Charter school gets year reprieve

Despite a critical report on the charter's financial and academic stability, however, the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees last night decided to sponsor the small school on a one-year trial basis.

"I thought we were prepared for everything, but not for this," said Mark White, president of the charter's board of trustees.

There are just 80 students enrolled at Aurora High School. Since it was established, three other charter schools have popped up in the area, making recruitment difficult.

Whether the charter school will accept the district's terms or appeal to the County Board of Education for a more permanent solution is yet to be determined. That's a decision the charter's board must discuss. Nevertheless, last night's decision was no doubt a welcome shock for charter school leaders.

Coming into the meeting, White said he thought it was a "foregone conclusion" that the high school district would reject its charter petition.

In fact, White thought it was such a lost cause that he didn't even prepare a presentation for the board. He instead took apart Superintendent Pat Gemma's report, saying it painted a false picture of the school. The report was based on two rushed tours SUHSD representatives took through Aurora, White said.

Gemma's report said that Aurora was not only a financial liability, but that its academic standards are not up to snuff. Even after discussion, however, Gemma stood by his report.

"I'm willing to wager a year's salary that if any board member walked into an Aurora classroom, they'd say they wouldn't want their children receiving that kind of education," Gemma said.

Trustees weren't willing to turn their backs on the small school so quickly, however.

"There's still life in this body," said Trustee Olivia Martinez.

Now, if Aurora decides to accept the one-year approval, it will also have to come up with a detailed plan on how it will turn itself around financially and academically.

Yunmi Choi can be reached by e-mail at yunmi@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.