Charter school gets holiday break

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Parents hoping to start a charter school have gotten

the district to postpone a public hearing that was set for tonight, in

order to give everyone involved a break around the holidays.

“There are five main reasons [for the postponement request], with one

underlying purpose -- to give the charter the best possible chances for

success,” said Brad Jarvis, a member of the charter’s executive board.

Before the request for a postponement, school board members had until

Dec. 27 to approve or reject a petition submitted last month that calls

for the creation of Mesa Leadership Academy.

Now that decision won’t have to be made until February.

Proponents hope to open the academy in September, with about 320

students in kindergarten through third grade. They plan to add fourth and

fifth grades over the subsequent two years.

Charter schools are public institutions that usually are organized by

local groups of parents, teachers or community leaders.

The specific goals and operating procedures are detailed in an

agreement, or “charter,” with the local school board.

But with Thanksgiving just passed and the holiday season beginning,

advocates and district officials were having a tough time giving the plan

needed attention during the board’s allotted 60-day decision period.

Charter advocates wanted to ensure that both school board members and

charter supporters had the time and energy to discuss the school’s

opening, Jarvis said.

“We felt the best thing to do was take the pressure off ourselves, our

supporters and the board, because we are the only ones who can ask for a

postponement,” he said. “We will reschedule for early January, when

people are focused.”

Jarvis added that many community members wishing to support the cause

called to say Tuesday was simply a bad day for them to come out in

support of the school.

Because the decision will now come in early February, advocates still

say they will have enough time to prepare for a September start date.

In the meantime, charter school advocates will take the extra time to

fine-tune the petition, said John Daffron, principal of the proposed

academy.

“We want to make sure we’re really prepared for any questions,”

Daffron said. “We want to take a harder look at our financial model --

the business side of it.”