LAUSD eyes shutdown of Locke High charter in Watts

Locke High – Los Angeles Unified is moving to end Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy’s charter arrangement, saying the school is “chronically underperforming.” Green Dot Public Schools, which has run Locke since 2008, is appealing the district’s decision to the

On the Watts campus of Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy. supporters and families are framing this moment as a last chance. Students have been making signs for the school’s enclosed garden. and the adults who built their lives around Locke now say the district has decided to pull the plug.

Los Angeles school district officials intend to shut down the charter school and take back the campus from its private operators. The charter group Green Dot Public Schools has managed Locke for nearly two decades and is mounting a last-ditch appeal of the L.A. Unified decision before the board of the county Office of Education. That county staff has also recommended closure.

At the heart of the dispute is whether about 1,000 students would fare better academically if Locke were run by the school district.

L.A. Unified’s conclusion is blunt. Officials say Locke is “chronically underperforming.” They point to test scores that are lower than the state average. lower than other charters. and lower than nearby district-operated “comparison” schools. District leaders argue their approach to evaluating charters is consistent and fair. grounded in rules set out by the state and district policy.

Locke and its backers see a different story—one they say has changed since Green Dot took over the beleaguered campus in 2008. They describe the takeover as an unprecedented move for the nation’s second-largest school system. It was the first time L.A. Unified turned over a high school and all its students to an outside organization. It was also the first time a local charter organization accepted the mission of a neighborhood public school. taking in every student who showed up.

Supporters say that lifeline matters for families living in the core of urban Los Angeles. But critics of charter expansion argue the district surrendered something valuable—arguing privately operated charters have been viewed as adversaries. funded in part by mega-donors who wanted to weaken unions through non-union charter schools and redirect public school funds to newly created charters. Green Dot founder Steve Barr stipulated that his group’s schools would be union represented—though that pledge satisfied only a small number of opponents.

The fight escalated after a vote last spring. In March, the Los Angeles school board voted 4 to 3 to deny the charter renewal, a decision that set up the pending appeal before the county agency.

Charter supporters say progress has become visible in multiple ways. They point to academic growth, vastly improved graduation rates, and a more secure and attractive campus. They plan to speak out against the L.A. Unified decision in a Thursday news conference and rally, urging county education officials to renew Locke’s charter.

Letters of support include one from the family of James B. Taylor, Locke’s first principal when the school opened in 1967. Taylor lived long enough to see the first seven years of the charter’s efforts and became a Green Dot enthusiast. according to a letter signed by 11 family members. The letter says Taylor “witnessed Locke transform into the kind of school he tried to create and always believed it could be — a place where teachers lead with kindness and high expectations. where families are respected partners. where students strive to reach their full potential. and where leaders are courageous enough to do what is right for students. In short, a school rooted in excellence, consistency and care.”.

Green Dot argues the district looked at Locke through a narrowly bureaucratic lens and reached the wrong conclusion about whether the school fell far short under Green Dot.

The district’s case for closure is tied to standards and evidence. In the analysis of L.A. Unified staff. the charter “failed to meet or make sufficient progress toward meeting standards that provide a benefit to the pupils.” The staff report says the charter “is not demonstrating the clear and convincing evidence necessary to justify renewal of a chronically underperforming school. ” and that students currently enrolled at the charter school “would be better served if the Charter School were closed and enrolled in schools with higher levels of pupil academic achievement.”.

District critics often trace the urgency back to the conditions before Green Dot took over. In the 2007-08 school year—the final year under district operation—about 12% of students tested as proficient in English Language Arts. and about 3% in math. That year also included a violent mass melee among students on campus. Under Green Dot, last year’s proficiency numbers were 28.1% for English and 9.5% for math. The district notes that the current test is more difficult than before. and while results have improved in absolute terms. officials say the progress still isn’t enough after 17 years.

Even so, Locke supporters insist the evaluation misses a critical factor: the students Green Dot has served each year. Green Dot says it has received “a new group of far-behind students every single year. ” and that those students fell behind—or were not brought up to grade level standards—while attending schools operated by L.A. Unified. Green Dot says that at Locke. documentation shows the typical student is achieving a year or more of learning every school year.

Locke’s student population is described as especially challenging. Green Dot says that in California. “Locke is the only school that has a student population that is comprised of more than 25% English learners; more than 8% homeless students; more than 20% students with disabilities; more than 90% socioeconomically disadvantaged; and has a non-stability rate of more than 30%.” Non-stability refers to the percentage of students enrolled at the school for less than the full school year. Green Dot adds that Locke has a high transiency rate—and that it did before Green Dot was in charge.

County analysts rejected Green Dot’s evidence. They say Green Dot was underperforming by failing to fully meet the needs of recent arrivals or students who were in and out of the school. The state testing system—on which the charter evaluation is based—gives no credit at the high school level for how much students improved since starting at Locke. Instead, the metric is where students stand in absolute terms, based mostly on testing conducted in the 11th grade.

County analysts also pointed to nearby schools. They noted that. based on this annual data for 11th grade. nearly all the surrounding schools improved more than Locke in the last three years. They also noted that the last three years coincided with a period of rapid test score rises in Los Angeles schools under the administration of Supt. Alberto Carvalho. Locke improved over that time as well, but county staff argued the surrounding schools still rose faster.

Tanya Ortiz Franklin, the L.A. school board member for the area, voted against closing the charter in April. In a letter to the county. she wrote: “I have seen firsthand the strengths of its instructional program. comprehensive extracurricular offerings. deeply committed alumni network and robust mental health and social emotional support.” She added that “Locke has demonstrated. through clear and measurable evidence. sufficient academic progress to meet the criteria for renewal. and Green Dot’s continued operation of Locke is in the best interest of the students and community it serves.”.

Now. with Green Dot pressing its appeal and county staff urging closure. the dispute is heading into a crucial decision point. For families who know Locke as a school more than a set of score reports. the concern is what happens to nearly 1. 000 students if the campus is taken back. For those who believe the district’s standards must be enforced without delay. the question is whether Locke can be considered anything other than a school that has waited too long to match the outcomes other students can already access.

Los Angeles Unified LAUSD Locke High Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy Watts charter school Green Dot Public Schools Office of Education Tanya Ortiz Franklin Supt. Alberto Carvalho students test scores English learners homeless students students with disabilities