Spark Incident Leads to County-Wide Discussion on Future of Charter Schools

The recent investigation at Spark Charter School in Sunnyvale has lit a fire under the Santa Clara County School Board (County Board). In the wake of the child molestation accusations against a Spark employee, the County Board now seems ready to take responsibility for the more than 9,000 students attending the 23 county-approved charter schools.

At the October 6, 2015 meeting of the County Board, Don Bolce, Program Director, Special Projects, detailed the County staff’s investigation of Spark Charter. County staff concluded that, almost a month after school began, the employees had not been vetted and cleared to work with children.  In fact, no employee had gone through the mandated finger-print background check or had current TB test results on file. In short, the school had done nothing to ensure the safety and well-being of its students.

The flames felt by the County Board were further fanned by the absence of Spark administrators and board members from the County Board meeting on the school’s future. The same individuals who had been more than willing to stand before the Board, tout their expertise and ask for the approval of the charter school were nowhere in sight.

The Board’s faith in Spark was virtually non-existent, with Trustee Joseph Di Salvo, who has been one of the Board’s strongest charter proponents, saying he regretted his vote to approve Spark and agreed to a “discussion about revocation” because he was not “confident that [the] children are going to be in a safe environment.”  Only Trustee Grace Mah expressed hope that newly hired principal, Bill Overton, could make Spark a viable school.

Also addressed at the meeting was the Board’s role in overseeing the charter schools they approve. Trustee Anna Song reminded her colleagues that when a school is approved at the county level, the Santa Clara County Board of Education “becomes the only elected body that is ultimately responsible for the students of such school.” She requested that county staff begin visiting all 23 county charter schools to verify that federal and state regulations are being followed.  Song added that this verification should be conducted annually, as part of Board policy.

Song’s remarks ignited a series of suggested Charter Policy changes from Board Members, starting with the approval process.  Currently, County staff provides the Board with a recommendation to approve or deny each charter according to a locally created matrix.  Trustee Claudia Rossi recommended that the Board update this matrix.

Board President Darcie Green proposed that increased oversight begin with brand new schools. The Board should be focusing its oversight proposals on transparency and accountability, ensuring that all charter schools are following the requirements established to keep children safe and provide a high quality learning experience.  Charter schools annually report to the Board and each school should be mandated to present specific information regarding enrollment, student data, programs and curriculum, composition of the Board of Directors, board meetings, finances, and administrative responsibility.  A formal complaint procedure for charter school parents and students also needs to be developed, and complaints should be reported to the Board annually, at a minimum.

The Santa Clara County Board of Education needs to remember that while charter schools might be run as independent entities, they are the elected board that approves the schools and therefore responsible for the education and safety of its students. Any changes made to the Charter School Policy must be enforced to stop another avoidable, devastating, and life-altering incident, like the one at Spark Charter.

Per the request of the Board, County staff will describe the process and timeline for revocation of the Spark Charter at the October 21st County Board meeting.

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