It’s Back to School for 2,600 Displaced Students

More than 2,600 students who were displaced last month after their campuses closed due to legal and financial turmoil are now enrolled in charter schools, according to a report Monday by a state charter school group.

The findings were released a month after the Victorville-based California Charter Academy shut down 60 campuses under pressure from new state laws and a California Department of Education investigation into its academic and financial practices. The nonprofit California Charter Schools Assn., which serves the state’s 537 charter schools, compiled the report based on state education department and campus surveys.

“After no longer tolerating this one bad apple, the charter school community rallied together to ensure that their former students have a soft landing into high-quality programs,” said Caprice Young, chief executive of California Charter Schools Assn., which has no affiliation with the California Charter Academy.

The report also found that the academy enrolled about 4,000 students fewer than the almost 10,000 it had claimed. Of those 5,495 students, nearly 40% -- or 2,195 -- were adults. Of the remaining 3,300 kindergarten through 12th-grade students, about 80% enrolled in at least 19 charter schools, the report found. The placement of the rest of the students was not accounted for in the report.

In March, state Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell launched an investigation after an advisory panel alleged that the academy was overcharging its campuses millions of dollars in administrative fees and was inadequately overseeing its campuses. New laws banning long-distance charter school oversight and funding for services for students age 19 and older also weakened the academy.

Just weeks before the start of a new school year, the California Charter Academy abruptly shuttered 60 campuses across the state, to the surprise of students, parents and staff.

A dozen of those schools found ways to stay open: Two campuses became separate charter schools; another two received waivers from the State Board of Education to remain open; and eight joined with other existing local charter schools.

The closures left many families scrambling to enroll their children in new campuses.

Shirley Oesch, principal of Valley Oaks Charter School under the Kern County Supt. of Schools office, took in 70 students from a nearby closed California Charter Academy campus that served 300 students. Oesch also hired four of that school’s teachers. The campus combines home schooling with classes at a zoo, a museum and on a farm.

“We felt a need to assist those families in any way we could,” Oesch said. “We certainly couldn’t absorb 300 students, but we did everything we could.”

Save Our Future, a former California Charter Academy campus, joined with another Los Angeles charter school that had state approval but did not have a building or any students enrolled this year. Under the partnership, Save Our Future reopened in the same downtown location with 183 students. Most of the students returned to school Monday morning.

“They were so happy,” said Charlotte Jordan, the school’s director. “They were determined. They had the faith in us. We can continue our work. These children will be able to move forward.”