New Elementary School May Get to Control Its Own Destiny

If all goes according to plan, a radically new elementary school for South-Central will open next fall that receives public funds but is financially and academically independent from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The school board Monday gave conditional approval to a charter for the new facility, which will be called the Accelerated School. The charter was submitted in June by a group of teachers from 99th Street Elementary School, which already uses an accelerated program.

Unlike the nine other charter proposals the school board has approved, the Accelerated School will be autonomous from the district, which means its staff will hire its own teachers, set salaries, develop its own curricula and set its own rules and budget.

“We are essentially creating a private school that will get voucher money,” school board member Jeff Horton said.

The Accelerated School will be devoted to speeding up the progress of students at risk of failing so that they will perform at grade level by the end of sixth grade, its organizers said. The school can accept children from anywhere in the state, but preference will be given to students from South-Central.

The Accelerated School model, which was developed at Stanford University, is being used at schools across the country.

When school board members unanimously approved the charter, teachers and supporters of the new school cheered loudly and heaved a sigh a relief. The teachers revised their proposal three times after school board officials raised concerns about how the school would be managed.

After the board meeting, the teachers headed to El Cholo restaurant on Western Avenue and toasted the end of their “long and tedious journey,” said Johnathan Williams, one of the chief architects of the proposal.

“Everything was so tense, and we were in limbo for so long,” Williams said. “Now we can move forward.”

But before the school board officially approves the Accelerated School proposal, its petitioners must raise $200,000 for start-up costs, find a site for the new facility and find a fiscal agent to manage the school’s money, all by May 21.

Williams said the group already has found two potential sites for rent--one at Vermont Avenue and 81st Street and the other at Normandie Avenue and 105th Street. The teachers also are looking into renting space either in a commercial building or at an existing school.

One of the biggest challenges the teachers face is raising the $200,000 needed to lease a site and to buy supplies for the new school. In addition to applying for grants, the teachers hope to raise money through donations from businesses, organizations and individuals.

“We’re pretty confident we can get it done,” Williams said. “This is post-riot South-Central Los Angeles. I think there’s a lot of people interested in supporting a project that’s starting from the ground up.”

The Accelerated School is the 10th and final charter proposal the district can approve. The other nine schools are in the San Fernando Valley and the Westside.

Under the 1992 Charter School Act, which took effect in January, as many as 100 schools in California and 10 in any district can achieve charter status, which continues the school’s public funding but frees it from state and local education regulations.

The charter lasts for five years. It is subject to revocation by the local school board, but only if a charter school mishandles money or fails to meet its stated goals.