El Camino Real High Approved For Charter Conversion
WOODLAND HILLS (CBS) — Los Angeles Unified School District is losing possibly its best school to the charter school movement.
El Camino Real High School, a U.S. Academic Decathlon Champion with top test scores and several city athletic titles, has been approved for charter conversion starting this fall, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
El Camino is the latest in a string of LAUSD schools that are shifting to charter status. The change would allow the school to qualify for an additional $415,000 in annual state funding, the Daily News reported.
Like every other LAUSD campus, El Camino has had to lay off teachers, counselors and office works because of budget cuts over the past three years. Becoming an independently run charter school, school leaders say, would allow the school to preserve its quality programs.
El Camino's charter conversion was unanimously approved by the Los Angeles Unified School District Board with no discussion.
About 23 LAUSD schools have converted to charter status, half of them in affluent suburbs.
The growing charter school movement will be another financial hit to LAUSD. In California, school districts are funded based on student enrollment, so as more schools convert to charters, LAUSD loses more kids and funding.
The Daily News reports that district officials had fought El Camino's conversion for two years, but recognizes that the change would bring more money and stability to the campus.
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