"Zip Code Education" SB 680 passes assembly education
Today, SB 680, which would allow parents to send their child to whatever public school they choose that is participating in the District of Choice (DOC) program, passed the Assembly Education Committee on a bipartisan 6-1vote. The bill is co-authored by Democratic Senator Romero (D-East Los Angeles) and Republican Senator Huff (R-Glendora). Chairwoman Brownley and Assemblymembers Eng, Torlakson, and Carter abstained from voting.
Without extending this program in law due to the existing sunset, a student who has transferred to a school in a district other than the school district of their residence would be forced to return to the their original district of residence effective July 1, 2009. TheDOC program is the only one in current law that provides parents an option to enroll their child in a school of their choice.
"Today, we made a huge step forward to end zip code education which is nothing more than educational redlining," said Senator Gloria Romero (D-24) and Chair of the Senate Committee on Education. "Parents can choose where their child worships, where their family shops and they must be allowed to choose where their child will receive the best public education to meet their academic needs."
Currently the DOC program, also referred to as a cross-district or open enrollment option, is due to end after 16 years of successful existence and four program renewals. SB 680 removes the existing cap on participating districts and would make the program permanent. The program gives parents the choice to decide which public school is best for their children's academic needs without first seeking permission from their district of residence, as required under the usual inter-district transfer agreements. The bill would also extend the program to any of the more than 1,000 California public school districts that elect to serve as a DOC.
The bill recognizes the negative effects of redlining and seeks to end a practice that holds children hostage by a zip code or the area they happen to live. This is often the case when students, especially poor and minority children, are assigned to a persistently low-performing school in their neighborhood. Most students who participate in the DOC program transfer from a low-performing school to DOC schools with an Academic Performance Index of 100, 200 and even 300 points higher than their former school.
"The Districts of Choice program helps thousands of parents and students across the state to choose a school that better meets their needs," said Senator Huff (R-29). "With the student population declining statewide, Districts of Choice has become a tool that rewards schools doing a great job, and motivates other schools to do a better job with our limited education dollars."
"At the end of the day, this legislation is really about providing equal opportunities in education for all California students," said Romero. "Parents, not zip codes, should decide if a school is providing those opportunities for their child."
SB 680 next will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Choice is being used by some school district to create elitist attitudes. Not all students are accepted by the choice district. The state should provide that all schools are equal regardless of their zip code.
My son was accepted to the Walnut School District and I can assure you it wasn't because of "elitist attitudes". It was because we wanted a better education for him and so that he could attend a school in the city in which he lives. If the transfer did not happen he would have to attend a school in another city, which makes no sense to me.
My daughter was accepted into the Walnut School District because of the reputation of being very good academically. Since my daughter has been at the school, she has found the school to be very challenging which makes her work harder and she is very happy to be in the Walnut School District.
We as parents have the right to choose a school for our children which will provide the best education for them. Although I live in Walnut, the way the district boundaries are drawn my children we scheduled to attend schools in the Rowland District and for us that would have been Nogales High School. Needless to say we applied for the district of choice and granted a transfer to Walnut District. Based on the comparison of school rankings and graduating senior statistics, we could not have them attend in their home district. If this bill fails to pass this year, I will register my daughter into a private school rather then send her to Nogales.