Learning to share
Fairfax High School is one of about 40 schools in the Los Angeles Unified District that will be expected to share space with the district’s privately run charter schools, The Los Angeles Times reports. The folks at Fairfax aren’t happy about it. They say the charter school will impede Fairfax’s efforts to improve by taking up needed classrooms and creating logistical headaches. But charter operators say they are tired of putting up with substandard conditions in spaces that are not appropriate or adequate learning environments.
The district’s action is the result of a lawsuit settlement earlier this year. Charter proponents sued to compel the district to provide space in its facilities to charter school operators. State law requires that districts share their space with charter schools.
What do you think? Should traditional public schools be required to relinquish parts of their campuses to accommodate charter schools?
Leave your opinion in the comments section.
April 11th, 2008 @ 11:57 am
Putting a charter school on the same campus as a struggling, under-enrolled traditional school is a recipe for failure. The appeal of the new and different program will lure even more families to abandon the traditional public school and undermine efforts to improve education.
April 11th, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
The competition will be good for both types of schools. With two (or more) schools sharing a campus, parents can observe up close which type–charter or traditional–is the best program for their children.