Renaissance Head to Present Traffic and Parking Plan

When the Community Council meets on August 26, Paul McGlothlin, founding director of the Renaissance Academy, will make a presentation about the new charter public high school which will open September 8 in the 881 Alma Real building. At Council Chairman Norman Kulla’s request, McGlothlin will describe the mission of the school, curriculum and faculty. He will also update the progress of creating classrooms, administrative offices and bathrooms in the 13,000-sq.-ft leased space adjacent to the Palisades Branch Library. ‘I’ll then invite questions from Council members and the community,’ said Kulla, who has already advised McGlothlin by e-mail that he should ‘be prepared to address’ parking and traffic issues. In addition, Council treasurer Patti Post posed the following in a separate e-mail to McGlothlin: ‘The [July 29] article in the Palisadian-Post about your new location indicated that students would not be allowed to park on site and that there would be a shuttle system. This could mean that some will park instead on the streets in the adjacent neighborhood. What steps are you taking to keep students, staff and faculty from parking in the neighborhood? Where would the shuttle begin and how often would it run?” According to McGlothlin, Renaissance Academy still plans to provide a shuttle system to (1) transport students to the school from several undetermined Palisades locations and (2) transport students to and from other school classroom locations (e.g., Santa Monica College and Temescal Gateway Park). ‘We’re also staggering the schedule [by starting classes at 9 a.m.] to avoid conflicts with nearby schools,’ McGlothlin told Palisades Optimist Club members on August 10. ‘It’s also important to know that 300 kids are not all going to converge on that building at one time. Many of the kids will be going straight to classes at Santa Monica College, to Pierson Playhouse, or to Stuart Hall in Temescal Canyon. We also want to make the Getty one of our classrooms.’ However, a specific morning drop-off location near the school has not yet been decided. ‘It will be the least difficult place to drop them off,’ McGlothlin told the Post this week. He wants to get community input on this issue at next Thursday’s meeting. As to the parking situation, McGlothlin said, ‘The vast majority of students will take the shuttle or ride in a parent-run van pool. Those who have to drive can pay the monthly fee to park in [the Alma Real building], but Renaissance is not offering this option. We’re providing transportation, not parking.’ The school is paying for 14 faculty parking spaces in the building. While Renaissance is expecting about 300 students on opening day (including about 150 ninth graders), ‘we’re still getting enrollments and adjustments,’ McGlothlin said. Students are currently selecting classes and meeting with advisors. Dr. Roberta Benjamin, director of the Charter Schools Office for the Los Angeles Unified School District, told the Post that an inspector from the Office of Environmental Health and Safety plans to study traffic patterns on Alma Real, La Cruz, Swarthmore and Carey prior to the Community Council meeting. ‘Also, our facilities office will do an inspection when they get a plan of the building. This is an independent charter school, and we are not responsible for the physical plant, but we do have oversight responsibility for the safety of these students.’ Benjamin added that a representative from her office will attend the Council meeting. The Renaissance Academy is chartered through the State of California, and like Palisades High School will receive its per-student funding directly from the state”about $6,000 per student,’ according to McGlothlin. There is no tuition, but ‘we will of course pass the hat just like any other school these days.’ Optimist member Curt Baer, who has an insurance agency on the third floor of the Alma Real commercial/professional building, said he worried about ‘rowdyism and hallway traffic’ between classes (although classes will be held one level below ground level) and complained, ‘It’s just going to be a zoo.’ ‘We’re going to be very good neighbors,’ McGlothlin replied, ‘and the kids will be well supervised at all times. This is different style of high school. There won’t be any bells, and we’re taking some of our classes off-site, so students won’t be traveling in big groups together inside the building.’ He also noted that the student/teacher ratio is 20 to 1, the faculty is expert and experienced, ‘and the students are motivated’this is a school of choice. If a student wants to squander this opportunity [by misbehaving], he won’t be around.’ ‘Additional reporting by BILL BRUNS