Just Don't Understand

And maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but what is the problem with large districts and charter schools. I mean we have a max capacity of 150 students. The only full time high school in the area is sitting 46 students to an English class. They cannot even fit 150 more into those classes. Tonight we depend on that board to approve a new charter from an incoming investor so our school will finally have financial stability, and be able to stay open. We have the highest API score among the high schools in this district, and even high enough to boost us over most of the schools in CA. So why are we having this discussion. The charter school group that wants to come in will be investing in the community and bringing jobs and income into the area . Who can argue with that. Well stay tuned. If the District tries to shut this down the scream will be heard throughout the land, and five people will be committing political suicide. The mean one will definitely not go quietly into that dark night.

Gee Whiz

I've been at this thing for about three years now. What, am I crazy.
Well bad news folks. My school is suffering from the under-enrollment flu. And although we have worked hard and raised a lot of money, fear of the school closing is causing a hemorrhage of students. So no matter how much cash we seem to raise, it ends up walking out of the door with a student who wants to be sure they have a place in another school before those schools fill up to capacity. It seems to be a losing battle, and I will be out of work at the semester. It is so sad to see a good school die. If the fates could be against something, we are surely a target. Just as the fund raising is rolling along in a very positive way, Fire. Fire happens, no one can help that, but folks this school is in Ramona. If people had cash available before the fire, they did not have it after. People who did have cash to donate had fire victims to worry about, as it should be. But our cause got left in the ashes. And with no real guarantee from our little board and outright hostility from the larger district hoodoos, students and staff became very insecure. And finally with unfulfilled pledges in our hand the administration said pack it up. So we packed it up, and suddenly there were pledges, at least enough to make the semester. This created hope that we could raise what we needed for the balance of the year given the time to accomplish it. Then the larger district threatened that space would be limited if students did not transfer by a particular date. Thus the exodus and the nail in the coffin. The little board has not given up, but anything short of corporate support will simply not be enough.
So here I am, I feel I have so much to offer, and I love this little school; I'm a little lost right now. I watch as a local Indian Casino pumps hundreds of thousands of dollars into a two night holiday event, and I say to my husband, "What about pumping some cash into the future of a hundred and twenty students?" Cynically he answers that we won't advertise the Casino quite as well as December nights. So Sad, So Mad, and just a little meaner for the trouble.