As the former principal of Palisades Charter High School who engaged the community and staff in establishing Pali as the first charter high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I wish to comment on the recent lead article on the LAUSD strike.
I first noticed the misleading headline in the March 23 paper, indicating that “Districtwide Strike Closes Palisadian Charter Schools.” In fact, as indicated at the end of the second paragraph, the Pali High Charter was not closed by the strike.
But there is no explanation as to why it is different than the other Pacific Palisades charter schools. The community needs to be reminded of how Palisades Charter High School differs from the other charter schools of the Palisades.
When Palihi first converted to charter status, it was, in fact, a dependent, or “affiliated,” charter school like the other LAUSD schools in the Palisades area. After several years, I helped then Principal Linda Hosford and her staff in seeking approval for independent charter status, which provided far more autonomy for innovative practices and programs.
As an independent charter, Palisades Charter High School is fiscally independent from LAUSD. Although occupying property owned by LAUSD, employees are not LAUSD employees. Their employee organizations negotiate separate contracts with Palisades Charter High School. In some instances, the high school contracts for services, such as food services, with other providers.
I am saddened that the nature of the high school, with much more independence than the affiliated charter schools, was not explained in the recent article. Independent charters require much more fiscal and overall accountability from the principal, chief financial officer and the Palisades Charter High School Governance Board than is required of the affiliated charter schools.
This allows also for much more autonomy in designing programs to serve the diverse student body (over 100 zip codes represented) and for arranging everything from transportation for students independent of LAUSD, as well as contracting with vendors and providers for many other services, such as plant and facilities maintenance and security.
This information is not intended to diminish respect for the other affiliated charter schools in the Pali Complex of schools, because it would be difficult, if not impossible, for them to obtain fiscal independence and autonomy from LAUSD. The main reason is their smaller enrollments, which would not generate enough revenues from the state’s direct funding per pupil model for independent charter schools.
Small enrollment schools are dependent on LAUSD to provide services and employees to staff the schools that could not be paid for by the per pupil allocation formulas. When the funding formulas for independent charter schools are applied to small schools, there is not enough to provide necessary teachers, a principal, plant manager, nurse, counseling services and other personnel that are needed in any school, regardless of enrollment. Absent other sources of revenue, it becomes problematic for small charter schools to operate.
I think it important to be able to distinguish the differences between the high school, as an independent charter, and the other affiliated charters, which also explains why the strike did not impact the high school.
Merle Price
Former Principal, Palisades Charter High School
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