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Well folks, it’s official: The proponents of Renaissance Leadership Academy have appealed the school board’s rejection of their charter school application to the county board of ed. The county board’s staff is reviewing the application, they say; a timeline for hearing and deciding on the appeal is yet to be set.
The school board ixnayed the Renaissance application on February 26, after district staff questioned some of the applicants’ budget assumptions and whether they had the fiscal expertise for the school to succeed. They also questioned what they said was a lack of detail regarding a facility to house the school.
Applicants Mandy Tham and Julie Thomas had proposed a school that would ultimately serve 205 students in grades K-8 with a budget of $1.66 million after five years that would, if I’m reading this right, come almost entirely out of the district’s funding pie. They could not be reached for comment regarding the appeal.
District spokeswoman Donna Fletcher says the district is aware of the Academy’s appeal plans and is continuing to follow the process.
The county board has already heard an appeal from proponents of the Nea Community Learning Center, which the board turned down in January. They are expected to make a decision on that appeal on April 22.
Also: Congrats to Amelia Earhart Elementary, which this year was one of 343 elementary schools statewide to earn the state’s Distinguished School designation. About 5 percent of the state’s schools earn the coveted honor each year, according to the California Department of Education’s website. According to the press release, state schools chief Jack O’Connell “called each school principal to personally convey the good news.” Awwwww.
The Alameda Unified School District’s finance chief laid out the impacts of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal for next year, and they are grim. Under the proposal, the district could lose more than $4 million in state funding for the current year and 2009-2010. And that’s not counting the $650,000 it will lose when the new Nea Community Learning Center charter school opens next year, taking an anticipated 250 students off the district’s rolls.
If the governor’s plan were to be enacted, the district could face layoffs and even the loss of five days of the school year, district chief financial officer Tim Rahill said, though it could allow the district to take money out of “categorical” programs – money that is designated for specific programs that can’t be used for any other purpose.
Declining enrollment and increasing costs – Rahill said worker’s compensation costs, for example, will probably rise – will also impact the district’s budget.
“Alameda is facing a state budget crisis. We are facing the opening of a charter school. Also, we’re experiencing declining enrollment,” Rahill said.
He said parcel tax dollars generated by the passage of Measure H could also be used to help cover the cuts, if the board wishes to use those. This year, the district is slated to get $4 million in Measure H tax funds, and it has only budgeted $1.2 million of that.
Schwarzenegger has proposed a number of additional taxes to bridge $31.3 billion in budget shortfalls between the 2007-08 and 2009-10 fiscal years.
The district wants your input on its budget situation. They’ve scheduled budget workshops for February 11 and April 2. We’ll update you when times and locations are available.
If the governor’s plan were to be enacted, the district could face layoffs and even the loss of five days of the school year, district chief financial officer Tim Rahill said, though it could allow the district to take money out of “categorical” programs – money that is designated for specific programs that can’t be used for any other purpose.
Declining enrollment and increasing costs – Rahill said worker’s compensation costs, for example, will probably rise – will also impact the district’s budget.
“Alameda is facing a state budget crisis. We are facing the opening of a charter school. Also, we’re experiencing declining enrollment,” Rahill said.
He said parcel tax dollars generated by the passage of Measure H could also be used to help cover the cuts, if the board wishes to use those. This year, the district is slated to get $4 million in Measure H tax funds, and it has only budgeted $1.2 million of that.
Schwarzenegger has proposed a number of additional taxes to bridge $31.3 billion in budget shortfalls between the 2007-08 and 2009-10 fiscal years.
The district wants your input on its budget situation. They’ve scheduled budget workshops for February 11 and April 2. We’ll update you when times and locations are available.
posted by Michele Ellson at 9:00 AM on Jan 28, 2009
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