RVC Voice

I came across a blog post from a teacher, Patrick Kelly, that wonderfully encapsulates my feelings as a parent trying to decide what’s best for my children’s education. The post is titled: Finding the Right School for Your Kid Shouldn’t Be a Privilege . The South Carolina district in which this teacher lives and teaches offers school options across district elementary schools, magnet schools, and a charter school. He states: “My daughters attend one of these magnets, a school that utilizes inquiry-based learning models. My wife and I carefully considered the choice to send our daughters to this school, as they are zoned to attend an incredible elementary school with exceptional administrators and staff. As a result, our decision on where to send our daughters wasn’t a rejection of one school; it was an opportunity to embrace a school structure and approach that we, as parents, felt best fit the educational needs and learning styles of our children.” I thought this was a very nice w...

Red Hill is the best long-term home for Ross Valley Charter School (RVC), the new, free TK-5 public school in Fairfax. Under the Prop 39 law, the district gets to choose where RVC is located, but finding a facility for RVC doesn’t have to be hard. Allowing RVC to lease the Red Hill campus would have the least impact on other families in the district because that building is not currently being used as a district school. RVC has offered to pay for the entire renovation cost to make it usable for the charter school. About $400,000 is needed to bring the facility up to minimum standards for public charter schools. (RVC leadership commissioned this cost estimate from architects and engineers who walked the site carefully). If the district wants the Red Hill property to be fully upgraded to meet the additional Field Act requirements and to address traffic impacts, then the cost of the renovation will likely be $1-2 million. These numbers are not out of reach. With funds availa...

There is continued talk on social outlets that the Ross Valley Charter School has had a “significant” budget impact on Ross Valley School District (RVSD). The claims are often vague with no evidence provided. Looking at the self-reported positive outlook for RVSD’s budget, these claims are clearly based on misinformation. RVSD published their interim budget report in December. Wading through budget reports probably isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so here is a quick set of bullet points that capture the highlights: Positive Outlook: RVSD’s budget has a positive outlook for this school year (2017-18) and the next two (not to mention last year as well). The district’s staff recommended a “positive certification” for the interim budget (see page 2 and page 9) Enrollment reduction impact less than expected: enrollment reductions related to RVC amounted to only 78 children.  Revenue loss balanced by cost reductions: the loss of per pupil revenue was offset by savings from six l...

In a word, yes . Charter schools, Ross Valley Charter School included, are indeed public schools. The California Education Code Section 47615 defines charter schools as public schools. Charter schools get their funding in the same manner as the Ross Valley district schools do - primarily through per-pupil funding allocated from the state based on enrollment. Additionally, they are held to the same standards of accountability, the same anti-discrimination laws, and the students take the same annual state tests, as district schools. Charters are free and open to all students with no admissions requirements. Charter schools do, however, differ in some key ways. Charters are often run by a non-profit organization instead of a government agency. This autonomy enables different styles of leadership and new ways of doing things, thereby offering an alternative environment for families. Some charter schools are managed by private companies or with backing from wealthy individuals. Ros...