Thread by @LAist

1/ In Southern California, there was a fight between an arts charter school and the district that has overseen it for 20 years. It's now in the hands of the Orange County Dept. of Education.

How did we get here? It's complicated.

We'll break it down.

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2/ On one side of the fight: Orange County School for the Arts, a school that boasts high graduation rates and famous alumni. For young students, OCSA (pronounced OH-sha) is a refuge for those who may not feel like they fit in elsewhere.

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3/ OCSA founder Ralph Opacic, as well as the school’s supporters, say part of what made OCSA so special was its selective admissions process. It's also what drew a new level of scrutiny from Santa Ana Unified.

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4/ …which brings us to the opposing side of the fight: Santa Ana Unified School District. In 2019, OCSA asked SAUSD to renew its charter which had been a relatively drama-free process in the nearly 20 years prior.

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5/ SAUSD replied by releasing a report that called into question 3 main issues:

1. OCSA’s admissions policies
2. Relatively low Hispanic/Latino and low-income student enrollment
3. Requests for thousands of $$$ in donations, which OCSA says are voluntary

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6/ When it comes to admissions, one parent estimates she spent $1,200 — which included private acting lessons — in an attempt to help her 11-year-old daughter gain acceptance into OCSA, when the school auditioned kids.

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7/ But under state law, public charter schools (such as OCSA) that have more applicants than available seats are supposed to conduct a lottery to decide.

OCSA said this is the first time SAUSD took issue with their auditions over the past 20 years.

laist.com/projects/2020/…

8/ In terms of enrollment, a look at the racial makeup of OCSA’s student body compared to Santa Ana USD and Orange Co. shows disparities.

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9/ In terms of funding, it’s important to note that while OCSA is an arts school, it’s also a public charter school. Each year, the school receives ~$20 million in taxpayer dollars. Because OCSA benefits from public funds, it must comply with state laws.

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10/ Among the questions about OCSA’s funding model: a suggested donation from parents of $4,000+ annually. OCSA says these contributions are voluntary.

Here is the packet that was given to parents for this school year:

documentcloud.org/documents/6781…

11/ OCSA has appealed to the Orange County Board of Education to become its authorizer instead. The OC Department of Ed's staff recommended approval of the charter, with conditions.

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12/ Some of the conditions the OCDE staff recommended:

• Using a public random drawing to accept students — no auditions or placement activities
• Revising fundraising asks to emphasize they are voluntary

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13/ The Orange County Board of Education will consider those recommendations and vote on OCSA’s charter appeal on March 4. Their options:

• Approve
• Approve with conditions
• Deny

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14/14 Read our full story here: laist.com/projects/2020/…