we rank at the top. I don't need to Google, as I keep up on this information all the time. But again, I didn't make that statement about CA districts. Further, CA is not trailing other areas if you consider that we have rigorous standards, while other states have dumbed theirs down. One of the arguments for Common Core, which is based on standards from CA and other high-performing states. 7) You obviously haven't been to a board meeting at the districts. 8) Glad that the parents think a staff of inexperienced teachers is the best for your kids. Most surveys show that parents think experienced teachers are better. Who will lead these new people? You do have a few good experienced people, but not enough to lead. Good luck to you with that. I'm sorry you resent being called elitist, but truth can be painful. I believe you're elitist for claiming that the local high-performing districts don't have any of those things and for putting your schools in an area that is inaccessible to children who are poor and of color, thus excluding them.
  37. LilaFortTuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 4:40 pm
    LocaGrl: 1) You state that AEA is a business that will spread the public's funds thin. AEA is NOT a business, it's a grass roots non-profit charter started by local parents. AEA is a PUBLIC charter school. It serves the needs of the PUBLIC. SCV AEA Elementary allows ANY California resident to apply to SCV AEA, not just one local public school will be affected enough to have to shut down. 2) On the whole, from my & other parents' observations of the Districts, programs like PE is not being taught by a PE teacher. Art is not being taught by an art teacher, music is not being taught by a music teacher. A lot of the programs are being taught by volunteers. On the whole, In-depth & free teaching of PE (soccer, basketball, baseball, etc.), music (note reading, music appreciation, teaching of musical instruments, etc.), art (art appreciation, art theory & practice, etc), and foreign language is not being taught to local elementary Districts' students. Parents have to drive the kids & pay separately for all these enrichment programs all over town. There are exceptions at a handful of schools that you've mentions such as West Creek & Emblem. However, such programs should be accessible for free to all students, not just those who had the good fortune to attend the handful of schools. 3) A lot parents would beg to differ 4) Same as 2) 5) You state that AEA SCV Elementary does not have the at risk sub-groups (like ESL, low income, special needs). Once again this is NOT true. I met multiple students within these sub-groups at AEA, including children that I knew before AEA. The statistics on AEA SCV Elementary is not available on the internet yet, so I don't know what you're referring to when you're telling me that I'm ignoring the internet facts. Your statement that AEA tries to segregate and prevent the subgroups from coming is patently false. AEA offers busing to those who can't drive. AEA is offering free uniforms to those who can't afford it. AEA students who can't afford lunch will get free or low priced lunches. AEA does not just open in affluent areas and cater to affluent families. AEA San Diego with significant ESL & Low Income students: http://api.cde.ca.gov/Acnt2013/2013GrowthS Even AEA SCV Jr/ High DOES have ESL, low income, and Special Needs students (albeit, not as many, but the ones who are there look like they're doing fine) http://api.cde.ca.gov/Acnt2013/2013GrowthS 6) You state that California's education is competing well with the rest of the nation & world. Once again, I beg to differ. Just a simple google turns up many articles to the contrary. http://hechingerreport.org/content/in-glob http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/08/26/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/u 7) Board meetings don't always have all the people necessary from an individual school to ask questions. Also parents fear reprisals from asking too many probing questions. Parents of AEA feel free to ask anything, including probing questions, and I was one of many who did. 8) You state that AEA picked inexperience teachers. While some may have less experience then others, they all have great qualities without above mentioned "arrogrance". I'm sorry that you judge AEA parents as elitist without even knowing us. AEA parents want what's appropriate for their children to succeed and compete in this advanced technological world. As for the location, AEA picked a location that was available at the moment that was as appropriate for their needs (and busing is available to the temporary location). There was no intent to purposefully exclude anyone. Your accusations are once again offensive. As for accusations of being "elitist" and "segregation". I have some last thoughts for you. Why are the extra art, music & language programs being taught by the Districts in a handful of schools (some that are being financed in part by Mell-Roos fees like West Creek & Emblem.) West Creek is now closed to the general public enrollment, and both West Creek and Emblem are most accessible to those surrounding the schools. Like you said, what of the SCV students who can't walk to West Creek or Emblem. Does the argument of "segregating" apply to this situation? As for "segregation", what of the fact that many of the Special Needs students were transferred from local schools to Emblem. Does the term "segregation" apply to this situation?
  38. LocalGrlTuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 5:30 pm
    You've misquoted me again, you are wrong on several counts, and you STILL don't seem to understand what a multiple subject credential is. But that's okay, I'm quite done here.
  39. LocalGrlThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 10:19 pm
    Wait... I said I was done, but can't leave this one alone. The link you've posted re. AEA San Diego and its significant ESL and low income? AEA (Endeavor) San Diego just opened. It had no test scores last year. Those scores and stats are for Albert Einstein Academy, a different charter with a nearly identical name, a school that existed in San Diego before the new AEA Endeavor. http://www.aeacs.org/ And perhaps you might want to read this article, which quotes an Einstein Superintendent regarding the areas AEA targets for its schools: http://blog.cleveland.com/westshoresun/201
  40. LilaFortTuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 4:58 pm
    Here's some more articles about US education falling behind the world: http://newsone.com/2412573/problems-with-u http://www.npr.org/2010/12/07/131884477/St http://neatoday.org/2011/09/20/is-the-u-s-
  41. Tim JonesTuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 5:43 pm
    LilaFort, Charter Schools are a good thing, and are necessary to over come the "blob" of institutional public education. However, AEA and its Exec. Director are the problem. Secrecy, deception, and skirting the laws are not qualities that I want my children to learn. AEA leadership is demonstrating qualities that I do NOT want my children to mirror. Charters School = YES. AEA = NO!
  42. LilaFortTuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 11:47 pm
    Mr. Jones: I appreciate your good sense in appreciating the value of charters. However, I have to disagree with you that AEA administrators are the problem. AEA SCV Jr High/ High location was completed in a few months, so AEA thought that the same could be done for AEA Elementary. AEA administrators were trying to get the elementary school for this school year in response to the overwhelming parent interest and demand. As we know, some have waited over 2 years for the elementary to open. However, as we all know AEA SCV Elementary is facing current local resistance from the "powers that be" and there were some issues that came up that AEA could not forsee. AEA SCV Jr High/ High did not face the same amount resistance that the AEA SCV Elementary does. As for the issue of transparency, I'll leave you with this thought: Even though AEA is doing what it should and doing the best it can, some things cannot always be made apparent for fear of how the opposition may use it against AEA.
  43. Tim JonesThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 10:24 pm
    Get real. How hard is it to follow the regulations/laws to renovate the Rye Canyon building. The stop work order was only issued by the City of Santa Clarita as a last resort to get AEA to comply. Why does AEA leadership continue to LIE to the parents that Acton site will only be temporary for a few months when AEA informs local officials that they plan on being at Acton for 180 days. Just be honest with yourself that AEA leadership is a "joke". When you state, "...some things cannot always be made apparent for fear of how the opposition may use it against AEA." Fear about the "opposition" is ridicules. AEA is its worst enemy.
  44. mominthescvThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 8:36 pm
    LilaFort is spot on. Sorry, LocalGrl, but my children have been in SUSD schools for the past seven years. WHEN they have had a PE class (and I stress WHEN), they have been taught by incompetent aides, at best. More often than not, their classroom teachers were forced the run the "class." The only art that exists is paid for by the PTA and utilizes volunteers. How do I know this? I was on our school's PTA board for MANY years. There is NO music program for SUSD schools other than West Creek. Apparently, they received an "anonymous" grant for its music program. Not hard to figure out where that grant came from: Prior to the opening of West Creek, there were only 56 students living in the school's home area. All of a sudden, SUSD closes down Bouquet Cyn. elementary, makes West Creek an "academy" and sales increase in the Lennar neighborhoods. Our school had a music program--again, paid for by our PTA and administered by volunteers. The award-winning SUSD school that my children attend have no GATE program to speak of. Sure, they identify children as GATE (including my son, who consistently scores at the top of the state in his STAR tests) because they receive money from the state. Where these funds go is anyone's guess. In seven years, I have NEVER experienced any type of a gate program at our school. The scores in many of the district schools are artificially inflated because certain sub-groups are not included. The people I know who are against AEA are district officials and teachers' union members. The attractiveness of charter schools has much to do with the fact that these schools can offer wonderful educational programs and not be held hostage to teachers who have no business being in the classroom (other than attaining the coveted tenure that effectively guarantees them a job for life--regardless of merit). The same goes for administrators who are motivated by numbers--not by the needs of children. One of the main issues parents have with our school districts is the circle of protection offered to bad teachers. Most of the teachers we have had throughout the years are fantastic--but it only takes one to sour the batch. My son's teacher last year harassed and degraded him because . . . wait for it . . .she said he was too smart. She told him that if he didn't answer so many questions, the kids might like him better. You can't make this stuff up. For the record, my child WAS a very well-adjusted, athletic child who was popular with his classmates. I know this because I volunteered every day at our school. Flash forward to several months with this useless excuse for a teacher and he was having severe migraines from stress. Fortunately, our principal is fantastic and was able to move him to a wonderful teacher. The damage, though, was done. Guess what happened to that teacher? Exactly. Nothing. Finally: Jackie is, indeed, a real person and a member of the AEA board. She has never hidden her identity nor has she failed to answer any questions. Anyone who says differently is being dishonest.
  45. LocalGrlThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 8:58 pm
    My point was that the other person could well have been someone other than Jackie, not that Jackie didn't exist. Sounds like you've been unhappy with your children's school. Most of the schools in the SUSD are quite different. Your own Mrs. Denny was a music teacher at an SUSD school. For someone who taught something that didn't exist, you all seem to think she's pretty qualified.
  46. LocalGrlThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 10:51 pm
    Oh, and? The state cut GATE funding years ago. SUSD has done a good job of identifying GATE students and differentiating instruction in the classroom despite the cuts. Sub groups aren't reported? Exactly how is SUSD getting away with that, since the state is the entity that reports on ALL sub groups, unless a particular group is so small that reporting test scores publicly for it would make the scores identifiable for specific students? Are you saying SUSD is hiding students that the state doesn't know about? They're not on the rolls? SUSD carries those kids for free (no ADA) so as not to have to report their test scores? Every student in the district takes the CST or the CMA (for special ed kids who qualify) with exceedingly rare exceptions. All is kept under ridiculous security, and scored by the state, not the district. Percentages of kids taking the test are reported along with scores. If you add the CST and CMA scores reported on the state website, the percentage of kids taking the tests and having their scores reported is around 99%. I'd say that's pretty darned good considering that there is a population of kids in severe special education classes that may not be able to take a test of any kind due to disability. Who ARE you people and where the heck do you get your information? Parent gossip at the kid pickup line?
  47. mominthescvThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 11:04 pm
    And who are YOU and where do you get YOUR information if you think the SUSD does a good job with differentiated instruction? Probably a tenured SUSD teacher. It's funny how you are so quick to disregard anyone who disagrees with you. The SUSD has done a fantastic job keeping its special needs students and ELL at specific campuses, which adversely affects reported scores. It's alo interesting how you refer to AEA parents as elitist. Would you say the same for West Creek and Emblem parents? Those schools are far less accessible for the majority of children in Santa Clarita, but no one wants to admit that little fact.
  48. LocalGrlThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 11:22 pm
    Actually I'm the parent of an SUSD GATE student. I am not an SUSD teacher. The ELLs go to school where they live. They happen to be concentrated in certain areas of town. Special education students who are not mainstreamed go to certain campuses because there aren't enough of them to form the specialized classes they need at every campus and because they need specialized facilities. Mainstreamed special education students are on every campus in the district.
  49. LocalGrlThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 11:23 pm
    And why are you so quick to disrespect the current SUSD teachers?
  50. mominthescvThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 10:54 pm
    LocalGrl, you seem to think that AEA teachers are unqualified. Many of the teachers that were hired came from our local districts. The point here is this: ALL of the teachers were thoroughly vetted by administration AND parents. THIS is the purpose of charter schools--so parents can have input on the people who will be educating their children. All AEA teachers have appropriate credentials and are beyond qualified to teach. That is why they were hired. There were hundreds of applicants. Of course, neither the districts NOR the teachers' union saw fit to help the many wonderful district teachers keep their jobs--they were pink-slipped in favor of tenured teachers. These teachers were not protected because of their ability or love of teaching--they were thrown out like trash because of unfair rules that do not benefit children--or good teachers. I was not unhappy with my children's school. I was unhappy with a ridiculous bureaucracy that put the needs of tenured faculty above those of our children. West Creek and Emblem do not offer transportation for children in the far reaches of the Saugus district. Interesting that none of the AEA detractors care that West Creek and Emblem were placed in areas with new, upscale housing tracts. Emblem serves RiverWalk (the demographics in the older parts of the Emblem area do not support the construction of a new school--older families with children not of elementary school age). West Creek conveniently supports housing sales in West Creek and West Hills. Of course, SUSD will never admit that resources are diverted from other schools to pander to the Emblem and West Creek communities. All children in the Santa Clarita Valley have an equal chance to attend AEA. As LilaFort mentioned above, bus service is provided, when necessary. Plenty of low-income children attend AEA. Free and discounted uniforms, as well as free and reduced-cost lunches also are provided. All of the above information is based on fact, not conjecture of those who are threatened that an upstart, grassroots group of parents and true educators can provide local children with a fantastic education. It's a shame that the districts' lackeys and teachers' union representatives continue to distort the facts and mislead the public.
  51. LocalGrlThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 11:16 pm
    You make it sound like AEA picked up all of the laid off teachers from SUSD. Of the teacher names that have been made public, 2 so far are laid off SUSD teachers. I didn't say unqualified, I said new. I'm pretty sure your experienced AEA teachers will tell you there's a pretty steep learning curve. I wouldn't want to send my child to a school with such a high percentage of inexperienced teachers. And really? AEA has bus routes that pick children up a reasonable walking distance from their low-income homes and take them to school? Last I checked, they were charging $90/family to pick kids up from a few central points just because they have to bus them out to Agua Dulce or Acton, since they didn't get their school opened here. I must have missed something. Skyblue Mesa in Canyon Country has a beautiful new MPR and classrooms as of a few years ago. Emblem is not new, but the old school was falling apart and had to be remodeled. It serves a very low-income area in addition to the new housing. West Creek was financed, as are other schools, by the developer. It's new because the housing is new. It didn't open for a few years because it was built before the economy and our local housing market crashed. Demographics are shifting. There are far more students and there is more building on the west side of town than the east. Of course a new neighborhood gets a new school-- because there was no school there before. Should they just have shoved more kids into the heinously overcrowded campuses at Bridgeport and Helmers?
  52. mominthescvThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 11:31 pm
    Again, you are clearly missing the point to suit your agenda. Emblem was supposed to close YEARS ago. The student base did not exist to support the ASTRONOMICALLY EXPENSIVE rehab of that campus--until Riverwalk started building. The developer of West Hills/West Creek couldn't give houses away a few years ago. No one suggested sending kids to Bridgeport and/or Helmers. The families who attended Bouquet Canyon were promised a REAL campus for decades--instead, the district let those children wallow in portables for years. No new housing there, so no developer kickbacks or "anonymous" funding. As expected, you are distorting the bus issue. Of course there are buses for the temporary site. The fees that are being charged are minimal and optional. As with everything else AEA does, if a student/family is unable to afford the bus fees, allowances are made. A carpool service has been set up. The AEA middle/high school DOES provide a FREE bus for students who are otherwise unable to get to campus. Way to confuse the facts. Once in its permanent location, the AEA Elementary School will provide bus service to students who otherwise do not have safe transport to school. And I never implied that AEA hired all of the SUSD teachers who were pink slipped. But since you brought that up: When AEA went to the SUSD seeking a charter, one of the conditions that AEA built into the charter was that all teachers would be hired from the SUSD pool of pink-slipped teachers. Of course, the SUSD board and the benevolent Saugus Teachers' Union said no. This is all true and documented. If you know as much as you say you do about the process, then you must have attended those board meetings, right? I did, and I saw and heard both the SUSD board AND the representatives from the Saugus Teachers' Union decline. Clearly, you are trolling both the AEA website and Facebook pages because you have an unnatural interest in the teachers who were hired. Here's an interesting note: Several CURRENT SUSD teachers also applied to teach at AEA. Many didn't make the cut.
  53. mominthescvThursday, September 5th, 2013 at 11:39 pm
    BTW: I also happen to be the mother of an SUSD GATE student, though that has absolutely no meaning because our school has no GATE program of which to speak. I have the utmost respect for MOST SUSD teachers. My problem is with the dead weight that keeps getting shifted around to different schools. In our seven years in our SUSD school, we have only had one teacher who has no business in a classroom. The problem is that this teacher will continue to victimize children because there is absolutely no accountability. The same goes for the lack of handling of bullies. A boy from our school had to leave because he was in fear for his life. He was being threatened by a student who was well-known for bullying. The SUSD eventually moved him to yet another SUSD school (but not until this child was found with knives, bullet casings and other weaponry numerous times and after numerous threats). So, our school is now free of this menace, but now another SUSD school has to deal with a child who belongs in a boot camp. In a charter school, a child such as the one described above will not remain at that school. Nor will a teacher like the one we endured last year.
  54. SalLatoSaturday, September 7th, 2013 at 10:17 am
    "Anonymous Donors" Would that be like the "anonymous donor" that had to give AEA $200,000 last year to keep them in the black? Or the anonymous donor needed this month for them to make payroll? They have mismanaged their funds so badly they can't make payroll. Each charter site is supposed to have their own funding. They do not post any public record of meetings because they would have to admit they are co-mingling public funding between sites to keep their heads above water. As far as offering your specialized classes...yes, AEA is able to hire more teachers to teach specific courses because they are paying the staff at half the rate they would earn someplace else. This works this year because these people were laid off and are desperate for employment. Do you think they will stay when higher paying opportunities open up for them? Ask your teachers at AEA if they could afford to live within the Santa Clarita Valley on their salary alone?
  55. mominthescvSunday, September 8th, 2013 at 10:06 pm
    SalLato, You seem to know an awful lot about the hiring, pay, etc. at AEA. And with respect to anonymous donors, here is the difference with charter schools vs. traditional public schools: Charter schools are able to raise money on their own and can solicit large donations. Traditional public schools are supposed to share the money that comes in --it should not be allocated to one or two schools in order to help a builder sell homes. As a nonprofit, AEA has to open its financial records. No one has hidden anything, but the information you have is the same propaganda spewed by the SUSD at its board meetings. Interestingly, SUSD refused to allow anyone from AEA to respond to these false accusations at the board meetings. So, of course, the local media, such that it is, reported ONLY the accusations, but none of the truth (I know, because I was at each and every SUSD board meeting).
  56. VickiSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:27 am
    LilaFort: I am a commenter that you would probably consider to be "against AEA." I am not employed by the district and I don't have any skin in the game. I am a bystander. The reason I investigated was because I was planning to apply to AEA, so I did my due diligence to make sure I was making a good decision for my kids and for my family. After I decided not to apply to AEA, I continued investigating at the request of friends who did apply and got in because they also wanted to make sure they were making the right decision, and everybody was sharing information. It's important to be informed. We all shared the same information. Some of us decided not to go with AEA, and some decided to go with AEA. I now realize it's not a black and white thing, and one choice isn't good while the other is bad. I know families for whom AEA will be perfect, and I know others (like me) who had no desire to apply. "To each his own." I continue to stay abreast of the situation still, just because I find it interesting and because following the issue has helped me understand what my personal preferences, values, and priorities are for my kids' education. I think it's important that people have the facts and that the community has this discussion. I'm not a hater. I too was supportive of AEA at one point. I agree that the school districts and teachers unions have faults. I also don't like the large class sizes or the dwindling arts and music programs. I agree with many of your complaints of the school districts, which is why AEA was appealing to me. I decided to stay within our district but changed to another school within that district where I believed many of those concerns would be addressed.
  57. WalkerSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 9:02 am
    They don't have a proven tract record in San Diego. It's a brand new school, facing the same troubles the SCV and TO schools are facing. *I don't think that makes them awful. It's typical of a grass roots charter to have these kinds of struggles, particularly when it comes to location. They often will open in a temporary location. Funding and regulations create for a very short window to prepare for the inaugural school year. Many charters start a few days late. In fact, I think West Creek...not a charter and opening in a 'turn key' facility, started late in their inaugural year (or were in danger of such).
  58. WalkerSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 9:58 am
    *track, lol
  59. LocalGrlTuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 12:23 am
    BTW, there is no such thing as a "bystander not part of the fray." Anyone who lives in this valley has a stake in the education of our children, especially those of us who have kids in local schools. Charter schools have an impact on enrollment in our neighborhood public schools, and could result in the schools that most of us love being closed, more teacher layoffs, and so on. There was quite a public outcry against the closing of Bouquet Canyon and SUSD's massive layoff of teachers just over a year ago. Many of us would rather not see all that happen again.
  60. Castaic ResidentFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 6:13 pm
    I have no problem with ANY Charter School that follows the rules and completes things to the standard of the law. To say that all of the districts are against a good charter is absolutely wrong. We have many alternative schools in Santa Clarita. If you follow the process of AEA in Santa Clarita you will closely see that they did not and are still not following the law for the safety and well being of the children. To place a school in a area not zoned for a school, in a building that had not been cleared for 650 children and is 25 years old and not been retrofitted to current standards, with minimal parking, no enough bathrooms, no elevators for the handicapped, no fire sprinklers, no fire doors, and much more, AEA’s failure to obtain building permits or to involve the City of Santa Clarita in its building acquisition and renovation process raises substantial concerns over whether the Rye Canyon industrial site has been inspected for the above serious child safety concerns: After all it is about the safety of the kids and that fact that CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT ZONING REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. These requirements are in place for the children's safety. There still are schools in our valley that have class size reduction. However if you have a problem like that, as do most people, speak up. Contact your county and state leaders. The Arts, Music and PE is not going away at all schools! And those that have had to drop those programs have had to do it because of state funding. This is not something that the districts want to do. And just to be clear there are alternative schools in Castaic, that have never had issues with the public schools but some of those schools don't have PE or Music and are dropping in test scores at a much higher rate than the public schools. Again the AEA issue is about the children's safety. Contact building and safety and ask about the 8 page document that lists the things that need to corrected by the middle of September. Then ask how many have been completed and cleared. They are not above the law!! I commend the Saugus Union School District and the Castaic School District for fighting to keep the kids safe!
  61. LilaFortFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 6:47 pm
    Castaic: The Districts were against the AEA from the beginning before the building was even in the picture. I will be surprised if you can name me one elementary charter that Saugus Union School District approved. The local Districts denied AEA's charter repeatedly (while similar AEA charters were accepted by other Districts). During AEA's appeal of Saugus Union School District's denial, even the Superintendent of LACOE was in approval of allowing the AEA SCV elementary charter. Even the board voted 3-2 in favor of AEA. If not for a board vacancy & absence, AEA's appeal may have succeeded. Majority of the buildings and areas are not zoned for schools, that's why AEA was thinking of asking for the exemption. What business building would be automatically perfect to function as a school from the beginning? Of course a business building would have issues that have to be resolved prior to being opened as a school. AEA is working on it right now in cooperation with the City. The local Districts are mainly concerned about their loss in funds, not so much about the students in their dealing with AEA. If the Districts cared that much about the students, then they would have taken students' & parents' complaints seriously, instead of sweeping it under the rug or deflecting by blaming the students & parents. There are parents & students who are just plain fed-up with all the ridiculousness. Seriously, if the local Districts are so wonderful & perfect, think hard about why thousands of students put their names in for AEA's lottery?
  62. VickiSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:37 am
    I agree that money is a major part of the issue that the districts have with AEA. I also think that the districts have a responsibility to call out a bad petition when they see one. They can't just approve a petition because a lot of people want it. That would be irresponsible. The points they made on their disapprovals were in many cases legitimate. As for the large number of names in the lottery, I know there were many who put their name in just to see what would happen. They were perfectly happy with their current school, but they wanted to participate in the lottery and figure out what to do IF they got in, once they got picked. I am sure that most probably did not do much research into the school. A lot was word of mouth and hype.
  63. Castaic ResidentFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 7:45 pm
    Lilafort, How can you say that? AEA never notified the Castaic School District of their intention to place a school in the District. How can they oppose it when they knew nothing of it? They found out through the paper and after visiting the site the district realized there was a problem. By state law when a school is being placed in a district whether it is faith based, charter or otherwise the School District of record should be notified. What did they have to hide if it was safe and being handled correctly. Why would you want to build a school in an area not zoned for school. Dont you think it is not zoned for schools for a reason? Furthermore who would want to send there kids somewhere unsafe? They were thinking of asking for an exemption? Really they need to pick a school or build a school that is safe for the children. As far as AEA working to complete the list of requirements to satisfy the stop work order they are farther than 2 weeks away according to building and safety. I am someone that recognizes that every child learns differently and no district or school is perfect but I would rather home school my children that place them somewhere that is considering and moving forward on placing children at a site that is unsafe for the children. Truly I am not against AEA but just there deceitfulness and disregard for the children. Find another Charter....
  64. LilaFortFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 9:33 pm
    Castaic: Castaic District claims it was not notified of AEA opening a school within Castaic, then why did it co-write (along with the other local Districts) a letter requesting that Agua Dulce District not grant an AEA charter in SCV? The District's complaints against AEA was all over the SCV news outlets. How could Castaic or any of the other local Districts not have been notified to something that they vociferously objected against? Also, the AEA Rye Canyon school address is a stone's throw from the SUSD office & whether AEA opened in SUSD or anywhere else nearby, Castaic students could still have enrolled in AEA. As I've stated before, most areas are not zoned for a school. Therefore a school has to either ask for an exemption or to go through a more formal process to get zoning approved. Whatever the issues are with the building, permit or zoning wise AEA is currently working on it with the City. Parents are willing to wait for the school to be built, even if it means commuting while waiting. Your telling parents to enroll children in another charter. What other charter? The charters that are there like you said aren't performing as well. AEA has a proven track record with its current AEA SCV Jr. High/ Sr. High & AEA San Diego Schools. By the way, you never answered my question, did SUSD ever approve an Elementary Charter School? Having a high performing charter nearby serves as a vigorous competition for the local public schools (which is one of the main purposes of a charter). Therefore, the mere existence of AEA serves the interest of the students whether or the students attend AEA or is attending a local public school.
  65. NannersFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 10:40 pm
    We need competition because all of our schools exceed the 800 minimum? Are you whacked? Competition for what?
  66. WalkerSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 9:57 am
    That's not factual. I can think of at least one school where the API fell below 800. Not that it matters. Test scores aren't everything. Charter law is meant not only to provide choice to those zoned for under performing schools, but also as a means for providing more freedom for innovation, progression, and differentiation. A lot of the current 'schools of thought' about education are first tested through or implemented by charters, where they have more freedom for such things. Look at the new Common Core standards. They emphasize creativity, collaboration, problem solving, inquiry. Those are benchmarks that Common Core, and Project Based Learning (a philosophy common amongst charter schools) share. So, competition for what? I suppose the real competition is for ADA, and the districts aren't willing to lose those precious dollars without a fight.
  67. NannersFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:30 pm
    I am unaware of any other elementary charter schools that have applied to any of the districts in the SCV within the last 20 years.
  68. WalkerSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 10:01 am
    There have been several. To my knowledge, the only successful K+ charter application in the SCV is SCVi, which is K-12 chartered through the HSD.
  69. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 1:52 am
    Walker: It's true that others applied for charters, but weren't accepted by SUSD.
  70. VickiSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:43 am
    I agree with that last point, LilaFort. California charter law does state that competition is part of the intent. I have seen changes at the district levels that I believe stem from the competition prompted by popular private and charter schools in the area, including AEA. I believe that the mere existence of AEA has, in fact, benefited my kids tremendously, and we are in the local district. A little competition never hurts. It keeps the districts on their toes.
  71. WalkerSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 10:08 am
    Word. Controversial as it may be, the charter movement in the SCV has resulted in some valuable improvements to local schools, and the addition of and conversion of what I'm sure are lovely choice schools. In fact, when I was at the AOC (a choice school in the HSD) lottery for my daughter, I was really impressed with the way the district handled all those parents looking for choice. Rather than simply dismissing them to go back to their neighborhood school, they provided information and had spokespeople at the lottery representing several other choice options available through the district, some of which simply did not exist prior to the competition brought to our area in the form of charters. I felt comforted that they didn't dismiss my concerns that the local school was not an option for my child. They accepted that I as her parent had done my recent, was not interested in our local school, and if they wanted my funds they would need to help me understand what my other district options were.
  72. MikeSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 10:50 am
    Thanks for your input to this discussion.
  73. NannersFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 10:33 pm
    High performing???? AEA's secondary school scored well in ELA because it is not servicing ELD students. Look at its and SCVI'S scores otherwise. AEA tanked. The Public school districts are protecting their assets (limited though they may be) against institutions who could further damage them without a plan to address the needs of special and second language learners (nearly all of AEA's elementary staff are first year teachers). AEA's arrogance has dug a hole too deep to emerge from. To the families who left, welcome back to Saugus where your children will receive a top-notch education from experienced professionals! You're three weeks late! Come back before you do more damage...
  74. LilaFortFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 10:43 pm
    You can play the scores however you want, but AEA is a high performing school. Also, AEA hired teachers with great qualities, including the lack of "arrogance" that some of the Districts' teachers show. 3 weeks, more like 2 & 1/2 weeks (full of short days, minimum days) and no homework during first couple of weeks, with a lot of class room shifting. I don't think the AEA students missed much. "Come back before you do more damage"? What about all the damage that was done to student while in the Districts by said "arrogant" teachers?
  75. LocalGrlFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:24 pm
    Sounds like you have a personality conflict with a teacher that you're letting affect your view of an entire district.
  76. LilafortFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:37 pm
    I'm talking on behalf of many parents & students.
  77. LocalGrlFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:46 pm
    A little presumptuous, don't you think? It's easy to bash people with no specifics. My child and the children of many, many of my friends and family had and have amazing teachers in SUSD, Hart, CUSD, and Newhall Districts. Not everyone is perfect, but Einstein staff won't be either. Everyone's human. I moved to this valley to send my child to the schools here, and I haven't regretted that move for a moment.
  78. WalkerSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:09 pm
    One of the great things about a non-union charter (which includes all SCV charters, but not all charters) is that a teacher is contracted for only one year, and can be let go for cause within the year if necessary. A teacher needs to come with their A game EVERY year, or risk their contract not being renewed for the following year. My liberal, union supporting self has a difficult time with this concept, but the parent in me (and frankly, the SSSD&HSD graduate in me) has seen too many teachers who aren't bringing enough to the table, or are in 'lame duck' territory. That's not okay, it's not good enough, and in a (non-union) charter situation, it wouldn't be acceptable. Obviously the majority of our local educators are caring, attentive, and bringing their A game on a daily basis. I'm not suggesting otherwise, but you seem to be dismissive of Lilaforts perspective, and I think your logic is off base or you have simply been fortunate not to have experienced one of these teachers.
  79. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 1:59 am
    Walker: A teacher does need to be re-evalued yearly and be able to be let go for cause at any time. Do the rest of us have job security? Why in the world would performance evaluations & ability be let-go for cause not apply to those professionals who work with children (the most vulnerable of our society)? It's negligent in the best cases and dangerous at the worst.
  80. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 3:06 am
    I appreciate your understanding of my perspective. The traumatic experiences that my child and those of others had to go through should not be endured by others.
  81. NannersFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:03 pm
    Has anyone stopped to consider why the local school districts denied the charter??? The charter would send its differently abled students to the chartering district for special needs services. All S&L, RSP, etc students would be guaranteed services through the chartering district. AEAs plan for addressing those needs was less than adequate. The chartering district can only recover 1% of the the charter school's operating budget to compensate for those services. As a public school, AEA would have to implement some sort of plan to address the needs of their special learners without burdening their charter district. None of the valley's districts felt as though they had an adequate plan. Very smart, local districts! They couldn't even fill out a permit application efficiently.
  82. LocalGrlFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:17 pm
    Wait, what? You mean those awful districts that don't serve the individual student will have to handle the legally mandated Individualized Education Programs for Einstein Academy? Oh, the irony.
  83. Castaic ResidentSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 2:27 pm
    How can the AEA offer services to all the special needs students when the building they are looking at is not even equipped for handicapped access? No fire doors and not even wide enough hallways for wheels chairs. I guess that means they just deny those students???
  84. LilaFortFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:17 pm
    The other Districts like Agua Dulce, Hart, San Diego, Ohio & even Thousand Oaks thought AEA had an adequate plan and granted AEA charters.
  85. LocalGrlFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:35 pm
    The Thousand Oaks debacle is pretty much proving the local districts right, and Hart denied the elementary charter as well.
  86. NannersFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:39 pm
    So few examples...and they pulled the same bologna in TO. It's poor planning at best. Negligence and deceit at worst. I feel sorry for the students who were pulled out of their home schools in favor of a deceitful charter school.
  87. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 2:02 am
    LocalGirl & Nanners: You fail to mention all the other AEAs that were able to open and are running successfully like AEA SCV Jr High/ High, AEA San Diego, AEA Ohio.
  88. WalkerMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 10:49 am
    AEA Ohio has only been open for 3 days. That's hardly a successful track record, lol. San Diego is a few weeks in, and they're operating in a temporary facility. Someone asked why AEA would be interested in OH. There are organizations that actively court charter organizations to establish schools in OH. I have no knowledge of it, but assume this is where their OH connection was established. If you research, you'll see that OH is home to many outside charter organizations. I'm not familiar with funding timelines in OH, but perhaps funding comes earlier in OH, hence their starting the school year in their permanent facility while the CA schools struggle to establish a facility in time for opening. CA has been known to delay disbursement of those grant funds, taking an already tight window for establishment and making for a pretty impossible window.
  89. MikeMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 10:58 am
    "AEA Ohio has only been open for 3 days. That's hardly a successful track record, lol." Nice catch!
  90. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 11:18 am
    My point is that AEA San Diego & AEA Ohio was able to open, and AEA Thousand Oaks is the only one that couldn't so far because of location issues. AEA SCV Jr High/ High definitely does have a successful track record.
  91. WalkerMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 11:41 am
    Yeah, absolutely AEA Valencia has a proven track record. They definitely don't get the credit they deserve around here (SCVTalk). AEA SD is open, but struggling all the same. I have no doubt it will be hugely successful, but they are working with location issues, a new age demographic (it's elementary/middle), and a new socioeconomic demographic (large enlisted military population = economically disadvantaged). They're already hitting some struggles in that regard, but I have no doubt that they will pull through and offer those families a better and more comprehensive program than they were receiving in their zoned schools. No doubt at all. My point was simply that it's not exactly brag worth (yet). Nor is the OH program. They're open. They obviously have not been hit with the resistance that they have faced in the SCV and TO, but that's more a reflection on the local infrastructure than on the school itself. The programs themselves, though, are certainly in their infancy and haven't proven much of anything (though I expect that they will certainly meet and exceed expectations).
  92. LilafortFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:49 pm
    There seems to be no reasoning with this board. You can put things however you want, it doesn't make it true. On that note, good night.
  93. LocalGrlFriday, August 30th, 2013 at 11:55 pm
    If you call throwing out unfounded accusations and not liking the facts presented in rebuttal reasoning, then you're probably right. Have a good one.
  94. LilafortSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:35 am
    My points are not unfounded, it's based on facts & on many parents & students' concerns. As I've said before, think hard about why thousands of students signed up for AEA. Instead of thinking over the reasons, AEA is always attacked on this board. Judging my the responders, one thing I proved for certain, most of the commentators here are people from the District and/or Union. Now good night!
  95. VickiSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:51 am
    I'm just a mom who looked into my options. And the reason I was looking into my options was because I wasn't satisfied with our school. Luckily, because of the intradistrict and interdistrict transfer opportunities, we found a better fit within the local districts and decided against AEA.
  96. NannersSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:40 am
    You've got me pegged. I am a private school teacher from Granada Hills.
  97. LilafortSaturday, August 31st, 2013 at 12:46 am
    So interesting that a citizen from Granada Hills is reading a Santa Clarita Blog. Is Santa Clarita that much of an exciting topic?
  98. VegasSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 8:32 pm
    What happens in Santa Clarita, doesn't stay in Santa Clarita.
  99. NannersSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 9:19 pm
    No, honey ... I live in Agua Dulce. My kids should have gone to Acton Agua DulceSD, but I fought like hell to get them into SUSD where they would be better educated.
  100. Santa ClaritaSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 1:14 pm
    I am a parent who had signed up for Einstein and withdrew my children when I became convinced that EInstein was playing fast and loose with the truth in order to retain the parents at any cost in order to open their charter school this fall. I have a simple question: How many of the 1,000 parents who wanted their children to go to EInstein in Saugus would have signed up if on the morning of May 7, 2013 (the day the charter was approved) Jeff Shapiro had stated the following: "We have no intention of opening the school in Saugus and we don't have enough time to get the proper zoning and permit approval for any site approved in Castaic. We will open in Agua Dulce and your children will be taught in mobile trialers at that site for at least the first year. Once we are able to get the funding for 2013-2014 from the state we will look into finding a Saugus based location for the 2014 school year. After all at Einstein we always have a backup plan." That simply always was and still remains the master plan. A few points of interest I work Code enforcement I do not work for the city and I am not directly involved in approving this project. I know how the system works. In order to do a school renovation on Rye Cayon you need proper zoning (which they don't have) and a completed conditional use permit which takes an average, assuming everything is in order, of 9-12 months to approve. I attended an informational meeting for the parents in early June at Einstein and I directly asked the question don't you need a conditional use permit to open at Rye Canyon. I was told "we don't need a conditional use permit, we have already obtained all needed permits and it is merely a matter of doing the necessary construction work during the next 60 days." The school will definitely open on August 21". Then on July 30th, days after the applications for the school year needed to be submitted it was suddenly announced that a stop work order has been issued. A stop work order is issued when, contrary to EInstein's subsequent letter, you don't work closely with city officials but instead ignore them and violate the law. There are 8 pages of permit violations that were handed to Einstein on July 25th including a deal killer a need for a third party traffic study to attempt to show why the sudden infusion of 600 parents to that part of Rye Canyon won't jam the morning traffic appraoching the 5 freeway. In my view, It can't be done. Someday, EInstein will be forced to admit that fact. From June to the present "we always have a backup plan EInstein" has moved from we don't need a conditional use permit and we have all the needed permits to we need the conditional use permit but code enforcement is merely a matter of process and procedure to we will have the stop work order lifted shortly (a month later it is still in place) to we will have an exception to the zoning reqirement from the State or Agua Dulce shortly (there still don't have it) to we will open at our new state of the art facilities at Rye Canyon on Sept. 9th (they are not they are opening in Agua Dulce) So parents wake up! All Einstein's "we always have a backup plan" will get you this year is many long drives or bus trips to Agua Dulce. As time goes on you will fully realize that your children will be in Agua Dulce during the entire 2013-2014 school year and perhaps beyond. Like you, I bought into the dream of a charter school for my children. Unfortunately all Einstein has to offer is a bunch of broken promises and backup plans.
  101. Castaic ResidentSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 1:41 pm
    Santa Clarita, I am so sorry! I know how hard it is when you are looking for an alternative for your children and it does not work out. However, I am glad that you know the system and have figured out AEA. Please know that there are other alternatives in our valley that are successful. You can also speak to a local school counselor and see if you can make changes or accommodations for your children. It is my hope that those parents and children that have been affected do not wait much longer to reinstate your children in a school. The children that wait for AEA will be hurt the worst because they will fall far behind.
  102. VickiSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 2:36 pm
    Thank you for posting this information, which is based on your experience and expertise in code enforcement. I believe everything you say. I am left wondering, why is AEA doing this then? What do they stand to gain by stringing everybody along? Money? Ego? I don't get it. Are there parents out there who believe so strongly in this that they would overlook the lies and deal with the whole Agua Dulce thing? I don't get it. If it were me, I'd go back to my local school district and look at AEA again once it was truly up and running. Can anybody speak to the parents' perspective--parents who are still holding out hope? I don't get it.
  103. LocalGrlSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 11:28 pm
    I wonder why AEA, which originally expressed a desire to open in the Santa Clarita Valley, all of a sudden was in such a mad rush to open schools in San Diego,Thousand Oaks, the San Fernando Valley and Ohio as well. Such a mad rush that zoning laws, proper legal permitting and noticing processes, code compliance, and compliance with charter law were ignored in at least both Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks. News articles say Einstein officials claim they were asked to open in Ohio. Why? By whom? Something fishy is going on here. This is more than wanting something better than the already excellent schools that exist in the areas AEA is exclusively choosing to open in "for the children." Perhaps what happens in SCV needs to be combined with what's happening in other places to get to the bottom of all this.
  104. Santa ClaritaSunday, September 1st, 2013 at 5:03 pm
    Editor’s note: I am reposting my comment to clarify a few points. The views expressed in this post are my personal views. I am not a city planner or employed as a land use inspector. I am not involved in the approval of this project. I have no inside knowledge regarding the status of this project and I’ve modified my post to clarify this point. I’m speaking primarily as a parent who has knowledge regarding how the code enforcement process generally works. This is my view; you are of course entitled to a contrary viewpoint I am a parent who had signed up for Einstein and later withdrew my children. At that point, in my personal opinion, Einstein was not completely forthcoming with the developing facts in order to retain the parents at any cost in order to open their charter school this fall. I have a simple question: How many of the 1,000 parents who wanted their children to go to Einstein in Saugus would have signed up if on the morning of May 7, 2013 (the day the charter was approved) Jeff Shapiro had stated the following: We have no intention of opening the school in Saugus and we don't have enough time to get the proper zoning and permit approval for any site approved in Castaic. We will open in Agua Dulce and your children will be taught in mobile trailers at that site for at least the first year. Once we are able to get the funding for 2013-2014 from the state we will look into finding a Saugus based location for the 2014 school year. After all at Einstein we always have a backup plan. Obviously, he never made the above noted statement but in my personal opinion that always was and still remains the master plan. I am generally familiar with how the code enforcement system works. In order to do a school renovation on Rye Canyon you need proper zoning (which they don't have) and a completed conditional use permit. Conditional use permits generally take an average, assuming everything is in order, of 9-12 months to approve. I attended an informational meeting for the parents in early June at Einstein and I directly asked the question don't you need a conditional use permit to open at Rye Canyon. I was told "we don't need a conditional use permit, we have already obtained all needed permits and it is merely a matter of doing the necessary construction work during the next 60 days." The school will definitely open on August 21". Then on July 30th, days after the applications for the school year needed to be submitted it was suddenly announced that a stop work order has been issued. A stop work order is issued when, contrary to Einstein’s subsequent letter, you don't work closely with city officials but instead ignore them and violate the law. There are 8 pages of permit violations that were handed to Einstein on July 25th including a potential deal killer the need for a third party traffic study to attempt to show why the sudden infusion of 600 parents to that part of Rye Canyon won't jam the morning traffic approaching the 5 freeway. In my opinion, I don't believe it can be done. Someday, Einstein will be forced to admit that fact. Based on the emails received by Einstein, from June to the present, "we always have a backup plan Einstein" has moved from we don't need a conditional use permit and we have all the needed permits to we need the conditional use permit but code enforcement is merely a matter of process and procedure to we will have the stop work order lifted shortly (a month later it is still in place) to we will have an exception to the zoning requirement from the State or Agua Dulce shortly (there still don't have it) to we will open at our new state of the art facilities at Rye Canyon on Sept. 9th (they are not they are opening in Agua Dulce) So parents wake up! All Einstein's "we always have a backup plan" will get you this year is many long drives or bus trips to Agua Dulce. As time goes on you will fully realize that your children will be in Agua Dulce during the entire 2013-2014 school year and perhaps beyond. Like you, I bought into the dream of a charter school for my children. Unfortunately all Einstein has to offer is a bunch of broken promises and backup plans.
  105. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 2:21 am
    Santa Clarita: I'm glad for you that you did your research and came up with the conclusion that AEA is not appropriate for your children. Each family should do the research and come to a decision that is right for them. However, I disagree with you that AEA intentionally mislead parents. I think that AEA had the intent to try to locate AEA SCV elementary locally as much as possible, but no matter how hard they tried, they did not succeed in that area, at this present time. Thankfully Agua Dulce location is available, until the issues are resolved. You complained about the Agua Dulce classrooms being "mobile trailers". A lot of the Districts' classes are in "mobile trailers". For you, the drive to Agua Dulce is an issue, but for still enrolled AEA parents, it's not an issue (a definite inconvenience, sure), but not a deal breaker. Some students will go by bus, some are going via carpools, some people actually live close to Agua Dulce. It's about a 20-30 minute drive from where AEA SCV Jr High/ High is. It's not like driving to San Diego or Vegas. As for whether or not Agua Dulce location will turn out to be a long term location, then so be it (for the above stated reasons). You don't have to tell the AEA parents to wake up, I think they are already quite alert. They know that ultimate benefits outweigh the negatives.
  106. MikeMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 9:51 am
    Such a hustle. This all reminds me of when the Einstein crowd took to the internet to declare my Stephen Winkler story to be part of a some anti-AEA conspiracy. Such dishonesty, such paranoia. And what school worth its salt lets someone from an unaccredited degree in a pseudoscience get away with calling himself 'Dr."?
  107. LilaFortMonday, September 2nd, 2013 at 11:06 am
    This is no "hustle". This is the independent viewpoint of a parent, completely separate from AEA staff or administration. What "dishonesty" or "paranoia" are you talking about in what I said? What I stated are the truth. The way that the Districts have dealt with some of its parents & students and charters like AEA should raise questions & doubts in anyone's mind. As for Winkler, what does it say of a District that let such a person (if all that you state about Winkler was the truth) stay on the board without doing much about it for such a long time even when notified of the situation? Also, I do question your motive for attacking AEA. From having observed the SCVtalk's blog about AEA, it's always negative and definitely slanted for the Districts.
  108. Tim JonesTuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 1:35 pm
    FYI. Robert Shapiro has told local officials that AEA will be in Acton for 180 days. In essence, he admitted that the school will remain in Acton for the entire school year. Which begs the question of why even have AEA in SCV/Castaic because an appropriate school site does exist within the school district that chartered AEA. When you attend the AEA meeting tonight, please ask the specific question of whether AEA will remain in Acton for the entire school year. See how quickly Robert Shapiro will lie to all the parents. Also, how will the requirements of special education children be met? (i.e. speech and resource classes)
  109. MiramarFriday, October 4th, 2013 at 8:57 pm
    Seems like einstein's state test scores just tanked..... What's so special about this school again?? So much promise and yet, such epic fail... http://california-schools.findthedata.org/
  110. MiramarFriday, October 4th, 2013 at 9:02 pm
    Also, seems einsteins been favoring certain cherry picking students from certain neighborhoods. tsk tsk tsk... http://www.yelp.com/biz/albert-einstein-ac
  111. MiramarSaturday, October 5th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
    Yes, AEA will be at Agua Dulce Elementary School at the invitation of Agua Dulce. They are opening on September 9. Transportation will be available for those who need it. I have heard that this is a temporary arrangement, while they get the Rye Canyon facility permitted and built out. @Vicki: Even if they build the damn thing, their teachers won't have the finesse to get the results, perhaps 1 or 2 teachers may stand out but the rest, i heard, are mediocre and inexperienced. AEA took on more than they can chew. I heard awful things about their 7-12 grade SCV, being disorderly and low academic scores. I heard their current crop of 6th graders are pain in the backside and are not very advanced, bullying is rampant inside the buses. No order, no structure, no nothing.

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