It looks like a major fight for survival could be in the works for a beleaguered charter school in San Carlos, as it shakes up its operations in a way some say could invalidate its status.
After struggling to attract enrollment in its first year, organizers of San Carlos High recently made an agreement to be managed by a San Diego charter called High Tech High. If the deal brings about significant changes, the tiny school would have to apply for a new charter, said Mark Olbert, trustee for the San Carlos Elementary School District. And it looks like that's just how things may shake out.
"Based on advice from our county counsel, the changes could be so great that it's not the same charter," Olbert said.
The district sent officials at San Carlos High a letter Friday notifying them of the potential situation.
Linda Stevein, representative for San Carlos High, could not be reached for comment.
Parent David Elliott said the curriculum changes brought about by the deal won't be significant, however. The school was already affiliated with High Tech High - teachers from San Carlos High were sent down to San Diego for training and San Carlos High was already basing a lot of its course work on High Tech High's curriculum.
"We used a lot of their ideas," Elliott said.
Whether the changes will be great enough to require a "material revision" is yet to be determined.
"It's not like driving 75 mph in a 65 mph zone," Olbert said. "It's a judgment call."
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Based on what he's seen, however, Olbert said he thinks the changes could be significant enough to warrant a new charter. Meanwhile, Elliott said the deal will help ground the struggling school.
"It's a wonderful deal," Elliott said. "We're now part of a larger unit financially so it'll bring a lot more stability."
High Tech High will handle the school's administration as part of the deal, but Elliott said he's not sure about the details of the financial relationship.
A new state law would invalidate San Carlos High's charter with the San Carlos Elementary School District. The school would instead have to apply for a petition through a high school district.
Aurora High School in San Carlos recently got a first hand taste of that law when its charter with the Redwood City Elementary School District expired this year. After being denied a charter by the Sequoia Union High School District, organizers appealed the County Board of Education for a charter.
That appeal was also denied, and operators decided to shut down the school last month.
One of the biggest criticisms leveled at San Carlos High this year was that it failed to capture the state's required enrollment of 80 students to open its doors. Despite some last minute scrambling over the summer, the charter managed to corral just 71 students for opening day. More than two-thirds were from outside San Carlos.
About 15 students of those were special education students - three times the number of special education students organizers projected.
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