San Bernardino charter school might need to fix problems by February
Author: Andrew Edwards , Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - The fate of Casa Ramona Academy, a Westside charter school facing accusations of multiple instructional problems, may be decided by February, Danny Tillman, president of the school district board, said Wednesday.
The San Bernardino City Unified School District board has initiated a process that could lead to Casa Ramona losing its charter if campus leaders are unable to demonstrate students there are receiving a quality education.
Tillman and his colleagues are waiting for district Superintendent Arturo Delgado to present Casa Ramona's exact "cure and correct" plan and deadline for solving reported problems there.
The San Bernardino City Unified School District board has initiated a process that could lead to Casa Ramona losing its charter if campus leaders are unable to demonstrate students there are receiving a quality education.
Tillman and his colleagues are waiting for district Superintendent Arturo Delgado to present Casa Ramona's exact "cure and correct" plan and deadline for solving reported problems there.
"The superintendent and staff are going to come back and tell us how long it's going to take," Tillman said.
Casa Ramona's problems, according to the school district, include the campus offering only one course with the University of California's approval as a college preparatory class, a lack of English language instruction and various problems with the campus' physical condition.
Casa Ramona opened in 2007 as a K-12 campus and now has roughly 460 students. The charter school is ultimately subject to the school district's authority but has its own governing board to handle on-campus policy.
"We've been given a list of things to fix. It's not insurmountable," said Judith Valles, president of Casa Ramona's board and a former San Bernardino mayor.
Valles expects University of California officials to soon grant approval to Casa Ramona's college prep classes.
That development would facilitate Casa Ramona graduates' applications to state universities.
Casa Ramona's representatives also dispute reports that students are not being taught English and say the school uses a dual-immersion program to teach in Spanish and English.
Reported site problems have been described as the result of losing access to the nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe Community Center.
The school board initiated the "cure and correct" process Tuesday at the conclusion of an emotional, specially scheduled hearing that attracted more than 200 Casa Ramona parents and students to the district's headquarters.
Many people in attendance wore t-shirts showing their desire to keep Casa Ramona in operation.
Support for the school, however, has been mixed with some dissatisfaction with recent conditions there.
About 150 students walked out of class in September to protest conditions, and district board member Teresa Parra-Craig and vocal parent Maria Naranjo have called for the removal of Casa Ramona's executive director, Esther Estrada, a former councilwoman.
"The solution is to have new board members at Casa Ramona or to have a new administrative staff," Naranjo said Wednesday.
Estrada has managed social services at the Casa Ramona site since 1981.
The charter school's board has no intention of firing Estrada, Valles said.
Casa Ramona's problems, according to the school district, include the campus offering only one course with the University of California's approval as a college preparatory class, a lack of English language instruction and various problems with the campus' physical condition.
Casa Ramona opened in 2007 as a K-12 campus and now has roughly 460 students. The charter school is ultimately subject to the school district's authority but has its own governing board to handle on-campus policy.
"We've been given a list of things to fix. It's not insurmountable," said Judith Valles, president of Casa Ramona's board and a former San Bernardino mayor.
Valles expects University of California officials to soon grant approval to Casa Ramona's college prep classes.
That development would facilitate Casa Ramona graduates' applications to state universities.
Casa Ramona's representatives also dispute reports that students are not being taught English and say the school uses a dual-immersion program to teach in Spanish and English.
Reported site problems have been described as the result of losing access to the nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe Community Center.
The school board initiated the "cure and correct" process Tuesday at the conclusion of an emotional, specially scheduled hearing that attracted more than 200 Casa Ramona parents and students to the district's headquarters.
Many people in attendance wore t-shirts showing their desire to keep Casa Ramona in operation.
Support for the school, however, has been mixed with some dissatisfaction with recent conditions there.
About 150 students walked out of class in September to protest conditions, and district board member Teresa Parra-Craig and vocal parent Maria Naranjo have called for the removal of Casa Ramona's executive director, Esther Estrada, a former councilwoman.
"The solution is to have new board members at Casa Ramona or to have a new administrative staff," Naranjo said Wednesday.
Estrada has managed social services at the Casa Ramona site since 1981.
The charter school's board has no intention of firing Estrada, Valles said.
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