School goes from charter to public

Forecasted economic challenges led Garfield Elementary Charter School officials to unanimously approve plans for the Redwood City Elementary School District to take over in the coming school year.

On Monday, the Garfield Board of Trustees voted unanimously not to renew its charter. Starting this fall, the district will take control of the school, which currently serves kindergarten through eighth grade students. Redwood City has sponsored the Menlo Park school for 15 years.

"For many of us, this school has been our baby. We’ve poured our lives into this school,” said Executive Director Alex Hunt, who began working at Garfield 11 years ago. "It’s definitely the best option for students and that’s why we’re doing it.”

Financial projections showed a lack of funding for many programs in the coming year, Hunt explained. Garfield receives money from the state and does not have an outside benefactor contributing to funding. Opinions of parents, staff and teachers were considered before making Monday’s decision, Hunt said. Moving forward, Superintendent Jan Christensen and other district staff plan to meet with the Garfield community to plan the transition.

"We welcome Garfield back and look forward to building on the collaborative working relationship we’ve had as the charter’s sponsor,” Christensen said in a prepared statement. "We already work closely with Garfield on academic achievement strategies, and have provided many services to the school on a contract basis. Garfield will now have access to all the support services we provide to every school in the district.”

Garfield was founded in 1994 as the 49th charter school in the state.

Its decision to allow the district to take control is unique, explained Gary Larson, California Charter Schools Association spokesman.

"It’s a rarity,” Larson said, adding most charter schools are oversubscribed.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.