Posted by
Mark on Thursday, October 04, 2007 1:50:03 AM
In my last posting, I provided an example of 2 schools going in opposite directions in Rocklin, California. One school, a public charter school called Rocklin Academy, and the other Twin Oaks Elementary School. These schools are located approximately 3 miles apart and serve students from the same socio economic background. Rocklin Academy received the highest rating from the California Department of Education when compared to similar schools. Twin Oaks Elementary School received the lowest rating from the California Department of Education when compared to similar schools. The Rocklin School Board with the support of the pro-teacher union, anti-charter school California Assemblyman Ted “in my pocket” Gaines has limited school choice within the Rocklin Unified School District.
While Twin Oaks has met the minimum standards set forth by the California Department of Education, Rocklin parents should not be satisfied with just meeting minimum standards. This minimum standard may be OK in other school districts or cities around California. There are 5 people in Rocklin that are satisfied with meeting the minimum standards, and they are Rocklin School Board member Steve Paul, the“Grand Poobah” of the board and his 4 comrades.
Twin Oaks parents, should be upset that their school was ranked at the bottom by the California Department of Education. But what can they do? They could send their children to Rocklin Academy. But because of Ted “in my pocket” Gaines, the Rocklin School Board, and the California Teacher’s Association, that is now a long shot at best. Remember this anti-parent group has limited the growth of Rocklin Academy and mandated that 20% of the enrollment be from outside Rocklin. I wonder what the Twin Oaks parents think about their tax dollars going to families outside of Rocklin. Those families outside Rocklin are occupying a seat at Rocklin Academy that should be yours. Maybe we need an education attorney to see if this agreement mandated by the Rocklin School District is legal. If there is an attorney out there, I will provide a copy of the agreement.
Do not give up hope there still might be a way. Maybe we should turn Twin Oaks into a charter school? Since Rocklin Academy is one of the top rated schools in California, why not take the Rocklin Academy model and implement it at Twin Oaks. For the record, I do not speak for Rocklin Academy. But maybe we can convince the Rocklin Academy Board to run Twin Oaks. I know the Rocklin School Board would never let this happen. Maybe we could go around the Rocklin School Board? What about a ballot initiative? All we need is around 2,700 signatures to get this initiative on the ballot. Last week, a group of people that are against the Rocklin City Council’s approval of the Clover Valley project, gathered enough signatures to get a referendum placed on the ballot. Why can’t parents that want school choice in Rocklin do the same? Are there any education attorneys out there that may know how to do this?
Maybe we need to see where our candidates for the 4th Congressional district stand on this issue? Congressman JTD has been silent on charter schools. Although, I heard from a trusted source that a person who is a friend of JTD spoke at a Rocklin Academy public meeting last spring and said, that JTD believes the entire Rocklin School Board should be recalled because of their opposition to charter schools. Can that person confirm if JTD really said that? We already know that Ted ‘in my pocket” Gaines opposes charter schools. I assume Jim Holmes is in the same camp. That leaves us with Eric Egland and Charlie Brown. I plan to meet with both of these candidates to discuss their views on charter schools. It would be strange if Democrat Charlie Brown supported turning Twin Oaks into a charter school. Stay tuned.