In June 2014, the Los Olivos School District opted to downsize its Olive Grove Charter School from five campuses serving more than 300 students to a single campus that serves 20, but shedding buildings, students, and teachers isn’t an immediate process. On Feb. 12 of this year, the board approved the intention to lay off 16 teachers and three classified employees as part of that downsizing effort.
In an attempt to save the four campuses slated to disappear from the charter program, a group of Olive Grove teachers petitioned the Cuyama Joint Unified School District to take the schools under its wing.
The Cuyama district’s school board is expected to take a vote on the matter during its meeting on Feb. 19. If the board votes to sponsor Olive Grove Charter School’s four satellite campuses, sites in Lompoc, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, and Morro Bay would be overseen by Cuyama under a reconfigured independent charter directly funded by the state, and the layoffs could be averted.
Issues with the charter program are nothing new. According to Los Olivos School District Superintendent Bridget Baublits, Olive Grove has struggled to stay solvent for several years.
“When funding got cut in 2007-2008, the state started making a lot of cuts to education,” Baublits said. “When the state budget started cutting funding to education, we continued to have to make changes with the [charter] program.”
During the 2013-2014 school year, the California Department of Education transitioned to a locally controlled funding formula, catalyzing the decision to downsize Olive Grove.
“It was about the school district making a decision that was in the best interests of the K-8 elementary school and maintain[ing] current programs,” said Brandon Perry, Olive Grove’s interim director. “That funding determination model was not beneficial to the structure of this district with students outside of its geographical area.
“[The] Los Olivos district has reached out to area superintendents to try and find a district that would be interested in authorizing the school to continue operation,” Perry continued. “The school district that we found to be the most favorable in terms of authorizing us turned out to be Cuyama.”
Cuyama Joint Union Superintendent Paul Chounet said the upside of having a charter school would be providing an alternative education for the students whose parents believe that they would benefit from that type of independent study charter school.
“There is some responsibility that goes with it also, because we’re responsible for oversight of their budget and academic programs,” Chounet added.
Perry said he expects Cuyama’s school board to authorize the reconfigured charter: “The whole process has built up to what I think is going to be a favorable vote. The whole feeling for this pending partnership is very positive,” he said. “We’re very comfortable and confident that Cuyama is going to sponsor us.”
The meeting will be held at the Cuyama Joint Unified School District Board Room, 2300 Highway 166, New Cuyama, at 6 p.m.
This article appears in Feb 19-26, 2015.