Idea would bring charter campus to local district

Proposal has support from county, local and state bodies. If approved, school will be first of its kind in Newport-Mesa, 13th in the county.Seven people, one a former teacher in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, have submitted a proposal for a charter school in the district’s boundaries -- which, if accepted, will be the only one of its kind in Newport-Mesa.

At a special school board meeting Friday morning, the presenters outlined their plan for a public school that would combine classroom instruction and home study on a weekly basis. The school, dubbed the Orange County Academy, would likely base its operations in Newport Beach.

The charter school has already garnered support on the state, county and local levels. The state Department of Education awarded the founders a three-year, $180,000 start-up grant earlier this year; and state senators Dick Ackerman and Bill Morrow, four Orange County supervisors, Rep.-elect John Campbell, and Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor have written letters vouching support.

To open, however, the charter school will need approval from a public school district. Members of the Newport-Mesa school board have 30 days to rule on the proposal. If the plan is accepted, the founders plan to open the school in the fall of 2006.

“The Orange County Academy is one of those schools that’s not necessarily going to be for everyone, but for what it’s designed for, it’s incredibly necessary in the community,” said Dan Adelseck, the vice president of the charter school board and a real estate investor.

The school, which would not require tuition to attend, would serve students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Students would attend class two days a week and spend three days at home, with teachers occasionally making visits.

The main purpose of the charter school, Adelseck said, is to provide an alternative form of education for parents who can’t easily afford private school tuition.

“The education system really isn’t a one-size-fits-all,” he said. “The public school system does a fine job, but there are many parents who want to be more involved.”

David Brooks, the president of the Newport-Mesa school board, would not give an opinion on the charter school plan but said the group had given “as good a presentation as I’ve seen.”

According to charter board president Todd Winkler, there are only 12 charter schools in Orange County, compared with 93 in San Diego County and 113 in Los Angeles County. If Newport-Mesa turns down the charter school, the board members will likely appeal to the county. The school, wherever its location, will accept students from around Orange County.

In addition to Winkler and Adelseck, the charter board consists of Jeanne Hlebo, a public notary; Russell Mangum, a legal economist; Douglas Hanson, a public accountant; Michael Martinez Scott, a longtime educator; Joan Peace, an educator and textbook author; and Jan Luxembourger, a former teacher at Wilson Elementary School and Ensign Intermediate School.

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