Two Highly Touted Oakland Charter Schools Quickly Closed, Now Owe the District Money
When nonprofit Youth Uprising opened two new Oakland charter schools in 2015, they were hailed as anchors of a "cradle-to-college" education pipeline serving families in a troubled deep east neighborhood. Private donors, and even the the state of California, showered the schools with grant money. Parents and community leaders praised the charters.
But both schools failed to enroll enough students and quickly ran out of money. One, Castlemont Junior Academy, was shut down entirely in 2016. The other, Castlemont Primary Academy, is currently being merged into a district-run public school.
Now, according to Oakland Unified School District officials, taking on the students will cost the district as much as several hundred-thousand dollars.
And the operator of both charters, the Castlemont Community Transformation Schools organization, still owes the district at least $22,101 in unpaid rent — at the same time OUSD is facing a $14 million budget shortfall.
Read more: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/two-highly-touted-oakland-charter-schools-quickly-closed-andmdash-and-now-owe-the-district-money/Content?oid=5091277
