Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education
The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education was formed by disgruntled parents, educators, and community members to counteract what was perceived as an attack on unionized public schools and the abrogation of the responsibility of the district to fund education for every child.
Background
The Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) Board of Education, led by Superintendent Jim Sweeney, created several charter schools in the district, the most controversial of which is located on the campus of Sacramento High School.
To create a charter school at Sacramento High School, the SCUSD Board made the controversial decision to close Sacramento High School. They then issued a charter to St. Hope, a not-for-profit community development corporation founded by former NBA player Kevin Johnson. St. Hope opened its charter school on September 2, 2003. Some parents, along with the teachers' union, sued the district because it felt the creation of the charter school was not in compliance with California state law. The court found that SCUSD indeed violated the charter school law. A consent decree was entered into by the plaintiffs, St. Hope, and SCUSD. and the settlement required that SCUSD create a public high school for the attendance area served by Sacramento High School.
External links
- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacramento-Coalition-to-Save-Public-Education/195811913765187 - Facebook group for the Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education
- http://www.sthope.org/index.html - Website for St. Hope
- http://www.scusd.edu/Pages/default.aspx - Sacramento City Unified School District