By Gary Walker
A pilot school seeking to colocate at Venice High School was given the green light by the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education March 19, but its supporters will now be forced to wait and see where they will call home for the academic year 2013-14.
An amendment by LAUSD Board Member Steve Zimmer, whose district includes Venice High, allowed for the approval of the Incubator School but does not automatically allow it to establish itself at the high school, which its proponents had selected as their preferred location.
Zimmer, who has watched in recent weeks as parents and teachers from the high school have lobbied his office as well as the school district to keep the pilot school off of its campus, said the amendment would permit the Incubator School to be approved but also give “Venice stakeholders input into the (site selection) process.”
The high school’s existing school-based management groups would be required to vote on allowing the Incubator School to set up shop at Venice High, along with district approval.
Opponents of the pilot school were hoping to convince the board to postpone the matter until a deeper discussion could be held with a larger segment of the school community.
Sujata Bhatt, a fifth grade teacher at Grand View Boulevard Elementary School in Mar Vista, is the architect of the Incubator School.
Pilot schools are somewhat of a hybrid of charter schools and traditional public schools. They have the freedoms – or some charter opponents say the lack of accountability – of charter schools but are under direct district control. Unlike most charters, instructors at these schools usually belong to United Teachers Los Angeles.
Their attraction comes in the way of flexibility and autonomy with hiring, governance and school curriculum. Pilots also tend to have a particular theme, and the Incubator School is geared toward entrepreneurship.
Bhatt describes pilot schools as “teacher-driven” models that are “the district’s answer to charter schools.”
Proponents of the school, which was approved by the pilot school steering committee last year, have hundreds of signed letters from families supporting the Incubator School, which hoped to begin sixth and seventh grades in Venice next year.
James Encinas, a fourth grade teacher on leave from Westminster Avenue Elementary School in Venice, pleaded with the board to approve the school.
“If you vote in favor of (the Incubator School), you will be validating the work of highly valued teachers,” he said. “A vote in favor is a vote for change and reform from within (LAUSD).”
Karen Wolfe, a parent at Marina Del Rey Middle School in Del Rey, said very little was known about the school and an engaged group of parents and faculty members in Venice were unsure how it would affect their campus.
“We don’t know if this is a good idea or a bad idea,” she told the board. “We ask you to please slow down the process.”
At a community meeting at the high school days before the board vote, LAUSD officials were met with angry protests about the pilot school coming to their campus.
While a few people in the audience did not appear to take issue with the notion of another school colocating with them, the majority of parents and faculty from the high school questioned the lateness of the notification of the date of the board’s vote as well as what many feel is LAUSD’s lack of respect for its magnet program, which they say has not been given sufficient resources in order to grow.
Many complained that they learned of the meeting on the same day, March 15.
LAUSD officials Rachel Bonkovsky and Cheryl Hildreth sought to explain that there had been a miscommunication between the district and the Venice High administration that led to the delay in notice.
Health and swimming teacher Sophie Sabbah said having middle school students on the campus with high school teenagers could lead to trouble. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” the teacher told the district representatives.
Others stated that they did not want a school made up of an “elitist and entitled group of parents” who would not give their school a second look after they graduated from middle school.
Bonkovsky, LAUSD’s executive director of division of intensive and intervention support, in a previous interview said the pilot schools are a reform approach that the district likes. “This is a model that we’re very excited about,” she said.
Venice High School Parent Teacher and Student Association President Kristin Duerr, like many at the community meeting, had a sense that LAUSD had a plan that did not take the views of those who opposed the pilot school into account.
“The whole thing feels like a conspiracy, like they were hoping to get through with the vote and discuss later,” she asserted. “I think (LAUSD officials) weren’t banking on Zimmer winning (his election against challenger Kate Anderson), so with Anderson on board, the vote would have gone through without any notice.”
Zimmer said having a new, innovative teacher-led school and allowing the existing magnet school to grow were competing and difficult choices for the school board.
“I am struggling with how to deal with change and questions of space within the Venice complex,” he said.
Before the meeting, Bhatt, a nationally certified teacher, said her school was not a threat to Venice High and she is seeking to create a new paradigm within LAUSD.
“I have a deep connection to teaching and a passion for advocating for kids,” she said. “The world is changing and it’s time to take some risks and explore new possibilities.”
The Grand View elementary teacher said she will look for other locations if Venice High is no longer a viable option.
Bhatt is being assisted by Green Dot Public Schools founder Steve Barr, who is no longer with the charter organization.
I have a rising 6th grader and live near Venice HS. I think the VHS parents should know that I’m both very excited about the innovative curriculum and premise of Incubator School and I’m equally supportive of the fantastic world language magnet at Venice HS. I don’t see why these programs can’t co-exist in the same location harmoniously, assuming space exists. I am also excited about the upcoming STEMM magnet at VHS for my younger child. These great programs are not mutually exclusive options and parents should let go of their territorial fears and allow for the cross-fertilization of best practices and new ideas. I’m a resident of the neighborhood and a stakeholder who thinks it’s great that there are so many great options in our area.
As an alumni and a current Venice High School parent I find that the district has forgotten the Westside. It has not funded any innovative programs that have been struggling to survive. There are four perfectly good middle schools in the area that need students and could use the incubator program as a small learning community(of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders) within any one of the four campuses. The program should not be a separate school. The middle schoolers can then feed into the VHS programs as part of the “pipeline” of programs. Why are Steve Barr and Ms. Bhatt afraid of asking for input? If Dr. Mendoza has known about this since last fall, why hasn’t she had informational meetings? All of this has made the Venice community angry and I really don’t blame them.
Middle Schoolers in a high school is a TERRIBLE idea. They should do the program elsewhere. Do the middle schools in the area have space? Why don’t rent out a church building instead? Some churches have classrooms that arent used during school hours. These Westside elitists need to stop taking from the have-nots.
As a parent in this west area, I am thankful
for the progress of Venice parents and staff in opposing Deasy’s injustice. Continue to expose his ways. Deasy, Zimmer, and their puppet principal need to leave Venice High alone!! So much has been stripped away from LAUSD schools and Venice is a prime example. In the past years we have all seen Venice Fine Arts stripped away and diminished, reducing and cutting out theater, music, band, film to a bare minimum. We have seen them TAKE away industrial arts like woodshop, and under the current puppet principal- Venice has “lost” promising programs that students were enjoying- New Media Academy and CASA, a successful culinary arts program popular with the kids. And we know how she is all out after auto shop’s teacher and now perhaps all of auto shop.
Now what lies in the horizon- the “STEM” science & math Magnet??? Sounds very suspicious considering the latest from Deasy, Zimmer, & their puppet. I heard that STEM was supposed to attract 500 new kids into Venice, but that “recruiting” has gone horrible and that virtually no new students are interested. So – to fill STEM, the ones in charge are planning to just pull 200 of the good science and math kids out from Venice’s regular school! Really??!!
What kids will be left behind? What will remain of Venice- virtually no more arts, no more advanced science & math! And do you think that the STEM is going to be taking in the high at risk student groups like the ESL students and special needs students??
Venice will fail away and become a full remedial high school. STEM could be used as another weapon to kill away Venice as a true Venice community school.
PARENTS DON’T ALLOW MORE OF THIS GAME- you must give your approval before kids are pushed into STEM.
Oppose pilots, oppose charters, oppose STEM. Maintain what is left of our great community’s school -Free Venice!!!
Sounds like they found their school:
“May 30, 2013
Dear Playa Vista Parents, Faculty and Community,
This is to inform you that I was notified today, that LAUSD’s Incubator Pilot School will co-locate on the Playa Vista campus for the 2013 – 2014 school year. The plan is to allocate 5 classrooms for Sixth Grade students. All stakeholders are invited to a Community Meeting Tuesday, June 4th at 4:00pm in the MPR. The purpose of the meeting is to share information and address your questions.
Thank you,
Karina Salazar, Principal”
I am tired of these charter schools and all these other so called schools thinking they can just take space over at current LAUSD schools. I wish the board memebers would stand up and protect the current school system but they are only concerned about their political future and are afraid to say no to these programs. These schools want all the services provided by LAUSD but DO NOT want to follow the rules such as putting students into the SIS system. These schools need to find space elsewhere but they do not want to spend their funds on leasing space.
This school does what it wants and should not be part of lausd my child is on a iep and they refuse to take it in to consideration and have droped the ball all year long !!!